Hello Edsel! Well how are you these days? Did you have to learn how to swim during the big storm? I know that you were probably helping every one in your family when the big storm came but what I hear is that every one is ok now that the storm has passed. Are you helping your father Manny to put a new roof on your house? I'll bet you probably learned some carpentry skills during that time. We didn't hear that much about the storm here in California because of all the news about the Middle East. But Guen tells me that the cost of taking a jeepney across town has gone up from one to two pesos. That's a big jump! Is your watch still working? I hope so. You never know when a passing stranger will ask you what time it is. The only times I feel are important are when to eat and when to sleep! I always get to work sometime during the day ha ha! You know i was just sitting here at work and realised that I have never written you a letter. Wow - well I guess that's because we were never official "pen pals". But since you are a valuable member of my favorite family in the Philippines that's good enough reason to write to you huh. How are your brothers Emil And Regalado? And how is your sister Cheryl? Are you all in school and studying hard. I hope that you all have nice teachers and are learning a lot. When I was in school at your age the teachers were very strict. If we did not behave well they would take us out to the hall way and give us a spanking with a big paddle. OW! Some of us boys in the class room would act bad on ppurpose just to see who could take the most spankings and not cry! I think the teachers got wise to us after a while and would call our parents after that. Then we would keep quiet and be good. How is the weather there in Mandaue these days? Is it hot? Right now in California we are having the coldest weather we have ever had that I can remember. It is REALLY REALLY COLD! The pipes have frozen and broken on many houses around here and some of the plants out side my house have to put sweaters on! The reason it is so cold is that the air from all the way up in the arctic is traveling down the California coast. And the only person that could travel out in this freezing weather was Santa Claus on Christmas night because he was used to it. But I am sure that there in your home you have probably never felt anything like this. It is so cold that when you go outside with a heavy coat on and two pairs of pants that the cold goes right through your clothes and freeses your legs right to the bone in an instant. Cold like this feels like some one stcking needles in your legs! Yuck. So most of us are trying to stay inside so we don't get sick. One night about a week a go I was on my mortorcycle and the cold air came on me in an instant. I had a helmet on and a big warm jacket. But the cold was so intense and came on so fast that it was like I was being instantly frozen! I had to stop driving my motorcycle and go into a store and drink some coffee to warm up. I had only been in the cold a few minutes but it was enough to make me feel like ice. My face was turning all sorts of strange colors and my feet were frozen right through my boots. This was not usual California weather wow! But I made it home ok and my kittie cat was shivering on the front porch. I let her in the house and her fur was just like ice. The next few days I let her stay in the house so she wouldn't turn into a kittie ice cream cone. How was your Christmas Edsel? Did you have a lot of fun with your family, friends and neighbors? Did you all go to midnight Mass at the church like is a tradition here? My mother always goes to Church at midnight on Christmas eve. And now that nmy father is getting old ( and closer to God hee hee) he goes with her. My father isn't Catholic but he likes the midnight mass with all the singing and the incense. My father isn't very religeous but at his age he can't take any chances! So he goes to church just in case! Well even though my work schedule has been so busy that I havn't had much time to keep up with birthdays and holidays in the usual sense I want to let you know that I am thinking of you all from here in my little town of Crockett. I want to wish you and your family and of course my that wonderful sister of yours Guen the very best of this coming year. And may good fortune, peace and happiness be with you all from this day forward. May the good Lord bless you all forever and always. Donald.