Dear [Lynn],
Hey you.
Just heading out the door for supper. Probably spaghetti with marinara sauce tonight. By now, you’re probably in the midddle of your dinner.
If you’re going to be up around 10:15 or so and would like a call, send me email. I’ll check it when I get back and if there is a message, I will call. If not, we’ll talk tomorrow.
Love that blue. 
What is ‘deco’?
Later,
Tom
Dear [Lynn],
Well, I meant ‘higher’ in the sense that humans are the only species that has the ability to meaningfully alter their environment. Humans, rather than being governed by instinct, can change their behavior. They can hunt a species to the brink of extinction, and then repopulate it again. But all species are necessary in our fragile ecosystem, regardless of how low they are on the food chain. So, in that sense, we are all equal. We’re all equal because we’re all necessary.
Later,
Tom
Dear [Lynn],
Didn’t mean to sound judgmental against those who do the lobster killing. You see, I was vegetarian for 2 years in the mid 90s and so I became very sensitive to the killing after reading the propaganda. But for humans to survive (at least today without adequate inorganic food substitutes), something must die, whether it be plants or animals. I have just not yet resolved this conflict within, between the welfare of humans and the welfare of the lower life forms.
Dear [Lynn],
Well, you lucked out so far this weekend. No snow. Don’t you look forward to the FIRST snowfall though?
Later,
Tom
Dear [Lynn],
On the lobster pic: I thought it was candid because of the way you were ‘laying around’. :-) You didn’t look like you were posing. It looked quite natural. Yes, though you weren’t really posing for it, you are right. The pic was very presentable.
Well, on the visit: You have been warned. I’m coming. !!!
Later.
Dear [Lynn],
Partly sunny here today. Lots of gray haze, but no rain. Going up to 66 degrees here today.
Just housecleaning. Organizing the office, paying bills, and getting my vacation itinerary together. Might even go put some Christmas music on.
Hope you weren’t too tired this morning upon awakening. We did stay up pretty late last night. If we stay up this late, on the phone, I wonder how it will be when we’re together, in person? 
Later,
Tom
Hi [Chrissy].
Thanks for the well wishes.
No, working at home isn’t hard. Fortunately, discipline has not been a problem for me, although sometimes, I get sleepy after lunch and so, take a nap. Then I work an extra hour or two in the evening to make up for it. But having that flexibility is truly a hallmark of home based employment. I think one can be more productive at home.
Good luck on your home based business. What will you do?
The weather in Philly tends to be a few degrees warmer than in Dayton, and we often get the same weather Dayton has, but a day or so later, depending on how fast the jet streams are blowing in the upper atmosphere. But the past week, temps ranged between the 30s at night to the low 70s during the day. Not much rain.
Take care of the pinky. That’s right. I’d forgotten that you play volleyball. Perhaps you should sit out a few months to let your hand heal. And, with winter coming on, that shouldn’t be too difficult.
Haven’t seen many movies lately. I had been going quite frequently last fall and winter. But lately, I’ve just been visiting various parts of Philly, dining with friends, and reading lots of computer books, trying to stay caught up with all the technological changes going on right now. I bowl too, and do an occasional game of miniature golf.
Nothing to tell about the lady I’m seeing [Lynn]. At least, not yet. No marriage plans. I do not wish to be married anyhow. But she and I have been talking many hours on the phone over the past month and we’ve exchanged pictures. I’m flying up to see her in December. She lives near Portland, Maine., and has a big heart and loving soul. She seems well organized and responsible – qualities which these days, are very hard to come by. She definitely lights up a room.
Have you remarried? Any prospects?
Congrats on “grannyhood”. We’re all getting older, ‘eh? No biggie though. I feel better these days, both physically and emotionally, than I did in my 20s. So maybe getting older isn’t as bad as some folks would have us believe. No laughing here about you becoming a granny. Although I must confess that I’m having trouble keeping from envisioning you, wearing glasses on the end of your nose, and ending every sentence with the word “sonny”.
Are you going to be in Dayton in early January? I will be there from Dec. 29th through Jan. 8th.
Well, got to get going. Take care, and happy holidays.