What's news? Bill and Carrie got moved into Spokane a few weeks back, they've got a real nice view of the countryside. That makes for quite a portion of the clan in Spokane now, with Rick and Gay Lea and Bud and Judy right down the road, and Mike and Rik and their families just around the corner. And then of course there's other cousin Bill, who we know wants to spend as much time home as he can now that he's married and has a family. And did you hear cousin Brady's coming back to Missouri to live for a while? Yeah, he finally got out of Connecticut. I suspect he'll be cutting many a rug at the shows. Anyway, Bill and Carrie have a prodigious persimmon tree on the side of the house, which was producing ripe fruits right around Thanksgiving. You should have seen us jumping around like apes trying to get at the high branches. That reminds me of the time that the boys were playing that wedding, south of Highlandville, I believe, at the home of some pretty well-to-do folks. The guests were up at the reception table eating steak tar-tar and what have you, while the cousins were parked under the persimmon tree on the edge of the property, I'd say about the biggest persimmon tree I've ever seen. Anyway, there were the guests in their formal garb eating cheese and drinking wine, and there we were, in our overalls, grazing from their property like a bunch of foundering cattle. We got tickled over what a sight we must have been.

Well, I look forward to the new year. I'm guessing we'll get around to recording that children's album we've been talking about, and I wouldn't be surprised if we don't get back in the studio and lay down an album's worth of new material as well. I mean, why not? Looks like we'll get out to California to do a tour with cousin Scott and Red Meat this summer, but I guess we shouldn't count our turkeys until they've hatched.

Let's see, in other news, congratulations to Jenny Fillmer and Matt Edwards, who have been given an award by the local division of the Addys for the cover design of our Gig CD. Way to go! * We owe thanks to all who voted in the 417 magazine poll and awarded us "best band" again. Thank you! That will be out in February. * Also in the toot-our-own-horn category, there will be a short feature on us in the new issue of Missouri Life.

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