For the past couple of weeks, we've had some major household turmoil here--not my story, so for the moment I won't go into details about it. But yesterday was a turning point: a series of good things happened, the best possible sort of resolution looks close, and Tom and I walked down to a local restaurant last night to celebrate with some crab and a couple of beers.

Really, it's been that kind of winter: worries, relief, worries, relief. I suppose these are the normal stepping stones into our inevitable disasters.

Let me just say: every good thing should fall into the lap of this man who has labored so hard and selflessly all of his life, while his barely employable wife has fluttered among dandelions and chickweed.