joining the technical age

2006 Greetings to all from a reluctant entrant in the electronic age. It is quite delightful to turn on the computer and see the "un-read messages" line highlighted.

The primary reason we now have access to e-mail is because we have invested in a computer-driven quilting machine. One of the requirements for purchase was to have internet access for downloading new programs. I have spent most of our school vacation trying to learn the various ins and outs of the machine and its operating program. Today I did finish a small quilt for my friend Eileen. It was an adventure and looks ok, but I knowwhere all the problems occurred. The quilt is for her great nephew and will be well used, so the oops spots will not be critical. As I told Nancy, this machine is supposed to be revenue-positive (eventually) and help in the years ahead.

Suki, thanks so much for the remarks about Joan. It is good to hear that because she doesn't always put on her best self around us. The day you saw her she was shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding on New Year's Eve. Her KSU classmate from David City was married at the Gretna Catholic church. Then on Sunday a group headed for Colo. to ski. She goes back to school on Jan. 12. She is working at the Parkview vet clinic in Lincoln during break. (She worked there during undergrad days.)

Tom is enrolled at Southeast Comm College and taking 13.5 hours. It will be interesting to see if he's more focused than he was in high school. Since September he had been working for a large family farm west of Columbus. He helped with harvest and cows, calves and bulls. Always interesting tales from that front!!!

Ben passed his engineer training/test with BurlingtonNorthern and has begun doing some trips as the engineer. In fact, on his first trip as THE engineer (to Creston, IA), the conductor was brand-new and there was an engineer-in-training along as well. He was exhausted at the end of the trip. Heather is excited to begin her critical section of RN training.

Joan's cat, Calvin, is boarding with us and has just taken a seat on my newly finished quilt . He must approve. He is the snoopiest,occasionally naughty cat I know. He's still entertaining and loves to play with our timid and sweet rat terrier, Patch. So, I will close and encourage him to move his large orange body!!

Connie