Is it 2016 already?

The long silence hasn't been due to any medical reason, I promise. Life, in all its glorious messiness, continues on. I saw a post the other day that compares life to the game Tetris. That metaphor fits - I have been arranging blocks as fast as I can, and so far have been staying ahead of the game. Back in August, we began working on renovating our basement in celebration of the kids growing up and moving out, only to discover that our house came with a faulty foundation when we purchased it back in 1999.  With expert support from Thrasher , we had our foundation walls straightened and supported, new windows installed, and are now at the point of finishing the basement ceiling, walls and floor. This all involves a monetary outlay almost equal to the original purchase price of the house (go hug your foundation and roof if they are strong - no insurance helps you cover repairing either if they fail on their own!) Whenever anyone asked about plans during the holidays, I just said we were purchasing cinderblocks. We now refer to the house as "the Yacht", and plan to have a launching party when the construction is completed sometime next month.