Not very merry, are we? It is time to speak about the unspeakable. I detest the New Age sounding phrases: “It’s time to have a national conversation” or “dialogue” about the state of weapons in our states. I can handle that conversation in one sentence: “Too many guns, too many disturbed people.” No more conversation — time to act.

I write from the Old Country where I just spent a very interesting Thanksgiving with Nonna, family, friends, my two dogs and cat. Her insurance time was up at rehab, so thank goodness Dr. John Campbell has returned to his chiropractic practice on-Island and brought charming young associate Sean Norkus. The two talented men were able to patch my back enough for me to drive down here.

A new star is shining over our Island. Whitney Fulp and Bruno Rodrigues have a baby boy, Lucas Rockefeller Rodrigues. You all know beautiful, tall, blond Whitney from her hard work at Stop & Shop and Cumberland Farms. Hopefully we’ll see her out and about soon with Lucas in tow.

You write “focused” and I write “focussed.” This has stymied me for years, but I never quite remember to get around to looking it up. Well, just now my computer underlined “focussed” as a misspell. Yet two of my favorite publications each spell it differently. I hunkered down in preparation for Sandy with lots of books, the Sunday New York Times and my newest New Yorker. Ah! There it was again.