Dear Friends: I apologize for my long absence. Frankly, I have had not much to say. And I have been a little frustrated and ashamed of my losing my battle of the bulge. I've been continuing to exercise, but it has been said you can't outrun a poor diet! But now that spring is here (at least that's what the calendar says! I have heard rumors of snow mixed with rain this weekend - the last weekend in March!), I am feeling a nudge towards rejuvenation! My daughter and 3 of my granddaughters have been meeting my mom for breakfast in Vancouver every week since my father passed away in December. It is such a delight to have this regular family time. After breakfast, I walked up to the Vancouver Public Library. One of my favorite libraries. I used to spend a lot of time here when I lived in Vancouver. Me at my favorite library! :) Embarrassingly enough, my weight had crept up close to the big 200, closer than I would like to admit. I have been self soothing with food lately.