"A sobering thought: What if, at this very moment, I'm living up to my full potential?" - Jane Wagner

Our flight from Portland to Phoenix was uneventful and the only thing noteworthy about our rental car is that they manage to make it fit the definition of car. It's a Mitsubishi Mirage. Never heard of it? There's a reason for that. It's tiny, has no power (go ahead and floor it; you won't notice any change), has nothing beyond the most basic cabin features, and has empty spaces where gauges normally go. So far the only two redeeming features I've identified are a turning radius about the same as a kid's tricycle and a rental price that, even in January in Phoenix, is a bargain.
There's a reason for that, too.

So far January in Phoenix has meant rain. The local evening news devoted about 23 of their 30 minutes to coverage of the rain storms that have moved through the valley over the last three days. Lord a' mighty, they've had almost 1.25 inches in some places!
Yeah, the desert.

I may have trouble getting Pam on the plane come Monday. She's in full Grammy mode with all four of them to lavish with her attention.
But I'm having a good time with them, too.

This afternoon I drove out to Sun City to see Noel and learned from his wife Carol that he died on Nov. 11. He'd fallen, broke his ankle, and had to be hospitalized. They told him he'd never walk again (he shouldn't have been trying, which is how he fell) and would either have to be at home in a hospital bed or in a nursing facility. That convinced him it was time, so he put into action his longstanding plan to hasten the end. He entered hospice and refused food or drink. Within a week he died.
ALS is a terrible disease, cruel because it takes the body and leaves the mind.

Tomorrow morning I'm going to CrossFit with Steve. If I'm alive I'll go with him again on Saturday morning. In between we'll do Christmas with the kids & grandkids at Josh & Aubri's tomorrow night. Low key, almost exclusively for the grandkids. There are some things a Grammy simply must do.

Christ told his disciples not to seek after earthly treasures, but to seek treasure in heaven "where moth and rust do not corrupt." If he were teaching that now he might add "the Chinese stock market" to the list.