ACHOOO!  Sorry about that, loyal airmen.  I've been battling a bad head and chest cold for two days now and it seems to be winning out.  Which aggrevates me to no end as I was going to travel down to Conn. tomorrow to attend my grarndson, Logan's, second birthday party.  Considering I am most likely contagious right along about now, that trip is out.  Just lousy timing.  Valerie called the doctor's offiice and he's going to squeeze me in later this afternoon.  Hopefully he can put me on “something” and we can turn this thing around.  All prayers and kind wishes appreciated.

So, feeling the funk I'm in, please forgive me if this entry jumps all over the place.  Of course, that's what they do most of the time, right?  Ha.  So, was Santa good to all you loyal airmen?  I certainly hope so.  He was especially terrific to me this Christmas, in more ways than one.  One of the themes of TV commercials this time of year is that of giving someone an automobile as a Christmas gift.  Every time I see one of these, I look at Val and shrug, unable to comprehend folks with that kind of wealth.  Well, lo and behold, three days before Christmas our local Suburu dealership sent us a notice detailing a very special end of the year sale.  Their goal was to move fifty cars off their lot by Christmas and they offering amazing trade in deals.  Our old Outback Sedan was going on five years old and in need of new breaks and eventually new tires.  Things I was looking at getting some time in Jan or Feb. Although I didn't like the idea of starting to shell out money on keeping it up.  Not when it might be possible for us to trade up to something brand spanking new without changing our payments one penny.  Val called the fellow who had sold us the Outback and suggested we'd be interested in dealing on those terms.  When he found out we only had 28,000 miles on the Outback, he all but begged us to stop by and talk.

So we did.  And lo and behold, for a smaller loan than we had taken five years ago, we were able to drive off the lot with a brand new, 2008 all-wheel drive Tribeca!  Talk about impulse buying.  Sheer insanity.  Of course we did not get it that day, but had to come back the day after Christams to complete the deal.  And then as we were getting ready to leave the dealership, our salesman comes rushing over to us and introduces us to a father and son who had just come in to buy the boy a good, second hand car!  Ha.  We spent the next ten minutes answering the father's questions on our old Outback, how much we truly loved that car, how good it had been to us and what great shape it remained in.  It isn't often you get meet the previous owners of a car you are interested in and this gentlemen took full advantage of the situation.  I hope they were able to make a deal, as it was a good car and I'm sure will be so for a long time to come.  Meanwhile, we drove home wtih our new Tribica.  See below!!

Believe me, we still look at it and shake our heads in disbelief that we did that on the spur of the moment.  Must be something in the air.  Ha.   Now the most precious surprise Santa delivered arrived on Christmas Eve and I need to explain something so that you will fully appreciate all of this.   Back in 1963, I was a junior at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in nearby Dover, NH.  We were the first junior class and that year designed the first ever school rings.  I spent months saving to buy one and when they were presented to us, I couldn't have been happier.  It was the first ring I ever owned and I wore it quite proudly.  Then, not three months later, during the following summer, I went swimming at a local beach, forgot I still had it on my hand, and of course lost it.  It was one of the biggest dissappointments in my life.  Over the years, I've told Valerie the story a few times and never thought anything more about it.  Unbeknownst to me, our granddaughter, Kristi, a few months back, was looking through a ring catalog to pick out her own high school ring.  It was to be a Christmas gift from her parents.  Valerie happened to be over and when she saw what she was doing, asked her if it would be possible to order one for me, with the same details of my original.   Kristi said no sweat and proceeded to help Valerie put in an order for a ring with my school info, colors, logo, etc.etc.

So here we are, the two of us, alone on Christmas Eve, and she tells me to close my eyes and put out my hands.  Then she puts a ring box in them and tells me to open my eyes and look at the last ring I'll ever want to own.  Airmen, I had absolutely no idea what was in that littel black box.  When I opened it and saw it was my high school ring, I misted up fast.  It was by far the most thoughtful, loving gift I have ever received.  But that does not really surprise me, as Valerie is the most beautiful gift in my life, sent by God.  I'm blessed every single day with the gift of her love.  

Well, you have to imagine, I couldn't wait for Christmas morning to arrive so that we could jump in the car (still the old one then…ha) and drive to our daughter's house watch Kristi and her sister, Chelsea, open there gifts.  When we came in the door, I held up my right hand to Kristi to flash the ring and she gave me a big smile and a thumbs up.  About an hour later, she was opening up her own little box and putting on her brand new high school ring.  Val quickly grabbed a camera and had us put our hands together.  Her's is the little gold one, Class of 2010, mine is the blue one, Class of 1964.  Believe me, this is one Christmas Kristi and I will never forget. 

ACHOO…!!!  Got to bring this to a close and go take a long, hot shower.  

Before signing off, I want to let you all know that DAUGHTER OF DRACULA continues to garner some fantastic reviews all over the internet.  The latest of which led to my being interviwed on Mark Justice's terrific mp3 podcast radio show, POD OF HORROR..episode #41.  Go to this link (http://www.horrorworld.org/poh.htm) and when you get to the menu page, click on Download to play the program on your PC.  Note, this is a long episode and Mark interviews two other horror writers before he wraps up the hour with yours truly.  So, if you've ever wondered what I sound like (when my head isn't stuffed up with a cold), please check the show out.  It really is a lot of fun.  And please, if you still haven't ordered a copy of the book, what are you waiting for?  Go to our Air Fare page, click on the cover and order yourself a copy.  You will be glad you did.  You have my word on that.

ACHOO….alright, enoughs, enough.  The dripping nose and aching shoulder blades tell me its time to hang it up for another week.  Take care, loyal airmen.  HAPPY NEW YEAR to all of you, and celebrate with common sense.  We want all of you back here for 2008.  It's shaping up to be another great year.

Ron, over and out.   ACHOOOO!