Frank and Jeannot! Jan 20th will be a great day! Good wishes for a terrific year to us all—I’m confident that 2009 will be very bright!

Mugsy, That’s so nice of you, and to think of the man having a respite and some food. Feel so sorry for the homeless…and agree that those selling the ‘Street Sheet” are working hard. When first moved to SF was appalled by how many were on the street so started a policy of giving x amt to the first person who asked every day and then said to the others that because there are so many have that policy but hopefully tomorrow I’d encounter them first. Over ten years talked to a lot of the homeless and at least 30% are vets, and many others just circumstances. A woman whose last three paychecks bounced, then the company closed its doors, and she wound up within months living in her car….then got parking tickets she couldn’t afford to pay so it was impounded and she was on the street, etc. At least Gavin Newsom has been very activist and has gotten a lot of people into housing. And in SF there were some homeless ‘adopted’ by the neighborhood, one man started doing odd jobs, people would give him clothes, money and food and encourage him, and eventually he did get into housing. He’d gone to Berkeley and was a nice guy….but after his wife and two kids were killed in an accident he just spiraled down. And now tent cities are sprouting up all over due to the epidemic of foreclosures: http://www.rogerstriffler.com/AIDSRide7/31-Tent%20City.jpg http://www.wsws.org/articles/2008/apr2008/tent-a07.jpg http://frecklescassie.files.wordpress.com/2007/01/tent-city.JPG Wish Obama would start a program of building those tiny studio cottages like they did after the 1906 Earthquake…it got people out of the elements and safe, and created building jobs, and when times got better many of those units wound up as playhouses/storage sheds in people’s backyards, etc. http://www.littlediggs.com/littlediggs/images/asset_medium2.jpg And from the example of the City being nearly destroyed in 06 and grandly rebuilt by 1915 for the World’s Fair with incredible designs proves what can be done with a plan and some leadership. There is so much need today for emergency housing, and also for jobs….I don’t know why Congress can’t put together a program that would solve both problems when they can give $700B to the banks that created much of this mess. If anyone in Northern Calif ever wants to create something like that they can present a plan to the Tides Foundation to become a non-profit under their umbrella and get office space support in the Presidio. http://www.tides.org/ And then can use The Foundation Center [one of largest in US] resources to get grant money easier as the majority of grants go to non-profits and organizations not individuals. http://foundationcenter.org/sanfrancisco/ Three cheers, Mugsy.

Belinda, I’m so sorry to hear about your brother’s death, you’ve really been through a lot this year, and poor him, too. “Time is not infinite.” Well, not here anyway. My grandmother used to say when she was 85 that ‘The longest life is too short.” I didn’t understand that really untill recently. Take good care.

PS. I am ‘resolved’ to get a Golden Retriever and a Ragdoll cat this year, a breed I just discovered by someone’s mention here I think, and have been looking into them: Unbelievably cute! http://www.square-designs.com/media/DIR_15801/Adonis~photo~for~intarsia~… http://lottarags.com/imagesa/chloe2.jpg http://rivershorerags.com/mramerica5.jpg http://bellapalazzo-ragdollcats.com/P/VillaroyalMiles.jpg http://www.catfacts.org/ragdoll-cat-facts-2.jpg

With my brother’s death and my relocation back to Carmel much is ‘resolved’ and therefore I have goals and intentions for the year, not resolutions. I am ‘at home’ here…can’t wait to get up and out early for a marathon walk. This AM walked all the way to Spanish Bay Inn on the beach and back through the forest, last night spent freezing/glorious sunset on windy Asilomar Beach…and saw a buck with a plank stuck in his antlers…and two deer munching from opposite ends of a long string of moss towards each other like Disney cartoon characters that would meet at the end in a kiss. Arrived back here by accident of scheduling really, and now never want to leave. Didn’t realize how historic Monterey is too, i.e., I hadn’t known that it was the orginal seat of government for California and where the state Constitution was written, nor did I know that the Monterey Bay is 6,000 ft. deep!

I have one credit and one debit card, mostly for convenience, limit use and try to pay off any charges immediately.

Allene, I’m so sorry for your loss. I used to wonder why Katherine Hepburn spoke about the death of her brother at a young age for the rest of her life. Then my brother’s death this year made me realize that all the awful things of life piled together don’t approach the pain and impact. So, like you, 2008 will always be the year that changed everything and when something definitely died in me, too. My Dad has instructed us not to speak to him about it, that it’s too overwhelming and he gets himself somewhat settled and a reminder takes another week to recover from. My Mom is still on Paxil, all of us feel like the walking wounded. I moved back to Carmel as a result….if I just take my marathon walks and focus on client work and beauty…and remember to ask myself, what would he say to do/think about this…that all helps. Everyone has to find their own way to deal with a death as devastating as this. I sincerely hope that 2009 brings you some peace, I understand a little how difficult it is, although even a beloved brother as much as he will be missed for the rest of our lives, he is not my own child…I am sorriest for my parents and his two sons, and by extension knowing how that is, for you, too. On the positive side, am very grateful that Obama was elected. And am not celebrating New Year’s till Jan 20th, which is also my brother’s b-day….so the champagne will be poured liberally that day. And I’ll remember to raise a glass to you then too, Allene.