f white that Dallas got. Chris saved a snowball in the freezer for us but that was all we got. So I got so excited that it was supposed to snow all day yesterday and last night. Well it snowed for about 2 hours in the evening but it never could seem to drop below 34 degrees. So we were left with a light dusting that was mostly gone by midnight. Very sad..I had an interesting memory yesterday. Growing up on Orchard street, I had a friend that lived a couple of streets over on 5th. Her name was Leah Wilsey and she was awesome. We used to hang out alot because we lived so close together and because we got on quite well. Although she was a year younger than me, we were very tight til I graduated and left. Actually, the summer after my freshman year in college, she was up at KU moving in for her freshman year and I went and spent the day with her. That was the last time I saw her as I moved down to Dallas a few weeks later. I believe she is living in Kansas City now, I'm sure she is doing great. Ok, that's enough background.
So I must have been in 8th or 9th.. maybe 10th or 11th grade, I cant remember. It was over the Christmas holiday break because I remember that all the college kids were gone and the town was empty the way that it gets. you get used to that growing up in a small town that is home to a large university... during the summer and christmas breaks, you can drive half way across town without seeing another vehicle. Anyway, it was a normal day, nothing special except that it had been snowing for a couple of days straight so the town was under a bunch of snow. It was piled up everywhere. I had been hanging out at Leah's... she had a great house, both of her parents were doctors. I don't remember what we were doing, probably just talking. Anyway, it was probably around 10-11 at night and I was walking back to my house through our neighborhood. Our neightborhood had been there for 70-100 years so the houses were old but n
ice and there are huge mature trees everywhere. I remember walking and enjoying the cold weather and the quiet as there were no cars or pedestrians the whole way back. It was just the most odd thing. I remember turning the a corner and seeing a snow covered silent street and I was filled with an enormous sense of loneliness. It was like nothing I have ever felt before or sense. Everything was just lonely. I kept walking and it passed as I strode up my front steps. It must have been pretty powerful for me to remember it so well. Anyway, that's all- end of story.Yeah so, SMU Mustangs... puttin' the hurt on Nevada and dominating the Hawaii Bowl. Well done gentlemen. And for all the Mustang faithful out there, it's been 25 years... cheers.
Laters,
jth
Look at this.. I am talking about nothing. Ok well sorry nothing is going on. I will take some pics this weekend so there might be something somewhat interesting to look at next week. Merry Christmas to all and to all, Laters.
Last night was the annual setup at the Hughes/Byrd compound. So out to the garage we went to get all the boxes off the shelves that had been there all summer. Sure they were a little dusty but in the time it took me to go get the camera, Chris and Celia had them open and it looked like a Christmas tree had vomited in our living room. Moseley was supervising.
Naturally there was a problem with the lights. We could only get them to come on in sections and sometimes if you could get one section to turn on, another one would go out. Oh wait, did I mention that there was Christmas music blaring through the house? Well that’s kind of important because that shows the level of commitment that was established. That and my Christmas hat… that was pure commitment as well.
The tree takes the longest… you see, when you fold a fake tree up in a box and leave it there for 11 months, the boughs tend to get a little squished. If you want the tree to look authentic, you have to fluff the boughs,, so to speak. Plus you have to get all the branches evened out so that there are no gaps in the tree. This is not an easy job and I usually end up doing it because I am somewhat psychotic about it. If you are going to do something, DO IT RIGHT!!!
So we finished putting all the ornaments on the tree and arranging the Nativity scene in time to catch “Santa Clause is Coming to Town” on tv. All in all, great success. 
Mom cooked up an awesome Thanksgiving dinner as she always does with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and rolls. Greatness.
Of course the main event every night was the fire. We made some good ones too. Storytelling and reliving the youth at night by a fire… a time honored tradition. And what is the deal with fire? Why is it so great to just sit and stare into one?
Every afternoon we went for a hike which yielded some scenic views and sore calves. There are some steep hills but the property owners seem to know right where one would get tired and strategically place picnic tables to on which to rest. 
We were sad to leave but I think everyone felt recharged. We took the backroads once again on the way home and stopped to get some of the world’s best beef jerky in Marble Falls. Moseley was really excited to see us as we left him home while we were gone. Although we paid a service to come by and feed him, he was still extremely overjoyed when we walked in the front door.
