Day One, Wilmette, Il.

Hello

Well. We have met our immediate neighbors. Katie dropped by during her "Paddle Tennis Club" to introduce herself and give us her phone number, her stats, and our other immediate neighbors name, phone number, and stats. Then she sent her husband over. He warned us that he will be found most afternoons through a baseball with his son (one of three) and drinking a beer. He is a trader. He trades. Something. Mary Kate, on the other side came over wearing a cross around her neck; one can only assume, just in case, and promising dinner tomorrow night, unless Katie had already planned it. They advised not to attend the local grocer, and directed us to the something or other down the road which, they are proud to announce, carries "Safeway" brand products.

There are piles of old snow everywhere, the crunchy icy kind of snow that has been sitting there for a while. Gerrit Jr. loved it, especially when my foot would fall through to my knee and I would scream with fright. He seems ok now that we have his trains set up. Every night he wakes up at about three am and asks us where we are.

I want to write you a bit thank you and I love you note, but I don't have it in me. Just not that good of a person. As witnessed by my visit to the local ish trader joes where the man checking us out was SOOOO slow, and SOO friendly, I am reasonably sure he was slightly retarded. In the medical sense. In addition I had to watch some woman's cello while she dashed back for some broccoli florrests that she saw in my basket and just had to have.

The house is very large and was clearly customized by a republican with great care, in the eighties.

I need a bath but don't know where my towels are.

I am sure my attitude will brighten soon. Or I may, just may have to say something really subversive to the perfectly nice Mark Kate, or Mary something, just because, just to see how she responds. Gerrit Sr. let it slip that I was allergic to wheat. It was a shock for Mary Kate, but I think she will recover. She has Jesus.

Love to you all.

Aimée

(in Wilmette, IL)