I know you haven't heard from me lately - heck, you probably forgot who i am (Jimmy) and what my favorite color is (brown). Let me take a second and explain why i've been seemingly MIA for the last few weeks:

1. Vacation in Mexico - 1 week. Doug had food poisoning for the last 1/2 of the trip. I felt fine (though didn't sleep well because someone kept tossing and turning all night... haha - i'm kidding!).

2. A few days after returning, my soon-to-be 91 year old grandpa visited us from Mechanicsburg, PA. Yes, he's 91 and still flying around the country like he's 25. Crazy man - we love him very much and had a wonderful week with him.

3. The following week, doug's sister - and her boyfriend - flew out from Sterling, IL for 5 days. Had a great time!

4. The day after they left, i drove to Sonoma County to attend a 2 day workshop on how to be a better business owner. Whew - i needed that! I learned some great stuff - and am sooo glad to have attended. Got back late Friday night, then had to get the newsletter out - (yeah, that's why it was so late this month - sorry!).

5. a few days after returning from class, my Best Friend/Grandpa (bob) in Fairfax, VA was admitted to the hospital. As you might recall from previous postings, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's about 3 years ago. It's just the 2 of us left - and he hasn't been able to use email like he used to, so i've been visiting him every 6 months or so for the last few years.... You can imagine that the news of his hospitalization hit me rather hard. Well, his stay there only lasted about 10 days - he passed away peacefully last Sunday, the 26th. Doug and I will be traveling back to Fairfax/Arlington next monday to participate in a very small memorial service at a friend's house. The pic is one of my very favorites - it's from his William and Mary college yearbook - and helps me to remember how active and absolutely adorable he was. I love you, Grandpa, and will miss you forever.

So... orginally, i was going to post a message about this month's Lorna's Laces Shepherd Sock color: Taos Thanksgiving. Let's just say that there are tears in my eyes now - and the color of the month seems a little less important. I'm showing it here so you can see it - and i'm supposed to also tell you that we're putting Addi Circular needles on sale at 20% off for the month of November (we're giving thanks), but i really hope that you'll be thinking of my grandpa when you close this page...

He was as close to perfect as they come.