[at-l] Happy Holidays

[ellen at clinic.net (Bob C.)]

And a Merry Christmas also from the foggy coast of Maine, where despite record
early snow falls this year only an occasional patch remains to be seen. Isn't
nature wonderful?

Ice cakes float with the incoming tide in the stream that divides the marsh.
Buffleheads and wild geese form rafts in the cove, reminding me again of why I
love the four seasons of Maine.

Tuesday, our town land trust closes on the purchase of 64 acres bordering a wild
pond, a dream since about this time of year in 1973. Life is truly good. Even
the gout in my right big toe, that had me hobbling since Sunday, is
disappearing.

Off topic? Not really. I first experienced the symptoms in 1993 on the trail in
North Carolina. The Franklin emergency room doc blamed a staff infection from a
blister. But two subsequent episodes in recent years makes me think gout
probably was the culprit.

 Weary, who's wiling away the time, until my wife gets home from work. (hey
 someone has to take care of those sick people in the hospitals, even on
 Christmas Day.)