An email received today from a dear friend:

hey fellas,

so i was driving around in sausalito today, listening to NPR and they
mentioned a few holidays that I know you boys will want to celebrate
with me today.

today is...
National Nacho Celebration Day ~ i don't know how today came to be
Nacho day, but i certainly know why. i love me some nachos. and in
honor of the nacho (which Rozey claims was invented at the Texas
Rangers ballpark...the old one, not the new one) i'm going to have
some tonight.

Saxaphone Day ~ apparently today is the day that Mr. Sax (i think his
first name is joseph*) the inventor of the saxophone, was born. so
rozey, break that puppy out, dust it off and wail away until your
neighbors cuss at you from their igloo.

me, i'll play a little coltrane on the ipod, eat me some nachos and
think about you two dear friends.

--watson

It’s a greeting I needed on this day. I am a little sad and lonely today. Neither Stephanie nor the constant hum of activity she orchestrates around her are here tonight. The only sound in the room now is the thrumming and clinking of the clothes dryer. Toby is not here and he is always good for a smile and a snuggle when I walk in the room. Gretchen is dying and it is an emotionally taxing thing to be with her and to meet her needs (how much more so for her, of course). Jamiee is in her room asleep while listening to music, where she has been since I came home before four. I think I may have made her mad, but I do not know. She may be mad or upset about something totally other than me, but I can’t tell. I have knocked and opened her door twice, but received no response, and I’m not inclined to go jump up and down on her bed to wake her up. Perhaps I should. I really can’t imagine parenting alone for more than these brief occasions. Working, taking care of Jacob, keeping up with Jamiee: it’s more than one person can do proficiently. Add to all that the darkness outside, and it's quite a downer. I’m sleepy and should try to get to bed earlier tonight. And yes, I am writing this a full four hours before November 7th, but anyone who dares to cry foul can NaBloPoMo me.

*The inventor of the saxophone was Adolphe, not Joseph.