Hello.  I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I last blogged.  I’m very sorry, for anyone out there who cares.  I’ve been both ill and insanely busy when able to be so, so I’ve neglected quite a few things.  I guess the biggest thing I’ve got going on is that my girlfriend, Gretchen, relocated here to Chattanooga last month from another state & we’ve been busy moving into a new house together.  We’re still unpacking, but it’s been one month & one day exactly now, & we’re thrilled & happy.  Very much so.

A little about the house.  My parents helped us luck into finding this house.  It’s in Chattanooga, near a convenient freeway, but not far away from a nice state park and other parks.  It’s in a largely quiet residential middle class neighborhood.  It’s a 2,053 square foot one level Ranch-style brick house with original hardwood floors from when it was built in 1960.  It’s light inside, so it’s cheery.  It’s a three bed, two bath house, with one of the bedrooms dedicated for our office.  The living and dining rooms are very bright and happy, and the kitchen is huge, with tons of cabinets and the longest kitchen island I’ve ever seen.  It’s got a monster-sized den with a fireplace and a lovely private back patio.  We don’t have much, and it’s somewhat underfurnished, but we’re quite happy here.  Our cats, Henry & Toby, also love it & feel quite at home here.  We’re now a nice little family unit in a cozy house enjoying life, and after the hellish existence of my past year, it’s a long time coming!

Meanwhile, my health continues to be a significant problem, but I do seem to be improving a bit in that area, so I’m hoping this will continue & that’s good news.  I’ve sadly neglected my Ray’s Road Review poetry editing duties for far too long, but am hoping to rectify that quite soon.  There’s a backlog of submissions I need to attend to, as well as getting back to some poets whose work I’ve been sitting on for far too long.  (Sorry about this, Chris!)  One thing I have been able to do lately is serve as a new board member on the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, Hamliton Country chapter’s Board of Directors.  This chapter has over 35,000 members and affiliates, so this is a wonderful opportunity to serve my alma mater, meet some great folks, and do some good things.  I’m serving a three year stint as a board member.  My Vols are off to a good start, while my Steelers are off to a horrible start, thanks to Gretchen’s Ravens.  Finally, my father, a cancer survivor, has recently been given some very worrisome bad health news, so please keep him in your thoughts.  Thanks very much, and have a wonderful weekend!