Wayne wrote:

> Your menu sounds wonderful, and I don't think it's the least bit strange
> to do this. It's certainly one way to bring back a sense of normalcy and
> balance to your family.
>
> I'm very sorry for your losses...

Thank you for your kindness. To be honest, my losses are not all that great.
Some of our animals were injured, and one of the ponies had to be put down,
which was horrible. I had no sentimental attachment to anything in the
October house which burned, and we have other houses. I was taught in my
youth that dwellings need not be costly to be comfortable, and material
goods are just baubles; the most important thing in life is life itself.

Jon feels the loss more keenly than I; he is much more plutocratic than I
am, and he is working long hours to "catch up". He is quite proud of the
fact that his business maintained a profit though the whole ordeal. White
Aussies spend even more on intoxicants when money is scarce! Some of our
friends and acquaintances were much less fortunate, which is one reason I
want to give them one holiday evening when they can try to forget their
woes.

Since our evacuation, I have mostly been feeling a kind of creeping
emotional numbness, which is probably a precursor to grief. I was distraught
yesterday because we were having some friends over to celebrate the return
of a new Hajji, and I realized that my best white damask linens had been
lost in the blaze! I was momentarily overcome, but I managed to set my
feelings aside until after the problem was solved, and then - as if from a
distance - I put things into perspective. But this mechanical being who can
set feelings aside isn't me! That isn't like me at all! Is it possible that
I've been drugged?

G'day!