Got to spend a lot of time just talking with Dad, and doing a lot of listening! Even though I didn't get to see my sister and her family, them coming a little later probably worked really well since that spread out the time Dad got to spend with family around him!
As for the present, no biggie! We are trying to get some things organized around the house and free up some space at the same time. This was a laundry center that had sections to separate clothes for washing, and a rack above for hanging clothes up when they are done!
Salad shooters are great. This was a rather small device. It was angled slightly and had an area underneath so whatever you're shredding is supposed to slide down and out the bottom end. Not a very large area, and then there was a support post or something right in the middle, which blocks part of the opening???

They recommend you hold it at a higher angle when using (so why not just design it that way). You hold the block of cheese (or whatever) against the end and the small shredder part moves back and forth to do the shredding.

Nothing came out of the end of this thing unless I tapped on it, or pushed it out with the knife.