Even colder today

Hi again:

It was even colder this morning when I got up. Yesterday morning it was 10 degrees. This morning it was -0- degrees. Now that is very, very cold.

The picture here is one taken by one of my nephews on the way to Mt. Hood. It shows Mt. Hood in early winter.

We must be in an El Nino situation again this winter. The bad storms are tracking to California instead of hitting us. The big storm that dropped snow in Sacramento is now east of the Rockies, creating havoc among all of the residents there and the east coast. I do believe we are the only dry place in the United States today.

I am really liking Typhoon, the novel I am almost finished with now. The first part of the book takes place in Hong Kong during the time of the turnover. The book's title refers to a CIA plan to grow dissent in China to force the overthrow of the Commies there. The middle part of the book takes place in Shanghai, in places I readily recognize from my time living there. The last part of the book takes place in Beijing, where I never visited during my time there. The book even mentions Xi'an, where I lived and worked for six months.

One reason the novel is so good is that I cannot predict how it will end. I have less than a hundred pages to go. I plan on finishing it this evening.

I wore my new coat when I purchased in Port Townsend WA last Spring. A major department store was under a liquidation sale when we visited it. I got a heavy winter coast there for $32.00, with a printed list price of $160.00. This coat is very, very warm when I took it outside today. I really like this coat.

I made my apple crisp yesterday. This time I cooked the raw Fuji apples for 15 minutes before putting on the topping. This ended up with very tender apples under the topping. It is so much better this way.

I trust you are staying warm these days.

Steven