Friends of Garey Larrabee will be happy to know he had an operation yesterday, as planned, to further repair damage to his arm.  His son-in-law, James, told us this morning the operation went very well and Garey's doctors were successful in reattaching muscles and nerves to enable him to use his hand and fingers.  James expected Garey might even be coming home today.
    Some of you may not realize that the hours the post office in West Danville will be open have changed as of this week.  The post office survived the cutbacks and wasn't closed, but the hours that anyone is on duty have been seriously cut.  The window will be open Monday through Friday only from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. and on Saturday from 7:30 to 11:30 a.m.  You will be able to access your mailboxes during the store's regular hours - 6:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. most days except Sunday, and I think the store is sometimes open on Sundays during the summer, but I'm not certain.  I know they all put in long hours.  
    We're so glad Garey is making good progress.  There were lots of people at his surprise "appreciation day" celebration honoring his retirement after over 40 years at the post office.  Seems to me I heard something about he was retiring on his birthday, but I may be wrong about that.  I'm sure he enjoyed seeing so many friends and neighbors and I hope he knows just how much we all appreciate him, and not just for his service at the post office.  Both Garey and Jane watch over the community like it is family, and go far beyond what is expected to help their neighbors and support their town.
    Another cold day today - we woke up to about 10 below zero and even with bright sunshine, the thermometers at our house have not gone above 20 degrees.  There doesn't seem to be much wind, and that is a relief.  Today is our "warm-up" day, for this weekend the temperature is expected to plummet again.  There's probably more snow in the forecast someplace, but apparently no big storm.  We seem to be getting it in dribs and drabs, 3-4 inches at a time.  And that's ok.  There's about 16 inches at the stake in our yard after a couple days of settling and packing by the wind.  It's still very light and fluffy because it's been so cold.