Getting ready for Sunday's Party - Meet Dawn, yoga teacher - The perfect Tangelo - Poem: Playing Tennis in December

Maxwell House Coffee is tasteless to the last drop so I added some 10-year-old vanilla extract to it. Still not very good but potable nonetheless.

My task today is to clean off all living room surfaces so we can serve food on them. Sarah's taking a day off to get in shape for her massive kitchen duties which will be done with her cousin Nikki in Clarksboro, NJ.

Rob, did I invite you to the party? Please come if you're able to.

 My Rolodex on my living room desk is totally disorganized.

Came up with a plan of organization.

Ray of Accu-Print had given me a slew of window envelopes. I slit em open and popped in the Rolodex cards of folks.

Alpha order. I made three trips to Mailman Joe to send Holiday Cards to forgotten friends.

"This is the last one, Joe," I said handing him cards to Janet, Nancy, and Dorothy, who I refer to as Dorf.

I had a card for the founders of Families Unite, which became NAMI. Ed and Kate LeBlanc. They're in their 90s now, Kate told me a couple of yrs ago, and she rides around the facility in a skooter.

I'd given up hope of selling my three-panel Chinese screen until Dawn emailed and asked if it was still available. Shortly thereafter another woman emailed me wanting the screen.

She liked Pal, my soft furry unmovable pet dog. She has a new puppy.

Here's her website.  Quite fantastic!!!

She's also a writer for a yoga magazine. 

She liked the classical music I'm listening to on WRTI. Audio books are no good b/c I have too much thinking to do.

Look what my friend "Tree" sent me in the mail. Booklovers that we are, I know these will be good.

Last night after having quaffed hot Constant Comment with caffeine I finished up a short story titled Root Beer Float. One of my readers didn't like it. I thanked her for her honesty, but personally, I really liked it.

Then I emailed it to my sister Lynn, who gave it her seal of approval.

My veggie soup is heating up on the range. Would luv to share it with someone, but who?

Marce! Thanks for the Tangelo. Perfection!!!

Only God can create a Tangelo.

PLAYING TENNIS IN JANUARY IN WILLOW GROVE PA

From my car I saw them,
turned into Masons Mill Park
puh-dump! That's my car
jumping over a new
odd-looking speed
bump I never
saw before, eyes
fastened in the
players.

Young, you can tell
from a distance,
how come? Loose,
erect, charismatic
unlike the stooped
elderly.

Embarrassed, I drove
by, seventy years old
my colorful neckerchief
casting a spell of
confidence over my
aging body. The one
in the red shorts bounced
the yellow ball, his back
to the net. I leapt from
the car like a cat, yes, I
can still run, became
sixteen again and charged
the ball at the net. It passed
him in a yellow blur like a
fading sunflower. Finished,
I returned to my car,
heart pounding,
pud-dump, pud-dump.