Christmas 2025

The simplest way for me to get back on track with sometimes blogging is to have this post be our Christmas letter. It feels a little bit like cheating, though.

December 2025

Hello, Family and Friends!

Art and I are in Tucson, our winter residence for the last 13 years. We got here a little early this year – on October 18 – because we’re planning to go on a barge cruise in France in late April and we’d like to get home to Seattle a couple of weeks before we leave. All because we want our cat, Dutchy, to be resettled first. Four years ago we remodeled the daylight basement in our Brier house to create an ADA-compliant apartment. With knees and hips needing special care as we’ve gotten older, we wanted to live on only one level. So our downstairs apartment is just right for us. Upstairs we have a tenant – son James and his dog Augi. When we’re in Tucson, they are in Brier, watching out for the house and yard as they experience the gloomy Washington winter. Once we get home, Dutchy will resume her quasi-friendly relationship with Augi, and James will be there to watch out for her while we’re in France.

So we’ve been in Tucson for just about exactly two months. The days have gotten shorter, of course, but the sun shines nearly every day and we have glorious sunsets. The roads here are quite potholed and the drivers are oblivious to speed limit signs and red lights. But we know how to get to just about anywhere in the city. And we have wonderful friendships here. It feels like home. So does Brier, but mostly because that’s where our family home is and close to many of our kids.

Our activities have slowed down some this year.

Linda is still playing handbells – her 12th year – but the Nurse Practitioner she volunteered with for eight years has retired. The asylum seekers’ shelter where she and Art volunteered for six years has closed. And she no longer plays cards on Fridays because the rest of the card players decided they wanted to play mahjong and she doesn’t! She is now facilitating two support groups for people doing caregiving for partners with mild to moderate memory loss. She’s lucky to be doing this with that same Nurse Practitioner as teacher and expert.

Art is learning how to let go of projects like climbing ladders, cutting down tree branches, sliding under cars and golf cards to fix whatever ails them, hauling uprooted barrel cacti to the trash bin, installing holiday lights on palm trees, and changing out over-the-stove microwaves. He’s decided he’d rather travel than spend time recovering from falls or straining his back. Last summer in Brier, though, he planted and nurtured a splendid garden of fruits and vegetables. At the end of the summer he gave most of the produce away. A garden is his man cave, I think.

Here’s a brief summary of how our eight offspring are doing:

Melissa (and Scott) Flaherty own a dive shop in West Seattle and they’ve built the business into one that takes clients to multiple international dive destinations. Last week they were in the Philippines. Melissa is a manager in some level of hospital pharmacy. (My mother used to say, when people asked what I did, “She works with computers.” That’s how I describe Mel’s work. She’s pretty impressive in my book.)

Jason Myers lives in Lynnwood, Washington, where he continues to grow his business, Jason S. Myers Concrete. He’s a construction contractor specializing in concrete work such as flatwork, driveways, paving, foundations, and other concrete services. Jason’s son Kyle, our grandson, is 25 and works with his dad. His son Kaleb is 16 and in high school. I can’t remember what his current job is, but I know he is saving for a car!

Karl Myers lives in Loveland, Colorado. We haven’t seen him a while but we keep in touch. He has extensive experience as a roustabout working in the oil fields.

Russell Granholm lives in Cottage Grove, Oregon. He’s a charge nurse for the PeaceHealth Cottage Grove Emergency Medical Center. He loves working nights! His twins Ethan and Ky are 25, live in Spokane and work for Amazon.

Laura Myers lives in Pilesgrove, New Jersey. She works as a Senior Reactor Operator at PSEG (Public Service Enterprise Group), the company that operates the Salem and Hope Creek nuclear power plants in New Jersey. She’s responsible for operating and monitoring the nuclear reactor systems to ensure safe, efficient power generation. Her success seems remarkable to me.

James Granholm lives in Brier, Washington. He is our upstairs tenant and concierge for the elderly people who live downstairs. He owns Evan James Remodeling. All of his customers have found him by word of mouth. 

Peter Myers lives in Mill Creek, Washington. He’s a nurse at Pacific Medical Oncology Infusion, which is part of the Pacific Medical Centers healthcare organization.

Greg Myers lives in Georgetown (Seattle) and is a sous-chef at RockCreek Seafood & Spirits in Kirkland, Washington.

It has been nine years since I’ve written a holiday letter. I thought it was behind me, but Art asked this week if would do one. I think his reason for asking is that family members told him he never let them know what was going on. I said I would do it if he would make his famous, fabulous biscotti this year for the first time in several years. I am expecting him to spend the day tomorrow in the grocery store in the kitchen!

We wish you all the best and most loving of holidays.

Linda and Art