Thanks for all the birthday wishes. Sorry I missed the party. I blame the Speedy Market's customer appreciation complimentary undercooked hot dogs. Well, they say there's no such thing as a free lunch.

My dad is having cataract surgery tomorrow. He had a routine EKG as part of his pre-op physical last week and the doctor said she thought he'd had a heart attack since his last EKG. You know how my mom keeps my dad hopping, so I guess he didn't have time to be sick! My mom had a bad case of vertigo a while back which caused her to fall off her chair and lay on the ground for an hour, so they're both going to have some further tests next week.

Finally, for those of you who know my cousin Neal, he and Sherry are finally fulfilling their ambition of moving out of Rosholt, SD! Neal is the new administrator of the veteran's home in Lisbon, North Dakota, the only one in the state. It's a big step up for him and although Lisbon doesn't seem like a metropolis to us (pop. 2,000), it's 5 times the size of Rosholt. For the first year, they can live in a 3-story brick house that's on the national historical register. Now their only problem is selling their house in a very limited market--Neal suggested that maybe the Andersons would like to buy it for a retreat center!