Thanksgiving

Annie was a little apprehensive about the ice cream, but it went over big
with Teigan. Three helpings.

Thanksgiving

_____________________________________________
From: Steve Taylor [mailto:spt@thetaylorcompany.net]
Sent: Friday, November 29, 2002 10:54 PM
To: Bill Taylor (E-mail); David Taylor (E-mail); Tom Taylor (E-mail)
Subject: thanksgiving

But after some serious work, the Cottonwood Circle is complete.

Thanksgiving

It was a little snowy to work on the train on Thanksgiving Day. They day
before, Judy had raked the snow away from the track and from where the rest
of the track should be.

Thanksgiving

The day is going well. Got to sleep in. Had my oatmeal and coffee. Made
the ice cream. Judy made the stuffing and got the bird in. The sun is
shining. The mercury is rising. The Banjo music is playing.

Almost time to go outside and finish the power grid so the lights go on at
the flip of a switch tonight.

We can tell it's above freezing. Annie just came back inside with little
black paw bottoms.

Christmas

The Christmas music is set up on the stereo.

But there is a problem with the railroad. Another weather-related delay.

Lights

And the sleigh is all hooked up to Puff, and Puff has on his red nose.

Lights

And we got all the eaves icicles lit. The turbo electrohydraulic ones keep
melting.

And see the pelican weather vane on the roof? He has his Santa hat on.

Lights

We got the candy canes all lit.

And the reindeer on the roof.

Xmas

Got the walnut tree done too.

Xmas

Got the cottonwood tree finished today.

Lights

The weather cooperated. It was a productive weekend. All the high lights
are up. The roof line is done. The maple trees are done. The top branches
of the walnut are done. No more extension ladder. Well, I haven't done the
cottonwood yet, but maybe I can do that with just the step ladder.

No hurry on the rest. We can do the rest from the ground.

Christmas is saved.

Medical

Apparently there is a lot we don't know about cholesterol. There is a
correlation with heart disease, but it doesn't work well as a predictor.
You know, lots of people with high cholesterol and healthy hearts. Low
cholesterol people with bad hearts. Then they discovered high density and
low density. That helps, but it doesn't complete the picture.

I read they added another piece. Another two kinds of cholesterol; small
dense particles, and larger fluffy particles. Regular exercise does not
affect the total cholesterol at all, but people who exercise have healthier
hearts. Exercise promotes larger fluffier particles. Larger fluffier
particles don't accumulate as much as the smaller dense particles.

The discoveries are coming fast and furious. I'll bet in another fifty or a
hundred years we'll really understand a lot about how cholesterol affects
cardiac health.

Weather

The weather report just announced that we went 132 consecutive hours
sub-freezing. We spent four hours above freezing today.

The forecast is for sixty degrees by the end of next week. Sounds like good
decorating weather to me.

Medical

We went off on a medical adventure Friday night. I took Judy in to National
Jewish Hospital for an overnight sleep study.

Judy got all the attention. I got a cot. But Judy can be a little
claustrophobic. Actually she has to be claustrophobic. She doesn't have
any control over it. She was supposed to get an MRI before her shoulder
surgery but even with the sedative beforehand, freaked out from inside the
machine.

Friday night they hooked up electrodes to her legs, to her head, and to her
face. Then they put straps around her abdomen and chest. Know that look a
cat gets just before it erupts in a giant furry explosion? I could see it
in her eyes. They still had stuff to put over her nose and mouth and
something heavy to put on her chest when she called the whole thing off. We
checked out by midnight, drove home, and got to sleep in our own bed.

Guess we're sleeping well enough.

Weather

Here is the decorating dilemma.

Icicles where the Christmas decorations are supposed to be.