A repository of people, events, and the passage of time
J A N U A R Y If I’m not careful, the rest of my life will be this accelerating/spiraling descent into not wanting to participate… in anything. I know everyone gets these moments in their lives when they turn to their spouses or their dogs or whatever, and ask out loud, “Do we really … Continue reading 2025 Christmas Letter
J A N U A R Y January is always a quiet reprieve after the crush of social obligations of December. I can see why people sometimes do a ‘dry’ January. It’d be pretty easy when you’re basically partied-out. But…there’s also something deeply soul satisfying about a small dram of single malt scotch … Continue reading 2024 Christmas Letter
J A N U A R Y The new year dawned with a sense of unease. My real estate business was still in overdrive, but everyone’s fear of a looming recession and empty cupboards kept me hustling to make deals happen. And happen they did. It was not only my ‘best’ January EVER – it … Continue reading 2023 Christmas Letter
Trigger Warning! The following missive is some of the most intensive navel-gazing you’ll ever encounter in your life. The sheer amount of self-absorbed whining may be too much for sensitive readers. Please read at your own risk. Like all new years, this one arrived full of hope and expectation. And, like all new years, … Continue reading 2022 Christmas Letter
Dear Friends and Family – I had so much to tell you about this year. I wrote pages and pages detailing every misadventure – and there were many – and was all set to dump it on you, but as I read through it, it just seemed too much a depressing litany of, I dunno, … Continue reading 2021 Christmas Letter
A new year, a new decade….. what will it bring? Well, we know the answer now, but in January 2020 there was such promise in the air when I woke up to the scene above. Farm-wise, things were blissfully quiet. Oddly, but nicely, quiet. That was the first change the year brought. After 23 years … Continue reading 2020 Christmas Letter
The memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time – VII, 10 The quiet start to the year didn’t last very long. Maybe a couple of hours. I found myself having to leave in the middle of Jeff & Scott’s traditional New Year’s Day brunch to go show properties. And it didn’t let … Continue reading 2019 Christmas Letter
Dear Family and Friends – I apologize for the extreme tardiness of this year’s letter. I’ve no excuse except for the crush of farm construction activity in the waning days of 2018 and the burst of real estate activity in the dawning days of 2019. I’d love to tell you all about it, but it’s … Continue reading 2018 Christmas Letter
Dear Family & Friends – It was a good year. January February March April May June July August September October November December Happy New Year! Alan Continue reading 2017 Abridged
Dear Friends and Family – Here it is, as long winded as ever. You may not believe it, but the hardest things about drafting this letter is always editing it down to size. There’s a lot that gets tossed out, and it’s still always a bloated mess. Keith, who’s now a published writer, kindly suggested … Continue reading 2017 Christmas Letter
