Is it Wednesday or Thursday?

You'd think I'd know that. I fear that it's Wednesday.

I didn't stay home from work yesterday. I left home for work, sat pretty much still in traffic for 45 minutes and returned home. We spent a little time at the accounting office doing an amended return for one of Jose's clients and planning some work on our first bookkeeping client. Confidentiality of professional relationships prevents me from explaining much, but small business persons are not uncommonly very careless about their accounting practices. They get a little nervous at tax preparation time, but get over it on April 16th.
Janett and I ran out for a fun shopping trip to Meijers; she got earphones, I got long johns. It was s little cold, but walking from the house to the car and the car to the store, then back again, I kind of thought the weather people on TV were exaggerating the impact of this cold snap. If we'd have had a flat tire, I suppose I would think differently.

Then, this morning I enjoyed a 2 1/2 hour "drive" to work. I'm getting really tired of this. People at the office asked me if I'd checked my email because the big Jamoke sent out a message to employees neither confirming nor denying the content of a Wall Street Journal article about the company planning a bankruptcy filing and reorganization. Janett and I muse about the inexplicable way bad fortune strikes every business for whom I work. They ought to make me wear a black gown and carry a sickle. You can imagine my thoughts, "that's what they get for keeping me here so long. Should have laid me off weeks ago when they still had a chance."

Noah's visit this past weekend was pleasant. Turns out, one reason he came was to give me a monitor he wasn't using. So, I'm back to my computer - and I can play Risk again. He tinkered with his new notebook computer Friday night while we talked and ate pizza. He didn't sleep well Friday night on the living room fold-out, partly because he routinely works night and sleeps during the day. So Saturday morning I sent him back to bed in my room where with the drapes drawn, it stays pretty dark. Noonish, we went to his sister Steffie's house, ate McDonalds, and played with the little ones. Noah took it on himself to shovel walks and drive, and after a while Malachy went outside too, and helped. (See picture below). Saturday night he went to a party at Chad's, but not before replacing my windshield wipers. From the party he drove straight home to Champaign and was happily into his own bed at 4 AM.

Monday night was scheduled to be my initiation into the Knights of Columbus, but they called the meeting off due to bad weather. I didn't get the word and showed up. Louie got the word late and came to meet me at church. We went to one of our old haunts and saw some friends. "Still sitting on the same stools, I'll bet" Janett suggested. It was steak night so I ordered one. Louie said he'd already eaten but would have a salad and baked potato. I gave him half my steak when we got it (overwhelming his faint vegetarian protestations) and he bought a couple of beers. We saw the Irish basketball team lose to Louisville in overtime. Other than that it was a nice evening. Then on the way home I stopped at the Speedway and bought 4 really fresh just delivered Krispy Kreme doughnuts for Janett. She's a dainty little person with a weakness for fresh doughnuts, and she ate three of them that night.

I haven't had time to look at the markets yet. It was more important to be in touch. I'll let you know what I find out when we talk next.