Merry Day Skarpi ... Your note resonated with me and I thought I'd jump in and make a couple of comments: First, regarding the social unrest. I live in the Seattle area of Washington state, USA. I also am clearly seeing a LOT of upset, and desperate people that are now out of work, scared to death, and resort to doing terrible things.

My local, and small, bank has been robbed at gunpoint twice in the last two weeks. My area has had 6 home invasion robberies in the last month. I'm hearing of muggings that I've never heard of before. This all has resulted in my wife and I becoming much more aware of our surroundings and safety. That's the bad part. Now for the good part ...

My wife and I are making almost ALL of our gifties for the families, kids and grandkids. They all say they prefer the things we make for them than store bought crap. Here's one simple, and fun, gift I'm making for each of my two granddaughters:

I got two new empty shoe boxes. I drilled a small hole in one end. Then I painted the insides and lid, I used wrapping paper for wallpaper, I made little pieces of furniture from balsa wood, I make walls, painted pictures on the walls, cut in skylites. Then when they look through the little peephole, they see a tiny world ... a miniture house, inculding a stairway that dissapears into the ceiling. I'll give them little flashlites, and they can shine the lights through the roof skylight, and the side windows (which are covered in velum paper) and see new things that become visable. Simple, no money, and great fun.

Merry Season's Greeting to you and keep your hat pulled down low! CHEERS, Bob(deckman)Nelson