Well, it's been another one of those frustrating days. Around 11:30 this morning I got a call from Bill in Namibia saying they'd been trying without success to find their luggage that didn't arrive at the hotel yesterday as promised, but it was one of those situations where you can't reach anyone who knows anything or is at all helpful; even Monika, knowing the language, couldn't get through to anyone in Johannesburg, so they asked us to try from this end.

I got through to a nice lady, Vickie, at Delta. After a long search she was finally able to tell me the bags were probably being held up in customs. She said since there was no passenger with them they might have been set aside as low priority. She was not able to reach Johannesburg airport customs by phone, but she promised to send an e-mail asking that they expedite the two bags as priority items. She said there was a plane leaving early Thurs. a.m. for Windhoek and she'd ask that they be put on it. She said I should check back in two hours to see if there was any change.

I reported to Bill and Monika and they told me they had decided to leave the hotel and move on to Monika's mother's whether the bags got there or not. The hotel agreed to hold the luggage if/when it came and a family friend of Monika's would pick the bags up and take them north to Bill and Monika. It's a seven hour trip, so they'll leave by 9 o'clock or so in the morning. Bill said waiting a week was his limit.

When I called Delta this afternoon, there had been no change. Fred called Delta again tonight and the representative said the bags had left JFK, not Atlanta, as we had been told two days ago, but she was certain they are in Johannesburg, but she couldn't make international calls, so would send an e-mail. Geeze, what frustrations. This woman suggested we start a "lost luggage" claim. I'd have to say it doesn't look good for them ever getting those two bags.

And so it goes. No more headway at all, really. We're glad Bill, Monika and Jo-Ann are leaving Windhoek, though. This way they will be with Monika's family and get some of the things done they went there to do. Who needs luggage when it's Christmas and you're with family?

I talked a little with Jo-Ann today. She's very shy and I'm not very experienced at talking with little girls, so our conversation was short and kind of stiff. I guess I'm going to be "Grandma Jane"(!) Imagine that!

Very cold tonight - about 5 above now, and expected to be 5 below zero by morning. There's a brisk wind that makes it much colder; and tomorrow night is forecast to be even colder. I had an e-mail from our neighbors, John and Liz Randall, that they'll be here for the holidays and all their kids will be able to be here, too. No snow on Long Island, so they're looking forward to a White Christmas in Vermont. They're old hands at Vermont living, so they'll come prepared for the cold and the snow.