Jan and Feb 2024: A New Year, Ancient History

This new year will long be remembered as the year of King Tut. Benjamin became obsessed with the discovery of Tutankhamun’s Tomb, and we all indulged him with visits to the Natural Science Museum’s exhibit, numerous books from Mom and Dad and the public library (which have been checked out for four months now) and a King Tut birthday party. More on that later. January started with our planned night out to the Alley Theater for A Christmas Carol, though it fell short because Matthew was sick and couldn’t join Sharon and the rest of our family. At the Alley, I had to take pics of the Willy Wonka tree, one among several decorated for Christmas. Bonnie had alerted me to the Houston Opera’s Madame Butterfly, and we loved seeing the production late in January. Elizabeth and Jennifer drove to Houma for Mardi Gras with Amy and family. I had to mark the holiday with Matthew and Sharon back in Austin. Then came Valentine’s Day and Mark’s visit to Pawley’s Island to be with Debbie and David, the first time he had returned there since his mom’s memorial service five years ago. Unfortunately, he cut the visit short because I came down with the shingles. It’s been ten weeks now with symptoms. Time will tell how long they will last, but there’s no time for slowing down.