Dec. 31 ('78)

I can't believe that tomorrow is 1979. It seems only yesterday that I celebrated 1978's beginning.

Staru will be about 470 tomorrow and so will her sister. I am not sure, because they look only 10.

60 mph. That's a rather fast way to trot! But Lightning does it! He is so incredibly speedy he has often borne Staru to safety.

On the TV, Bill Birrud is talking about "Creatures of the Amazon."

Dec. 30 (morning)

I'm sad because of Q. I feel like the knight in the picture trying to save the queen even though he can't. And soon the dragon eats her up.

Dec. 29

I've been sick with Russian Flu since last Saturday, which almost ruined Christmas and the fact that V, C, Aunt I, and the others were here.

Mommy buried Q. I'm going to carve a gravemark with my new Scout knife, like this:

To Q
Sept. 9, '78 - Dec. 26, '78
Thank you
for living with us

Q used to go up the bars of his cage upside-down and backwards, and skinny through his seed cups. I don't think his successor or any other parry-keet with good sense will dot that.

I think my next parrakeet will be called Junior, to remember a great bird.

Dec. 26

Q died today.

Dec. 20

This is my sister Dinar, while she was on D.

The soldiers from D captured her and took her back to D. The queen there made her a lady-in-waiting, but I came and took her home to Planet the very evening she got there. That picture was taken just before we left.

I sent a duplicate of this picture to Robin. She said she was.....?

Dec. 16

We got our Christmas tree today and put the lights on. I was sick for 7 days before with flu.

I've finished Part 2 of my Staru books and will soon be done with Part 3. I need more notebooks.

I'm going to buy a buckskin Mustang as soon as I get some money. His name is Wildfire. He is going to be the fighter of the Swinging B ranch.

I've forgotten what Lori looks like, or her horses. Soon I'll forget her altogether! Oh, I hope I don't! Then I would have no best friend except Kari. I like Kari, but I refuse to let her take Lori's place. Lori is my only friend who understands me and my falcons. I have not yet revealed my hawks to Kari or anybody. It might be 8 months before I see Lori again.

If wishes were lightnings, mortals would ride.

That's a saying I made up. It's true because only Dinar and I can ride lightnings because we're immortal and have magic.

On the opposite page are my father and mother and my dog, Pure-Heart. So far I've found 2 big photos like these and I hope to find one more to send to Robin.

Pure-Heart is a Samoyed, but while we were living at Falcon Hall he had to have his neck hair slicked down, which made him look like a wolfhound and feel very miserable.

My mother's name was KB, while my father's name was CWA. Princess C is my mother's sister.

My father and mother look like Russians. We all do. I don't know why (except my sister looks Italian), because none of us even came from Earth.

Tomorrow Mom and I are going to put the ornaments and tinsel on the tree.

Dec 9 (morning)

Last night Kim took her pillow and put it all the way across the room and started tugging at other people's pillows. She was sound asleep, too.

Hattie gave me a little green decanter of perfume shaped like a frog. He's filled with Sweet Honesty.

I gave Laurie a lot of candy. She was the only one who got candy. Also Kristi got candy.

(later)

We went to the Wooden Shoe for breakfast, and now we're at Tanya's house. The girls are playing 21.

Dec. 8

I am at a slumber party at Tanya's house. We are about to go to bed, after the biggest dinner I've ever had. Tanya has a beautiful house.

I wonder if I'll wake up in the middle of the night.

Dec. 4

I'm writing books about Staru in notebooks. I've finished Part One and am more than halfway through Part Two.

Kari and I often play Staru. She is almost always someone from J or a girl from Similina.