All good things must come to an end, as we close out the "old year" and prepare to enter the "new year". I would like to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Very Happy New Year and thank each of you for the memories of the "old" year, those memories are priceless. The commencement of the "new" year marks the time that memories are stowed away for remembrance and new memories made. Our little ones, surely have many fond memories of the year passing that will last them a lifetime.

In a few days, the Chinese "Year Of the Dog" will conclude. Anyone that has visited the "Hole In The Wall Recreational Area" would have to conclude that we rightfully celebrated the "Year Of the Dog". With the gathering of the Clans at the "Hole In the Wall", the canine population was in proportion to the size of the Clans. We had little dogs, big dogs, ugly dogs, bad dogs, good dogs, mean dogs, pure bread dogs, street dogs, a one eyed dog, and one very well trained dog. We had dogs that had never experienced the wonderful experience of "roughing" it in an outdoor camping environment. There were dogs that had never experience the wild side of life, having never left the city lights of metropolitan Las Anchorage. However, the "city" dogs were quickly adopted by their "country" cousins and taught the way of the wild life in the bush. Such was the case of the two city dogs that were vertically challenged. They were immediately adopted by a Yellow Labador that was wise to the way of the wild. Within five minutes of their arrival, they were adopted and the Lab had them in tow to show them the wild night life of Anchor Point. Being a small community, there is only one location in town that is open to the public where you can go to experience a little night life and enjoy the company of others. It is located across the river and valley from the "Hole In the Wall", evidently the Yellow Lab had experienced this in the past, as he led the wiener dogs on the one mile trek to the night spot. The front door of the bar was open, so all three walked in, expecting to find a little action and listen to a few tunes. Upon discovering that the wiener dogs had disappeared, an immediate search party consisting of four cars and twelve people begin canvassing the area. Fortunately, an off duty bartender was present at the night spot and convinced the dogs to enter her car. Retrieving the information from the collar of one of the wiener dogs, she called the national hot line and an immediate "lost dog amber alert" was activated. The bartender used a little small town investigative initiative and discovered the name of the owner, having heard of the "Hole In The Wall" she returned all three dogs safely to the confines of the "Hole In The Wall". Although, there were new dogs, time was taken to place a few flowers, tears, and remembrance at the final resting place of a loyal and proud dog during the Memorial Day weekend.

Within a few days, the Chinese will celebrate the new year, the "Year Of The Pig". In keeping with tradition, the "Year of the Pig" will pose a challenge to members of the Clans that inhabit the "Hole In the Wall". If anyone reading this posting, has or knows of individuals that have members of the swine family, you might want to caution them to watch their piggies very close for the next few months, especially during the month of May as that will be the first gathering of the Clans. The "Hole In The Wall" is ideally suited for the members of the pig family, an established "pig wallow" is available for their enjoyment. Although, the "Kroc Pond" is inhabited by a rather large crocodile, I am sure he can be distracted long enough for the pigs to enjoy a good mud bath.

The Chinese has already commenced their celebration of the "Year of the Pig" by hosting a variety of demonstrations, shows, and sporting events featuring pigs. Being the site for the next Summer Olympics, the emphasis has been placed on sporting events for pigs.

In one track and field event, the one mile dash, the Gold Medal was awarded to Comrade Mi Chin Chin for running the distance with a time of 16.67 minutes. However, prior to the Award Ceremony he was disqualified from the competition for failure to "oink" when passing other contestants. The "Gold Medal" was then awarded to Comrade Yu Poo Tu for a timed run of 26.35 minute in the one mile distance.

In another contested event, the 300 Yard Obstacle Race, the apparent winner, Su Lin Sow was disqualified from the competition after posting a new world record with a time of 4.76 minutes and having a clean run over all obstacles. The Gold Medal was awarded to the second place finisher, Comrade Yo To Fat, who posted a time of 18.23 minutes and knocking down three obstacles. The reason that athlete Su Lin Sow was disqualified was because she of was the female gender and barred from all competition with those of the male gender.

The delegation of athletes comprised of the American Swine Association was barred from the competition due to not having the proper security clearance to enter the Republic of China. The American contingent of swine athletes was comprised of Arctic Polar Pigs from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. They were expected to "sweep" the competition, especially in the swimming events including the "high board" diving competition. The State Department of the U.S. is contesting this ruling on the pretense that members of swine community are not required to have the same security clearance as human athletes.

The Chinese New Year, the "Year of the Pig" will commence on Sunday, February 18th, which just happens to coincide with the 41st Anniversary of the marriage between myself and the "Golden Granny". To celebrate our anniversary and in recognition of the "Year of the Pig", after 41 years I have decided to take Granny out for dinner. I have selected a fine restaurant in the "Little Hamlet on Beluga Slough" to celebrate this momentous occasion. The "special" menu has been arranged with the head chef of this fine establishment. Dinner will commence with a fine vintage of Boone's Farm Merlot with ordeavores comprised of a combination of "pickled pigs feet" and "miniature pigs in a blanket" this will be followed by a fresh green salad topped with "farm" dressing and bacon bits. The third course will consist of a fresh pinto bean soup laced heavily with pork fat and ham hocks. The main course will consist of three large platters of freshly prepared bar-b-que spare ribs and corn on the cob. For desert we will enjoy a large slice of Chocolate Mud Pie, topped with a wallop of whip cream with three more bottles of fine Boone's Farm wine. It looks like it will be a great night to celebrate our anniversary and the "Year Of The Pig".