Squiwells and other wascally cweaches

Updated: 9/26/97

Thanks for the birthday note. I've had down on my list of "things to do" to send an e-mail to you for a number of weeks, but I just never get started. So, here it is lunchtime, I'm at my desk, and soooooo.... My work e-mail is "stuart.clifton@msfc.nasa.gov". (Yeah, I know that periods go inside the quote marks, but then you wouldn't have the right address, now would you?)

I periodically scan your Internet site. It looks really good. I thought you did a really good job on the dog story. Shadow weeps every time I read it to her. I have been traveling a lot this year it, or so it seems, with trips to Albuquerque, Snowmass (CO), Portsmouth (NH), and Annapolis (MD) to say nothing of Crossville (TN) which is probably just as well. My Mom always said if you can't say something nice....

Your problem with those wascally squiwells sounds vaguely familiar. I've got a bunch of them running around the yard along with their chipmunk friends generally tearing up every nicely planted garden spot in the yard. But the real terror of the yard comes from - yes, from - yes, those horrible - terrible - awful ----- hickory nut trees who drop their payloads with sometimes devastating results. Not only do they keep me up all night as they fire their little nutty missiles at my roof and deck; not only do they cover the drive like cobblestones with their crunchy husks and shells, but they have also produced a fairly large number of small dents in the roof of my Honda and actually managed to crack a windshield as well. I now know how the Londoners felt in World War II.

Beth and Andy have invited me over to North Carolina for Thanksgiving (probably for Antelope Wellington), and hopefully I will be able to get over there. How is Ken doing? He's another one I owe a long overdue note. You Californians can now just about drive to the East Coast with a stop at a relative's house every (other) night: Phoenix, Houston, Huntsville, and Durham. Well, lunchtime is up. It's back to meetings, telecons, and reviews. More later.

Stu