Winter in Michigan has actually not been too bad so far, which is a blessing. When we turned the calendar from January to February, though, things got a bit exciting. Daryl ended up having some out-patient surgery that turned out well, but has laid him up for a few weeks. Well, he is SUPPOSED to be laid up but as he feels better he seems to think he can return to normal activity. Then he gets out of sorts when he finds he is not up to par, and what is a person supposed to do when the weather is still slushy, icy, cold, etc? You plan a diversion. We hosted the Winter Birthday Bash, an annual event, but this year a bit earlier than usual. There are 6 in the family with birthdays in January - March and we try to get everyone together to celebrate. Of course, with everyone's busy lives, it is nearly impossible to get everyone here. But we managed a nice gathering last night and it cheered everyone up. 4 of the 6 Winter Birthday celebrants - Daryl, Kiersten, Kory,