NEW YEAR'S EVE: SUNDIAL BRIDGE

Late New Year's eve we took the dogs and walked the Sundial bridge. Frosty! Colder than a titches wit!

Half way through our walk across the bridge Jilli starts clawing at my pantleg. She was shivering and wanted to be cradled in the warmth of my arms.

There were a few people walking the bridge that evening, all in bright spirits and asking "Ohhh, what kind of dogs are those? They sooooo cute!"

I should lend out the dogs to single men needing dates. Meeting women would be a breeze. All it would take is a walk on the bridge - or anywhere.

Guys? Get a cute dog. That's your dating tip for the day.

We finished our walk, headed back to the truck and took a leisurely route home.

As it seems to be our custom at this point in life, we were in bed by 11:00 and just in time to listen to some neighborhood idiot firing his handgun. Apparently he or maybe she could not wait until midnight to celebrate the new year.

It went like this: bang! bang! bang bang! bang! bang! for six shots.

Reload.

Then bang, bang all over again until it was time to reload.

This load and fire deal went on for about 20 minutes.

At midnight there was the noise of celebration mostly coming from weapons being discharged. I sat up in bed and waited for a stray round to go through the roof. It didn't. 2007 is off to a great start.

Don't you just love self portraits? It was pitch black dark on the bridge. You couldn't see a thing except for the bridge's illuminated deck.

It's a wonder that this picture is halfway centered. Doesn't Candace have nice teeth?

I woke up New Year's morning with a splitting headache and major body aches. It felt like someone had put a load of bricks on my head and then kicked me a number of times on the body.

Having consumed not much of anything alcoholic the night before I wondered if my condition was the result of food poisoning or maybe I had the flu.

Today the condition persists so it must be a case of the flu . . . or what Candace and Grace have had for the past week.

Oh joy.

Hopefully this is as bad as it gets and that I'll be on the mend tomorrow.

Grace will be over after preschool today as her mother is working. If I feel better this afternoon I'll make Bob's Chili. A good dose of my chili should burn out anything foreign I'm keeping inside of me.

If Bob's Chili doesn't kill me it should cure me.

I'll have to post the recipe some time in the not so distant future.

I gotta go lay down.