I have missed many posts over the last two days. We have been very busy, preparing for our last show of the season, seeing friends, and fulfilling obligations regarding Son Blaine, and his last good-by's. Odd as this sounds, I can feel his hand in so many things that are happening to me. I know some will say, this is all part of the grieving process. But I say this, process or not, I feel his hand is so many things. There is so much he needed done, and he has been actively working to see this through. His work through me has renewed and strengthened my faith. I thank The Lord always, for the short time I had with this exceptional young man.

I have been everywhere it seems, over these past days. Our visit to Blaines' work was a high light of my week. The people at Smartronix were just the warmest, nicest imaginable. It was a tremendous joy to see my son worked in a nurturing environment, with caring mentors to direct and show him the way. It was obvious from the number of senior professionals who took time from their busy day to talk to me about my boy, that he was well liked and appreciated in his work there. I was touched beyond belief, and have much to be thankful for in regards to Smartronix. They treat their employees like family.

Our set up for The Unique Boutique was a breeze on Friday night. Many took time from their busy set-up to stop and give their condolences. They are a thoughtful group of colleagues. Someone initiated a sympathy card, signed by all, and delivered by the President, Sandra. It was thoughtful and heartfelt and helped greatly to ease my pain. The Unique Boutique is a nice group, and a good guild to be a part of.

Friday night we were at Jess & John's for Steak dinner. Thursday night was ribs & stuffed ham. If they continue to feed us like this, they will have to claim us on their income tax as dependents. Saturday after the show, Sherry and I took pizza and dessert over. Big Deal, pizza compared to steak! Some return.

Jess & John are the best! Jess is so very giving. She made two photo scrap books for me (one for me and one for MC), and burned a dozen movie/slide show CD's of Blainers for distribution to family and friends. She is an amazingly giving person, really selfless in her motives. I would be afraid to tell her if I had a sore throat, as I am certain a tractor-trailer with "Smith Brother's Lozenge's" will show up in my door yard. You need only say the word, and she is there with whatever you ask. An amazing woman whom we love and cherish, appreciate and are thankful for. She does too much! And John is cut from the same cloth. He spent Veterans Day at his father's side (along with Jess), helping where he could. He is one of those rare individuals whom, when you say "would give you the shirt off of his back", well, John really would. We are so very fortunate and blessed to have him in our lives and, more importantly, in the lives of our Grandchildren! If I could have picked, I could not have picked better than John Calvin.

Saturday's UB was a stunning success. We had strong sales, and were able to capture some commission work. I am certain Sunday will be slow, as it always is. But I will take it, and be thankful for the successful Saturday. Heaven knows we needed it, what with being off for three weeks, and the unanticipated expenses of the past two weeks. Luckily, we had heavied-up on inventory in preparation for the move south, so we are ready for our next show in Tampa.

I am ashamed to say I missed my sister Poppy's birthday. She is a wonderful sister who was always there for me. As a kid growing up I could always depend upon her to cover my butt. I must make a note to send along a Birthday Greetings.

If all goes according to plan, I will meet Mary this evening, and say my sad good-by's. She has been at her mother's side throughout this trying time, and is to be admired for it. It is something I would not have wanted to do, as the pain would be too great to bear. She has stood by her side, absorbed her pain, held her up, and tried to protect her from this awful burden. In doing so, no one has reciprocated. Her pain must be deep beyond belief. It is an amazingly selfless thing she has done for Blaine's Mother. I am very proud of her, while at the same time, I want to remove her from this horrible nightmare. Sadly, I am inept, impotent to do so. I will have to trust The Lord will work his will, and bring some relief to my little girl. This is the focus of my prayers.

Our plan is to escape from Maryland on the morrow. We should have all of the last little bit done. I will flip my weather recordings from Abell to Palmdale. I will miss the river, and my birds. I worry after them, wondering who will care for them, who will feed them, who will make certain they go to perch with stomachs full. The Morning Dove will leave, and fly to a warmer shore. The Boreal birds will suffer through. Some will make the cut, others not. I will worry for them. I have left sufficient seed to fill the feeder when I return at Christmas. Between now and then my fine feathered friends will have to fend for themselves. Strange how they give me such joy.

Well, it is time to close. I have much to do today. Fingers crossed I get to hold my little girl for just a while.

Today in Abell we will have a mix of sun and clouds. Our High will reach 64F with winds light and variable. We have 100% relative humidity and a dew point at 34F. The Barometer is steady at 30.11 and our chance for rain is 10%. Our sunrise came this morning at 6:46 and will leave us this evening at 4:54.

And in Palmdale, it will be mostly sunny today with a High near 80F and a Low of 51F. The winds are 5 to 10mph out of the North/Northeast. The Relative Humidity is 94% and the dew point is 57F with a barometric reading of 30.08 and steady. The Palmdale sunrise came at 6:52 and will set tonight at 5:32. This sunset is 34 minutes later than Abell. This is good news, as I will have a half hour more to loaf each day!