Along about 9:30 local time on New Year's Eve, I noted that everyone in the extended family was involved in one of two activities: 1) Grandkids are all on the floor playing a game.  I could get down with them, but I might not get up again.  2) All the rest are putting together jigsaw puzzles.  Itty-bitty pieces.  I can't see well enough to be of much help.  So...it's SKN time!  Now, where is the key?  I dig through a dozen boxes of Field Day stuff and finally find a cable and a key (part of an old MFJ code practice oscillator....I don't think I've ever used it before.

Two hours later, my fist is a bit tired, but I've enjoyed QSO's with OT's from New Jersey to Oregon, Arizona and California, culminating with a great ragchew with 89-year-old W7IZE in Oregon.  Man, I hope I can still copy CW at that age!  He makes my 50 years in the hobby seem like a blink.

At 11:45 local, the upstairs erupts into screams when the grandkids come in the door.  Fortunately they are happy screams; they are just getting warmed up for midnight.   They all received NERF radios with CW buttons for Christmas.  Maybe next year..... 73, Jim N9JF