weekly post from October 15, 2006

Hello my friends & loved ones,

Another week behind us and another week before us. Pretty soon it will be getting into the single digits and the fireplaces and woodstoves will be going full steam. Oh, wait, that's already happened and at our house we've been using the electric blanket for a couple of weeks already. We missed the freak snowstorm this past week but Buffalo got socked and then some. More than 2 feet of snow and the snow causing trees to down power lines in a number of places. Our Northern friends also got socked pretty heavily. We just got back from the New York Wine & Culinary Center. We had some nice NY State wine and Jim had a really dark and heavy beer. For dinner Jim had pork, tomatoes, cheese and some other stuff on ciabatta bread and I had herb crusted filet mignon. I've become really spoiled by Jim's cooking; the food at the Center was decent but I really like Jim's cooking.

I don't know if you've been getting updated on Jennifer "the runaway bride" Wilbanks but I heard this past week about how she's suing her ex-fiancée and how she wants her bridal shower gifts back. Hello!!!!??? Not only was there no wedding but she decided to skip town to ensure there would be no wedding. Why can't we just quit while we're ahead. It seems in our society we want more, more, more. More stuff, more money, more clothes, more food, more this, more that. At one point do we realize that, no, we don't have to have more; we don't need more; we've got plenty as it is. We become so focused on the next thing that we lose sight of what we already have and then we lose it and wonder why. It really is a vicious cycle that continues and continues and continues. When do we stop and really take stock of what we've got right in front of us and say, "Yes, that's plenty, that's all I need." Let's face it, wants and needs are two different things but those two words have become so interchangeable in our world that it's become sad.

paul