Here's a nice check, and happiest of Birthdays to you: check Rapaire's meds, would you?

Mudlark fed us more turkey and delicious walnut stuffing and we sat and sang all evening. Damn that girl has a voice on her!! She is a wonderful wily and flexible musician, too -- she did torch songs on the mountain dulcimer, most beguiling.

Never mind about Rapaire, Mom. I stayed up and washed all the dishes my own self, because you worked so hard. It wasn't hard, and he coulda helped but he was knocked out on the couch, snoring, with a belly full of turkey and Four Roses.

The why he was on the couch is someone had done the most ingenious job of short-sheeting his bed, although I have no idea who, Mighta been Pat, I guess. When she gets back from D.C. you can ask her...

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