We're having the kind of weather today that is perfect for Christmas shopping. No, I didn't do any, but in December when the weather is sunny and warm, I'll be longing for the cool, rainy stuff we're having now. I've never gotten any thrill from shopping early, so I don't do it. I'd rather wait and enjoy the decorations, the music, the sales in the week or two before Dec. 25th. It's all about being "in the mood."

Skip, as usual, left sooner than I wanted him to. We had planned to meet George at Walker's for lunch, but he called to say his car had a dead battery and we needed to reschedule. Then Skip went to his car and he had a dead battery. My brother, who was supposed to come over and visit last night, also had a dead battery, but in his carcass, not his car. So I felt like I'd been stood up three times, thanks to dead batteries.

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Nevertheless, our visit with my cousin was a good one. His "Narrow Escape Story" was about his September hike in the Colorado Rockies when he and his friend Johnny got stranded overnight in below freezing temperatures while hail and then snow fell. Thank you, Johnny, for convincing Skip to go with Plan B and to come back down to a safer elevation and campground. I know he was disappointed not to reach the Continental Divide, but I can think of other disappointments (like fingers and other essential body parts lost to frostbite) that could have been much worse. I'm glad you stood your ground with my hard-headed cousin. Besides, you look like you could "whup his scrawny ass" if you had to.