The trains at Bevell's

If you're from "around here", you know about the trains at Bevell's down in Blackstone.  Every year, this guy takes about 1/3 of his hardware store and sets up his train collection, or at least a part of it.  It's unreal.  I don't know how many hours it takes, but it has to be A LOT.  Then he sits around to show everyone how it all runs, to talk to kids about collecting trains, etc.  Too cool.  And if you look just to the right of the conductor, you'll see his "elf" hiding behind a girl.  He has a hat that moves on its own, and he's 400 years old.  VERY convincing!

Luke took his lesson in conducting very seriously!

More from Bevell's

Still at Bevell's!

Perhaps the most interesting display... a POW camp, complete with prisoners!

And here's the tribute to our local Army post.

I'd like to let this end with 2010...

I really hope this doesn't carry over into the new year...

Here I am, day to of pajamas on the couch, wicked sick with some kind of GI bug that's kept me married to the toilet and a trash can.  I know, I'm a beauty.  Some days I don't know how I stand all this fabulousness.   I'm bringing sexy back to my bathrobe.  I slept for 26 of 28 hours yesterday (minus incremental sprints to the bathroom), which has helped.  This morning I've kept down Gatorade and a blueberry muffin.  I might just make it after all, but I don't think you need to worry about me rowdying up Times Square, or Carytown for that matter.

Now I'll get to work on some Christmas posts for you people!

Merry Christmas!

No, really.  Merry Christmas.

My Gram is still in the hospital, but she's buoyed (as is my sweet Mama) by the strength of having my Uncle Scott hold one hand, my Uncle Tim hold the other, and the sound of familiar voices and laughter.  It makes me feel better to know that even without being able to go home for Christmas, a very important piece of home has been able to come to her.

Things have gotten very exciting in this house, what with Santa coming and all.  The Force has been on constant "Elf Watch".  God bless the truckers that put antlers and Santa hats on their rigs.  We've got him convinced that they're elves and Santa's helpers hauling presents and watching for kids that are naughty and nice.  Yes, he may need therapy when he grows up, but better for this than some of the other stuff we'll inevitably screw up and do to him.  It's been so much fun this year.  We had some snow last week, which (of course), sent me running to Tractor Supply Store to get The Force a sled.  It looks like a penguin.  He's now a master sledder and when he gets to the bottom, will jump up and yell, "I am IL PENGUINO!" at the top of his lungs.  I may or may not have taught him that.

To all of you I wish a merry and bright Christmas.  May the new year ring in peacefully and bring us more love than our hearts can handle.  Safe travels to any of you hitting the roads, rails, or sky.

Don't read this unless you want to be depressed... or maybe inspired to hold your loved ones closer

But you probably shouldn't read this in case it's the first.

My sweet Grammy is dying.  She's in the hospital tonight fighting a fever and dehydration after taking the last type of chemotherapy that gave her any hope of staving off her cancer any longer.  They are trying to stabilize her so she can go home with Ma and Pa King and the help of Hospice.  While the chemo itself made her very, very sick, that's probably not what landed her in the hospital.  Her immune system is weak, and she's had multiple problems over the last several months that have bounced her in and out of the hospital and kept her mostly the house guest of my parents because she couldn't stay alone in her own home.

It's been very hard for her.  It must be a terrible thing to know you're going home to die.  When I was home to visit her two weekends ago she said to me, "I just thought I would have more time."

We don't know how much time is left, but I can say with certainty that we all did, Gram.  We all did.