one of these days..

 Today is Flower Day and World Flour Day.  It's also Pick Strawberries Day and World Bee Day.  By chance I've celebrated all four of these special events today.  We were walking around the outside of the house this afternoon with a gentleman who stopped by to give us an estimate on having the outside of our house washed.  As we walked around I enjoyed the Lilys that are blooming, and the Azaleas and the Roses, so flowers.  I had lunch with a friend and enjoyed a very tasty yeast roll.  I'm sure it was made with flour.  I bet you thought I was going to say that I baked something.  Ha ha ha.  We also saw bees flitting around those flowers.  I'm not sure they were world bees but I'll assume they were.  Most surprising was a box that arrived on our front porch containing eleven enormous delicious strawberries.  We've been enjoying wonderful boxes of fruit like this one for the last several months.  They are a gift from one of my stepsons and family.  We've had pears, oranges, apples and more, but I think it's a lovely coincidence that the strawberries arrived today.  Happy flower, flour, strawberries and bees day.  

where are my cards???

 According to my west coast brother today is "Stepmother's Day" and I haven't received a single card.  I suspect this day is not as widely celebrated as Mothers Day or Fathers Day.  I'd also be surprised to see Happy Stepmother's Day cards at my local Hallmark store, although they do seem to have cards for every other possible occasion.  This whole being a stepmother thing is still new to me.  My Wonder Spouse has two equally wonderful sons who are now my stepsons, but I'm not sure where it goes from there.  Each son is married so do I have two step daughters in law or just daughters in law because they are my husband's daughters in law?  By the way, they are also wonderful, as are my six step grandchildren.  So what should they all call me.  The name Stepmother has a bad rap. Because of famous stories like "Cinderella" and "Hansel and Gretel" it's usually associated with Wicked.  So I don't really fancy being called Stepmother or Stepmom.  Certainly not Step-mommy.  I had thought of telling my step grandchildren to call me 'Step Grandmother Dearest' but that seems a bit over the top.  At this point they all call me Luci and that is just fine with me.  

one more chance....

 My husband and I saw the play "The Father" at First Presbyterian Theater this evening.  It was a sad play, actually billed as a tragic farce, about a very tough subject - dementia, but it was so well performed that I highly recommend it.  Brad Davis and Ashley Shewman, the two leads, were particularly effective in their roles.  Tomorrow's matinee, at 2:00pm is the final performance.  It's definitely worth seeing.  

another lunch???

 I had lunch today with three of my favorite people - my daughter-in-law, my oldest granddaughter and my daughter-in-law's mother.  She and I call each other our out-laws since we are connected by family but not exactly in-laws.  I was especially pleased to be able to lunch with my granddaughter who just graduated from IU and is starting her masters work there.  She's majoring in international business / cyber security and has just returned from a class related trip to South Korea. She said she isn't quite up to date on K-POP musicians but otherwise had a really good time.  She liked the city streets, the food, and the people.  Also the train rides and the Asian architecture.  They visited the DMZ and got a view through binoculars of North Korea. She does speak a little Korean, which enhanced the whole experience, and is learning more.  I asked her if she would like to work there some day and she said yes.  I immediately thought "Wouldn't it be nice to go there ( I have always wanted to see S. Korea) when someone we know would be there to show us around?"  I didn't say this out loud, of course, because I didn't want to scare her off.   I do think it's wonderful that young people have so many career choices these days.  

something to write...

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is Biographer's Day.  It's also National Barbeque Day, but since I'm still not hungry after yesterday's binge, I'll focus on biographies.  Much of my blogging is autobiographical, as you have probably noticed.  I have never attempted to write a biography of someone else.  However, if I ever do get the urge, I have some great choices just within my family.  There was my maternal grandmother who claimed to have gotten married because she "wanted to see what was on the other side of the mountain."  Or my maternal grandfather who worked in a Pennsylvania coal mine to earn money to go to seminary.  My paternal grandmother came to work as a housekeeper and ended up marrying a son of the family, my grandfather.  My mother and her brother both learned to fly planes at a time when that wasn't too common.  I could go on and on but you get the idea.  Hummm... perhaps I should write a biography.  

eating my way through the day...

 Due to a combination of circumstances I ended up eating a lot today.  Mind you, no one was forcing me.  This is the third day this week that I've had lunch scheduled with a friend.  So I am not wanting for food. Today's lunch was at "Spice and Herb," my favorite Thai restaurant.  I had Pad Thai, which I love, and an egg roll and Thai iced tea, which is amazing.  All very good and extremely filling, even though I brought half of it home.  Then, at 2:00pm my husband and I met some out of town friends at "Hall's Gas House," so they could have lunch before they headed home.  I didn't eat another whole dinner (I do have some self control) but decided I could have some dessert.  The Creme Brulee was delicious, and also rather filling.  I thought that might be it for the day, but about 6:00pm my husband's son texted him and asked if we would like to join them for dinner at "Dos Margarita's," one of our very favorite Mexican restaurants.  Of course we said yes.  So, from Thai to French to Mexican, I have had a day full of delicious (and very filling) multicultural food and great fun conversations.  Now I must waddle off to bed to sleep it off.  Good night.

family fun..

 This evening my son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter met my spouse and me for a casual dinner at Guadalupe's.  Always delicious and I do love their pineapple water.  Then my DIL headed home to prep for a special French food day tomorrow.  This is part of her end of year special events for her French classes.  I think the students are also supposed to bring French food to class.  French fries and French toast don't count.  Since she was going to be really busy we invited my son and granddaughter home to play Five Crowns.  I've mentioned this game before in this blog but it was new to them.  We played through the game twice.  I won the first game and my spouse came in second, but the second game (after they had really learned how to play it) they beat us soundly.  But that's ok.  The older generation always wants their children and grandchildren to be more  successful than they were.  On the other hand, that applies in life, not cards.  I can't wait for a rematch.  

 Today is, according to my west coast brother, Tulip Day.  It's also Frog Jumping Day and Leprechaun Day.  Since I have little interest in leprechauns and even less in frogs, jumping or otherwise, I will focus on flowers this evening.  When I lived in my apartment I could wak out the front door and enjoy beautiful flowers all through the spring, summer and fall without ever lifting a finger except to occasionally wave to a gardener and say thanks. But now I live in a house with my spouse.  Since I do, I plan to plant some tulip bulbs this fall.  In the meantime this Azalea bush is the only flowering plant in our yard currently in bloom.  Later there will be roses.  My husband tells me the azalea is at least 30 years old which is pretty amazing in this area.  I had an Azalea plant once, but it did not survive the "blizzard of 78."  The frogs and leprechauns also had a hard time that winter.  Ah well, I will have tulips next spring, and probably daffodils too.

Oh happy day...

 It has been a great day. HMD greetings from my children and other family members then a music festival in church.  The Bell Choir did an amazing job with the prelude. Then I enjoyed singing some old favorites including "Jesus Loves Me" (the children's choir did a fine job leading that), "What a Friend We Have in Jesus," "Amazing Grace" and "Abide With Me."  I always enjoy singing familiar hymns because everybody sings loudly so I can also, and no one can hear me.  I am admittedly a poor singer at best, but I am enthusiastic.  Later in the day my Wonder Spouse came through big time.  He knows that I don't enjoy eating out on Mother's Day.  The restaurants are usually crowded and noisy.  So he cooked for me.  He is a very good cook.  We had twice baked potatoes, perfectly grilled steaks and, for dessert, chocolate molten lava cakes.  To top it all off, we enjoyed some excelled wine that my great nephew had given us on our recent trip to Florida.  All so good.  The only thing that would have made the day better would have been if he had let me win "Five Crowns" but we do not cheat at games, alas.  

a happy ending

 This evening was the final performance of the Philharmonic Pops series for this season.  Last Saturday was the final for the Masterworks Series.  They ended with a smashing success tonight.  The group that performed is called Go Now! and they played the music of the rock band the Moody Blues.  I actually wasn't that familiar with the Moody Blues, an English group.  I think during their heyday I was busy caring for children.  I can still sing a lot of Sesame Street songs, but I digress.  I was surprised to learn that the Moody Blues frequently played with full orchestras accompanying them.  That's what this group did tonight.  Go Now! is composed of three singers/guitarists, a director (who also directed the orchestra) and a drummer.  The drummer actually played with the original Moody Blues for 25 years.  The Philharmonic flautist, who is very good, played several solo parts in a couple of their pieces.  She looked like she was having the time of her life.  It was all loud and bright and fun.  Kudos to the Phil and Go Now!

PS After the show we drove to a dark spot to try to get a look at the Aurora which is supposed to be visible in our area, but no luck.  Too much ambient light.  

Yummy....

 According to my west coast brother (what would I do without him?) today is "National Liver and Onions Day."  This is not a dish you see on menus very often, at least at the restaurants my spouse and I frequent.  This evening, for example, we ate at "Shigs 'n' Pit."  Excellent ribs with garlic toast, green beans and tomato cucumber salad.  Great food but nary a sign of liver and onions.  However, I do know how to cook liver and onions.  My high school Home Economics teacher (do you remember Home Ec?) taught us how to cook it correctly.  The trick is to not over cook the liver.  I suspect that she taught us this recipe because it would be an inexpensive meal when we became young housewives, which it was assumed we would all become.  Also, liver is supposed to be really good for you.  At least that was the belief back then.  It's probably something like coffee, eggs and butter that are good for you one day and not the next.  Interestingly, I don't remember my mother ever cooking liver and onions for us.  I actually did cook liver and onions for a boyfriend once.  I think that was in 1967.  It was good, he said he liked it, but we broke up later that year and I've never cooked it since.  Neither of my spouses ever asked for it.  I don't think it's a great loss.  If I've offended anyone who loves liver and onions I do apologize.

I'm so impressed..

 My son recently took a new job with a company called NearSpace Education or NSE.  All I knew about the company was that they launch high altitude balloons and that he will be designing their summer camp programs and other educational offerings.  This evening my spouse and I attended their "Dream Big Banquet" and learned so much history about the company and what they do.  They offer programs on the basics of programming, launching those high altitude balloons, and sending satellites into orbit.  What really impressed me was that, unlike typical classroom lessons, their students were working with real satellites, real balloons and sending their own experiments into space.  In case you're wondering why you've never heard of NSE, it's because it is located in Upland, Indiana.  However, their reach extends much farther.  For example, tomorrow my son will be teaching a group of students in India, via Zoom.  I'm very pleased for my son.  This is a great place for him to be working. 

On a lighter note, my west coast brother informed me that today is "Lost Sock Memorial Day." He then went on to say "It has been reported that lost socks are reincarnated as plastic lids that don't fit any container."  I've always wondered where they disappeared to.  

family ties...

 I had a wonderful visit with my youngest grandchild this afternoon.  She's 20, starting her junior year at IU in Indianapolis and has a fondness for vintage clothing.  Evidently much of my wardrobe qualifies.  My Wonder Spouse hauled all of my clothes (and shoes and purses) from my apartment to his house after we were married, but while I was too sick to care, and stashed them in the closets in three upstairs bedrooms.  He isn't so sure about vintage but would certainly agree that I have an abundance of clothes.  

My granddaughter and I spent an hour looking through my clothes and ended up filling a large garbage bag for her to take home.  All those clothes gone, and it didn't even make a dent.  But the fun part of the afternoon was the two hours we spent, after the clothes search, just sitting and talking.  It's so rare that I get to spend one on one time with any of my grands.  Their lives are so busy, as they should be at their age.  I loved hearing about her college life - friends, boy friends (no one serious yet) housing and roommate situations, campus jobs, scholarships and all the rest.  She's an excellent student and I'm very proud of her, in case you couldn't guess, and I'm so glad we had some time together.  

elections...

My spouse and I voted today.  Turns out our poling place is right across the street from the entrance to our subdivision.  This was my first chance to vote since I was married in January.  New name, new address, but they had everything correct on their computers. Credit to the BMV who, when I got my new driver's license, automatically registered me to vote.  An interesting new feature in the voting booth was the printed copy of my vote that was recorded as well as the electronic version.  I am happy to confess that I'm glad this primary election is over.  I will not miss the endless, often contradictory, commercials touting one candidate and / or disparaging another.  I fully realize that new adds for the November election will start showing up any day now but perhaps we'll have a little break. As I was thinking about this I had a flashback.  Do you remember when Democratic and Republican conventions were televised and the party's nominees for president and vice president were often not known until well into the convention?  I was never a delegate to a convention but it was exciting to watch.  I really really wish there would be some surprises in this coming election.

Woops...

 First an apology to my faithful readers.  While it did seem like a really long time ago, Expo 74 was held in 1974, not 1074.  But on to other things.  My youngest granddaughter (the one who likes my "vintage" clothes) is home from college for the summer.  We all went out to dinner this evening to celebrate her homecoming and her 20th birthday, which was two days ago.  We ate at Red Robin where I hadn't been for some time.  The food was just as good as I remember which is very good indeed.  We shared an onion ring appetizer and I had a bacon cheese burger and lots of sweet potato fries, yummmm.  Coincidentally my west coast brother had informed me earlier today that this is "International No Diet Day."  Boy, did I celebrate that. So please understand that I am too full and sleepy to write more.  Good night.

I remember it well.

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is the 50th anniversary of Expo 74.  It took place in Spokane WA from May to November of 1074 and was attended by about 5.6 million people. We were part of the crowd.  My west coast brother was in the Air Force then, stationed near Spokane, so my first husband and I loaded our two children, ages and one and three, and our two miniature dachshunds, into our VW camper conversion, and drove from Indiana to Spokane where we picked up my brother and visited Expo 74.  It was a bit crowded in the camper.  My husband and I slept in the fold out bed, my brother and our son (the three year old) slept in the bed in the pop top space, and our baby girl slept in a hammock like device made to be suspended over the steering wheel and front seats.  The dogs, as usual, slept on the floor.  My brother later bragged to his Air Force buddies that he slept with a cute blond that weekend.  It was true.  Our three year old was very cute.  My only very clear memory of that event was that we gave our daughter (the one year old) her first taste of Mexican food.  It was delicious and she ate quite a bit. Sadly, as we were walking across the parking lot from the restaurant, her little digestive system rebelled and the result overflowed her diaper by a copious amount.  My brother (not in uniform, thank goodness) was carrying her.  He was not amused.  It was an early and abrupt introduction to fatherhood.  Since then he has married, fathered five children and now has six grandchildren.  I'm guessing he has dealt with worse.  

the grand finale...

 First of all, May the 4th be with you.  You Star Wars fans will understand what I mean.  The Philharmonic performed their last program in the Masterworks series for this season this evening, and it was spectacular.  Coincidentally my spouse said that the first movement of the first piece reminded him of Star Wars. I didn't hear it that way, but that's what makes music fun.  The two pieces this evening were Walton's Symphony No. 1 in B-flat minor and Rachmaninoff's Concerto No. 2 in C minor for Piano and Orchestra, Op. 18.  Both pieces were exciting and interesting because they really involved all of the orchestra - bass drum, cymbals, trumpets, trombones, violins, basses, oboe and so much more.  It was a delight.  What I especially loved about the Rachmaninoff piece was the way the piano music was integrated so completely into the whole piece.  The guest pianist, Fabio Bidini, was excellent but he wasn't the typical stand alone guest performer.  He played through the entire Concerto and was every bit as much of the music as all the other instruments.  I don't think I'm describing this very well, but it was just so beautifully done.  I guess you had to be there.  I hope you were. 

Game on...

 I told a friend today that my husband and I really like playing games.  We're very nice to each other most of the time, but, when it comes to games, we get quite competitive.  Maybe it's our chance to work out our aggressions.  Almost every evening after supper we play a game while watching TV.  Among our favorites are Gin Rummy, Scrabble and Dominoes.  Happily we're pretty evenly matched.  Interestingly, both of us come from game playing families.  When we are with my west coast brother, Mexican Train is the big favorite.  On our recent Florida trip, two of my husband's cousins introduced us to a game that was new to us.  It's called Five Crowns, and I highly recommend it, although, fair warning, it is addictive.  It's a rummy type game where you try to build sets or runs of three.  It starts with three cards dealt to each player and builds to the final hand of 13 cards per person.  Jokers are wild but there is also another wild card and it changes with each hand.  For example, if the hand dealt is six cards per person, jokers and sixes are wild.  The trick is remembering which cards are wild when.  I recommend this game as a really good lesson in dealing with frustration.  

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is Brothers and Sisters Day, aka Sibling Appreciation Day.  I think that's lovely.  I really do appreciate my sibling, and my sibling-in-law also.  But siblings don't always appreciate each other, at least until they grow up.  My first husband seemed so surprised when our two kids reached the age when they squabbled from time to time.  He would tell them "You are brother and sister, you must love each other and always be each other's best friends."  Can you tell he was an only child? Happily, they did grow up to be good friends, so good in fact, that they used to embarrass us in restaurants by laughing and carrying on but not doing anything wrong, just enjoying their own private humor.  Happily, my grandchildren have also grown to appreciate their siblings, although I remember my oldest granddaughter telling me once that she wished her parents would build a little house for her in the back yard where she could live by herself.  That was during the time when she and her younger sister were still sharing a room.  Happily at 20 and 22 they now seem to get along quite well.  Of course they are at different colleges.  Now that I think about it, when it comes to sibling appreciation there may be something to the old adage that absence makes the heart grow fonder.  I really do appreciate my west coast brother.  

my Florida

 I mentioned in an earlier blog that, while I liked the villages, I really didn't think I would want to live there.  I realized, as we got deeper into our trip that I wanted to be in a part of Florida where I could see water.  I got my wish when we took a couple of days off from visiting family and friends and drove down the Florida Keys.  I had never been there before.  We stayed in Marathon Key for two nights, and spent the day between in Key West.  I loved going over the Seven Mile bridge and seeing water on both sides of us for much of the drive.  It was everything I think Florida should be.  Later in the trip we visited my husband's cousin who lives in a condo on the water on the Gulf side of Florida.  I really liked that too.  Again it's the view of water that excites me.  

Here are our cheeseburgers in paradise, eaten at Margaritaville.  They really were delicious.  I don't usually take pictures of food but i made a exception here.

We also made it to the southernmost tip of the Keys, 90 miles from Cuba.  We did decide, after all that driving, that when we come back to Key West we will fly down.  All in all though, our Florida trip was a great adventure.  

Florida critters...

 As part of our adventuring around Florida, we drove on "Alligator Alley" and came upon a National Preserve in the Everglades.  I had never been in the Everglades before so we stopped at the information center.  A nice young ranger there was talking to a gentleman in front of us about a loop drive through the back country which also sounded interesting to us.  So we got a little more information, followed directions and found the entrance to the loop.  We were told it would be a two hour drive and it was. The first several miles were  a dusty dirt road and so bumpy that you really couldn't go faster than 10 mph.  This was fine for seeing animals. 

We saw these big boys sunning along the road.  I took this picture from the car.

This relatively little fellow was in the road.  I did feel brave enough to get out of the car for this shot.  

On another day, after the loop adventure, we stopped at a rest area where this sign was posted "WARNING BEWARE OF VENOMOUS SNAKES."  We decided to risk the quick walk to the restrooms.  Having safely made it there, I was standing in a stall, latching the door when I felt something wet and cold on my leg a little above my ankle.  My immediate thought was SNAKE!! but before I went into full panic mode, I looked down and saw a curious puppy who had snuck under the wall with the adjoining stall.  

And that concludes my Florida animal adventures.

I'm back....

 My Wonder Spouse and I returned yesterday from our ten day driving trip to and around Florida. The purpose was to visit friends and family on both sides of our newly merged families, and also to see some parts of Florida I've never seen before.  I'll be hitting the highlights in the next few blogs, in no particular order.  Our general travel plan was to stop and visit with people, take them to lunch or dinner, then spend our nights in convenient hotels.  My WS, being the super organized sort, had the whole trip laid out on a spread sheet, all of the hotels reserved and when possible prepaid.  The other thing that made my WS so wonderful was that he did all the driving.  Believe me, driving I75 in Florida is risky business at best.  If you long for thrills, I recommend it.  He quickly realized that the posted 70 mph speed limit was merely a suggestion that seemed to reflect the minimum realistic speed.  The other fun thing about driving in Florida is that when you exit the interstate you don't end up on a quiet little side street, just another super fast four to eight lane highway.  We have already decided that our next trip to FL will involve flying.  But enough about roads.  Out first stop in FL was to visit friends of mine who live in The Villages (population 150,000).  They have lived there for 14 years and love it. It has many lovely features including 50 golf courses and country clubs, many restaurants and nightly music in the squares, lots of groups and activities. It also has cute little golf carts running all over the place.  My friend admitted though that it's faster to get places in their car.  It was a nice place to visit, but not my cup of tea. More about the places I really loved will follow in the next few blogs.

read a book

 My west coast brother informs me that today is "National Librarian Day." As you might assume, I have many fond memories of librarians.  There was Naomi Tremp, librarian in our small town, who had been there since my father was a child.  The librarian in our high school who let me spend study hall hours in the library shelving books, and discovering wonderful books, including my favorite ever "A Town Like Alice."  There was also the bookmobile driver and many more.  Tomorrow I'm leaving on a 10 day driving trip to visit friends and family to, from and in Florida.  I will not be blogging, so your assignment while I'm gone is to visit your local library and find a great book to read.  Enjoy!

picture this

 Once again my west coast brother has nudged some memories with his daily text.  First of all, because it made me laugh, today is "Tax Day" and also "Take a Wild Guess Day."  I hope none of you had to do any wild guessing.  But enough about that sore subject. The special day that stirred memories for me is "Art History Day."  I've always loved Art History.  When my children were very young I was hired to teach Art History at the Fort Wayne Art School, which later merged with IPFW.  It was a part time job with lectures twice a week but it kept my brain from turning to pablum.  Fortunately I had a wonderful mother-in-law who was only too happy to baby sit on those days.  We started with prehistoric art and worked our way through modern art in four semesters.  This was back in the days of slides and slide projectors and some of each class was spent looking at appropriate slides from the school's extensive collection.  After two years I had a complete collection of lecture notes and was ready to start the series again, feeling much more confident than the first time around.  Then we moved to south eastern Ohio for my husband's new job.  That was the end of my lecturing career.  But happily, over the last fifteen years, I have been able to travel in several European countries, visit some excellent galleries, and see the originals of many of the works of art I used to lecture about.  It's always a joyful jolt to come upon a piece I remember, like seeing an old friend, and it's fun to see their true size, often much larger or smaller than their projected image.  Fair warning, if you're ever touring a gallery or museum with me, I will be lagging behind.

my roles....

 Seeing the Shakespeare scenes yesterday made me think about my various roles in Shakespeare's plays and I want to share a few memories.  Our previous director at First Presbyterian Theater loved Shakespeare, and produced one of the bard's plays per year.  Happily, I was able to get parts in some of them.  The first was my role as Romeo's mother.  I had five lines.  There's a bit of a back story here.  Before I auditioned for the play I was substitute teaching for an English teacher at a local high school.  One class was studying Romeo and Juliette and I was really into it.  At one point I was explaining that Juliette was no dummy.  She insisted on marriage before she let Romeo into her bedroom.  Just as I finished expounding on this I glanced down and realized that a girl in the front row appeared to be about eight months pregnant.  I was so embarrassed.  After Romeo and Juliet came Henry IV.  I played the nurse in the king's death scene.  Again about five lines.  Then there was Anthony and Cleopatra where I played the soothsayer.  I delivered lots of warnings and pithy advice and also delivered the asp to Cleo.  There were others but you get the idea.  Sadly, I had landed a really good role in a Shakespeare play and we had just started rehearsal when Covid struck and everything was shut down,  By the time that was all over our director had left and, while we hired an excellent new director, he doesn't do Shakespeare.  I have been in many other plays over the years and enjoyed them all, but there's something about Shakespeare.  By the way, if you ever want to see truly excellent performances of Shakespeare's plays go to Stratford, Ontario.  The summer theater actors there do an amazing job.

fun at the Phil...

 This evening's Philharmonic concert was, in my opinion, one of the very best this season.  The first half was fun because Elgar's "Falstaff, Op.68" was performed with an interesting addition.  Between each movement actors performed short scenes featuring Falstaff (Bob Haluska) and Prince Henry (Kevin Torwelle) in short scenes from Shakespeare's play, "Henry IV."  I actually had a part in a First Pres Production of Henry IV and this brought back some fun memories.  In case you're wondering, I played King Henry's nurse in his dying scene.  It took me longer to get into my costume than the total time I was on stage.  

All of that was great, but the second half of the evening was simply amazing.  The music was Beethoven's "Concerto in D major for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 61." While I admit that I enjoy Beethoven more than Elgar, what made this performance simply outstanding was the guest soloist.  Philippe Quint is the most amazing violinist I have ever heard.  The fact that he was playing the 1708 "Ruby" Antonio Stradivari violin didn't hurt either.  I can't really describe his music except to say that it was sublime.  If you ever have a chance to hear Philippe Quint perform, don't miss it.  

long ago and far away...

 Today is National Dive Bar Day, among other things, according to my west coast brother.  Thinking about that has brought back a long-ago memory to share.  It was the summer of 1967 and I had arrived early in upstate New York to begin a new teaching job, middle school art.  It was six weeks before the beginning of the school year because I had spent earlier weeks of the summer helping care for a dear aunt in Pennsylvania.  After I paid the deposit and first month's rent on my very cute third floor attic apartment, I realized I was out of money.  With eight weeks to go before I could expect a pay check, I went looking for a job.  There was an ad in the little local paper that said "Wanted, attractive barmaid, no experience necessary." You could run that kind of ad in 1967.  Well, the 'no experience' part certainly fit, and, at 22, I was still pretty confident about my looks.  So I strolled into Joe's Bar and Grill (name changed to protect the innocent), a dark little bar that was as close to a dive bar as I will ever come.  I said I was answering the ad, got the job, and started that very afternoon.  My hours were 4pm to midnight Monday through Friday. My customers were almost all men who worked in the nearby Catskill resort hotels in the summer and went home, somewhere in the south, in the winter to work in the chicken processing plants.  Consequently they had the strangest mixed accent I had ever heard.  Joe invited me to go to Florida with him for the winter when he closed the bar.  I didn't say yes, but I also didn't tell him that I would only be there for six weeks. The patrons only tipped on Fridays when they got paid but were a very friendly bunch.  Joe carried around a huge wad of money to cash their checks.  We only served straight shots and beer, so I learned the barmaid job pretty quickly.  I can tip a mug and get just the right amount of foam with the best of them.  And, as the weeks went on, I began to understand their accent, which proved very helpful when school started and I met their children.  I quit at the end of the summer with some made-up excuse, not a problem since Joe was going to be shutting down anyway, and started my year of teaching. At the end of the first day of school the custodian came into my classroom to clean, took one look at me, and burst out laughing.  He was a regular at Joe's.  

picture this....

 My Wonder Spouse and I spent this rainy day hanging pictures.  It started when I decided to tackle the few remaining boxes that I had not unpacked since everything got moved in after our wedding.  All of the pictures that I had brought from my apartment were in those boxes, and when I told my husband that I would like to have them hung up sometime he got right on it.  One of his endearing traits is that once he starts a project, he doesn't stop until it's done.  This is really good for me since I'm a world class procrastinator.  I didn't realize how much I had been missing my pictures until I saw them all hung up.  It was like welcoming old friends into my new home.  Here are a few examples. 

I'm sorry this is so dark.  I didn't think to take pictures of my pictures until evening.  I bought this original painting at an art auction at our church many years ago.  Now it's hanging in our living room.

These two pieces, not really pictures, but definitely wall art, are now hanging in our kitchen.  The top piece is a 'wedding spoon' that I bought in the Lapland area of Finland on a trip some years ago.  I had no idea at the time that I would be a bride again someday.

The bottom piece, a trivet, so also kitchen appropriate, came from another trip, this time to Australia.  After my first husband died I was blessed with friends who liked to travel.  Now, after 18 years a widow, I have a new husband who likes to travel.  Isn't life surprising?
 

Oh, brothers.....

 After my west coast brother informed me this morning that today is Siblings Day, what else could I write about? It's also, as it happens, National Farm Animals Day and Safety Pin Day.  Since I do not have farm animals (although my WCB does have goats) and can seldom find a safety pin when I need one, as a topic siblings won out.  I have had two brothers and am blessed that one is still alive.  As you know, my west coast brother and I communicate daily, and, even though he and my dearest sibling-in-law live way out west, we get together when we can. They came here in July for a big family reunion, I went there for their youngest daughter's wedding in October, and they were back here for my wedding in January.  I really love the closeness of our families. Not forgetting that he put a dead snake in my car, I do still love that brother, but today I'm also remembering my other brother who died in 2019.  After my first spouse died and my brother was divorced, we travelled together several times and developed a closer relationship than we had had for many years.  We were so blessed to have that time together.  And speaking of traveling together, here's a picture of the two of us on one of our first, admittedly short, trips together.  

Some of you, if you grew up in Fort Wayne, may remember the photographer who came through neighborhoods with his horse, and took pictures, for a fee of course, of children on the horse.  The thrill of my five-year-old life was, that, after this picture was taken, he let me stay on the horse and ride all the way to the other end of the block.  In case you're wondering, my west coast brother is ten years younger than me so was not on the scene yet.  Happy happy Siblings Day to all of you who are so blessed.  

still things to celebrate

 My west coast brother assured me today that, even though the eclipse is over, there are still things to celebrate.  First, in the category of natural phenomenon, they have a white headed robin living in their yard.  I've never heard of such a thing but he sent me a picture.  He also sent me a list of special days to be celebrated on April 9 - National Unicorn Day,  National Chicken Little Awareness Day, and most important, National Cherish an Antique Day.  I haven't seen any unicorns galloping by and the Chicken Little story scared me when I was very young, but cherishing antiques sounds good.  My brother says that his wife cherishes him so that's all good, but according to Google, an antique is something over 100 years old.  While I cherish my spouse and he cherishes me, we are not antiques yet.  Give us 20 years and we will be, and, guess what, in 2044 the next eclipse will be here.  I'd better save those glasses.  

It's all over...

 The eclipse has come and gone as we knew it would, but wasn't it fascinating while it lasted? My husband and I watched from our back yard so we did not see the total eclipse, but it was so close.  We watched as the moon ate the sun 'til only the tiniest speck of orange was showing on one side.  Alas, that's as close as we got to totality,  But, as we sat there enjoying the show in the sky, we also felt the air get cooler, heard the birds excitedly chirping to each other, and listened to a few dogs barking.  Nothing from the squirrels; I think they were just hiding.  We also heard some fire works going off.  I'm not sure why fireworks seemed appropriate, but it made me think of primitive people making loud noises to bring back the sun.  All in all, a totally enjoyable afternoon.

mapping it....

 As I think I mentioned in an earlier blog, my Wonder Spouse and I will be leaving later this month on a driving trip to Florida.  Along the way and along the way back we will visit friends and family, one or two families each day.  What I'm marveling at is the fact that WS already has the trip all "mapped out."  My recent phone and text conversations consist of "We will be in your area on such and such a date. Can we get together for lunch or supper?"  Or, better yet, we'll be at your place on such and such at date at 5:00pm."  He also has all of our hotels booked, even out on the Keys.  And of course we will navigate to each place using GPS.  Don't get me wrong, I admire all of this precision, I really do, but today I found myself thinking, wouldn't it be fun to have a AAA Triptic to guide us?  Do you remember those?  Just flip page after page to know exactly where you're going.  I would also like a couple of really big maps that, once unfolded, never quite allow themselves to be refolded correctly.  I am still a member of AAA (they have gotten me out of many sticky spots over the years) and, while I don't really think I need a Triptic, I might just ask for a big map of the eastern US and possibly one of Florida.  They don't take up much space, and WS, having been a Boy Scout, should appreciate my urge to be prepared.

shine on....

 Did you love the sunshine today?  I certainly did.  After all the cloudy rainy days lately I was beginning to feel sunshine-deprived.  But not today.  Today was a day of blue skies and puffy white clouds and bright sunshine.  We were so inspired by the sunshine that my spouse and I did a solar observation.  My son, who has access to such things, had given us solar eclipse glasses to use on Monday.  Please note, we are not driving anywhere on Monday.  We will be happy with seeing a partial eclipse from our own back yard.  My son, on the other hand will be in Indianapolis, with the company he works for, launching balloons high into the air to photograph the eclipse above any clouds.  He has to leave home at 4:00am to be there in time to set things up.  I'm sure it will be a fairly quick trip to Indy but nobody knows how long it will take him, and everyone else, to get home.  Now back to today and our solar observation.  We took our eclipse glasses into the back yard and looked at the sun.  There it was, a little round disc in the sky.  I was amazed at how small and far away it looked; smaller than the moon.  I'm excited to see what we will see on Monday.

An additional fun note: as I was sorting through many boxes of stuff, getting my new office set up, I came upon an envelope labeled "Solar eclipse glasses - keep for April 8, 2024." Sure enough there was one pair carefully wrapped inside, saved from the eclipse in 2017.  Proof, if it was ever needed, that I save lots of stuff.

all in a good cause....

 I admit to over indulging today but it was all in a good cause or good causes.  But now I'm sitting here feeling uncomfortably stuffed so I feel I must confess.  First I met with a friend for a catch-up lunch.  We talked for almost two hours, during which time we indulged in lovely breakfast for lunch meals, then, as time wore on, we agreed to dessert.  I had key lime pie.  Yum! I waddled out feeling quite content.  That was about 1:30pm.  At 5:30 my husband and I met one of my granddaughters and her boyfriend for dinner, during their brief time in town. We ate at Dos Margarita's.  This is one of my favorite places for Mexican food and I did not hold back.  That's why I'm sitting here right now feeling so full that I can't think of anything else to write about.  I will find something more exciting to blog about tomorrow.  I promise. 

4x4= ?

 My west coast brother informed me that today is National Jeep 4x4 Day, because it's April 4.  This is, or should be, a widely celebrated day in my family because over the years several family members, including my west coast brother and his family, have owned Jeeps.  Brand new Jeeps, quite elderly Jeeps, ordinary everyday Jeeps, Jeeps being saved for parts and elderly Jeeps with brand new engines.  It's all in the family.  I, on the other hand, drive a Fiat, which is not by any stretch of the imagination a 4x4.  All this thinking about cars and driving has me longing to travel and, happily, that wish is soon to be fulfilled.  My husband and I are going on a driving trip to Florida later this month with lots of stops along the way and on the way back to visit friends and family.  We are also going to drive out to Key West where I have never been before.  You may assume that I will be posting pictures when we return.  Hooray for road trips!!! 

foreign exchange...

 It seemed like a simple project.  I decided to call a company that pays me one of my little pensions each month to give them my change of name and address because the 2023 tax form still had my previous information.  I called the number kindly provided on the most recent form I have, which also shows an address in Illinois.  A very nice sounding young man with a thick Indian accent answered my call.  Please understand.  I am not prejudiced and I have dealt with many people with accents quite successfully, although I will admit that some Scots accents are tough to understand, to put it mildly.  One tour bus drive in Scotland had to write things down for me.  Actually I marvel at how spoiled we Americans are since people around the world speak English.  It wasn't the accent that was the problem. It was just one word.  After I found out pretty quickly that he couldn't take care of the name change but would mail me a form for that, we proceeded to the address change.  I gave him our house number and the street name of our address which ends in Court - for example 1234 Swampy Court, then proceeded to the city, Fort Wayne.  I went very slowly as he requested and spelled every thing out but some how he he thought Court and Fort were the same word and my street address was 1234 Swampy Court Lane.  It took me a while to realize what he was doing and another while to get things straightened out.  I finally told him to look at my old address, which he had confirmed a half hour earlier, where he saw Fort Wayne printed out.  Then I gave him my new zip code.  I should be getting something in the mail, some how, some time soon.  I live in hope.  

my good doctor...

 Those of you who are faithful readers of my blog (and I really do appreciate you) will have noticed that I failed to blog last night. I have a valid excuse.  Yesterday morning I woke up with a backache that had been bothering me off and on for several weeks.  Not sure if it was worse because of all the hustle and bustle on Sunday, but it was bad, so I decided I should call my doctor just in case it was something serious. I called at nine in the morning and was told to  come in at 5:40pm.  No delay, no "we can get you in in three weeks." It was obvious when we got there that I was his last patient of the day, but he took his time with me, listened carefully to my complaints, felt the muscles of my back and said they were "all knotted up."  And this is why I like my doctor so much, he offered me options.  I could solve the problem with some exercises or he could give me a prescription.  He said exercise would work better, which was just fine with me.  So he gave me a page of exercises to do three times a day and sent me home.  After we got home and had supper, I decided to go through the exercises before I went to bed. I did, then fell into bed exhausted, and forgot all about blogging.  That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.  

PS I did my exercises today and they are beginning to work.

talk on...

 Today was an eventful day for me.  First we went to church, my first time back since my hospitalization in January. There I was able to touch base with several friends and introduce my husband to those who didn't know him.  Also, of course, we enjoyed a blissfully beautiful worship service.  My son and granddaughter joined us which made it even better.  In the afternoon we had dinner for ten, the first time I had been involved in any kind of hosting since January.  The party included my son and granddaughter and myself and my husband, his son, daughter-in-law, two granddaughters and one boyfriend.  What pleased and amused me was the fact that we sat at the table and talked and ate for over three hours.  Let me assure you, the art of conversation is not dead, and I didn't have to start any of it.  Topics ranged from gross injuries seen by those who are in the medical field to modern music and how the boyfriend of one step-grand has know my granddaughter for ten years because they were both in FW Children's Choir.  This included a few shared memories of choir trips they had taken together. Then there was robotics and the competition season that is just finishing. I was sitting in the middle on one side of the table.  When I tuned in to the older adult end of the table, conversations were ranging from a new job to an old dentist to a late paying tenant, laced with lots of praise for the deviled eggs provided for the feast in the cutest bunny shaped deviled egg tray I've ever seen.  We also caught up on what absent members of our families were doing (leading a high school class tour in France and teaching high school math in Florida).  That led us into a brief discussion of math majors we have know. By the way, all of the food was delicious, thanks to my Wonder Spouse.  But I was most amused when the conversation turned to the topic of forks. Specifically the difference between salad forks and dessert forks. Why some are three tined and some four, and why some have little notches at the tip of the left-most tine? We may have had more than enough wine by this point (or I may have) but I found this discussion quite fascinating.  Needless to say, phones came out and sources were checked.  Please note, if you haven't already, that there was no discussion of politics or religion.  What a great dinner party.  I hope you all had a fine Easter celebration also.  

Playing house...

 Ever since I was a little girl and my mother showed me where the knife and spoon and fork go, I have enjoyed setting the table.  As I grew older one of my favorite parts of getting ready for a dinner for family or friends was setting the table.  Today I was able to enjoy the same experience.  My husband and I are having Easter dinner for ten tomorrow afternoon (some from my family and some from his).  Because we don't have small children I was able to set the table today.  We're eating at the dining room table which easily seats ten, and it gave me great pleasure to get out my china and stemware and set the table in my new home.  It was also reassuring to see that nothing had been chipped or broken along the way.  

 
Here's the finished product, just waiting for the food and guests. If  you're wondering why I seem so calm it should be obvious to those of you who are regular readers.  My Wonder Spouse is doing the cooking.  Ham, sweet potatoes, coleslaw (with his homemade dressing) rolls with butter and jelly, and, from my son-in-law, deviled eggs.  Wine, water, coffee, etc.  Wishing you all a Blessed Easter.  

a little break...

 My west coast brother informed me that today is "No Homework Day" and also "National Lemon Chiffon Cake Day."  In honor of those two events and because I've had a long and sometimes frustrating day, I've decided that this blog is the closest thing to home work that I have, so I will cut it short for today.  I think I'll go eat some cake.  I hope everyone has had a blessed Good Friday.

a plot???

 It may have been coincidence, but I suspect collusion.  I had my taxes 'done' this morning and all went as I anticipated.  I owe a teeny dab to the IRS ($47 if your curious) and a little more to the state of Indiana.  I was anticipating this so no problem.  My very nice H&R B tax man gave me a voucher to mail to each entity with a check.  I came home and put those papers away, knowing there was no rush, and I couldn't pay them yet anyway.  The reason being I was checkless.  Here's where the plot thickens.  Almost three weeks ago my ever patient spouse and I visited the two financial institutions where I have checking accounts, provided all necessary proof of marriage and legal name change, and, as part of the process ordered new checks.  Time passed and I received emails that the checks were on the way but none appeared.  Yet today, after my taxes were filed and accepted, they miraculously appeared in the mail.  It's obvious to me that the IRS is taking no chances that they won't get paid.

Good eating...

I've commented several times in this blog about the excellent meals I've eaten at various restaurants.  For example, yesterday evening we had supper at Shigs n Pit.  I had the rib dinner and it was excellent.  I do not want anyone watching me when I eat ribs.  It is not an elegant sight. But today I want to comment on home cooking.  This morning my dear husband surprised me by making French toast.  It was  delicious, served up with butter, powdered sugar and pure maple syrup.  My spouse is allergic to anything with corn syrup in it so we always get the good stuff. Yummy!  One of the things I particularly  appreciated was that he served the toast one slice at a time, so I could eat all I wanted, all piping hot.  Needless to say, I did not stop at one. I do not want to weigh myself tomorrow.

And speaking of sweet treats, a girlfriend made this cute Easter treat and gave one to each of us at a recent lunch. The car is made of a twinkie with with Golden Oreos for the wheels, a sprinkles covered pretzel stuck down in the middle for the steering wheel, and of course the marshmallow bunny.  I just thought this is so clever that I had to share,

it's taxing....

 I spent several hours today sorting through all of the papers I had put in my 2023 tax folder during the past year, to sift out the really pertinent forms and information.  I'm meeting with my handy dandy tax man from H&R Block on Thursday and wanted to have things as organized as possible for the meeting.  Many years ago my first husband always did our taxes.  We were never audited so I assume he did a good job, but almost every year he would say to me "You really should learn to do this in case anything ever happens to me."  To which I would reply "Hah! If anything ever happens to you I will pack up all my papers and take them to H&R Block (that being the only tax firm I had ever heard of) and that's exactly what I did.  But fast forward to today - the sorting of paperwork went very well until I realized that one 1099 form seemed to be missing.  In my file of many papers I had tucked away a multi-page document from a company who took over distribution of one of my pensions way back in February 2023.  I also found a letter from said company telling me that my tax form would be mailed to me.  It told me that, if I had any questions or hadn't received my form, to call the company using my previously activated PIN number (which I had never set up).  I was really beginning to panic when I decided to look through my papers carefully one more time and found, to my intense relief, the form I needed with the name of the company printed in teeny tiny font, not anything like the bold letterhead I had been looking for.  So, hooray, all is well, unless I learn differently on Thursday.   

do it yourself...

 I love brunch, particularly when it's served in restaurants, and one of my favorite meals for brunch is a half order of biscuits and gravy with one over-easy egg on top.  So good!  Usually the meal comes just as I order it, but there is one exception.  Klemm's Candlelight Cafe, which is a very good neighborhood restaurant, does it differently.  It happens that we have a gift card for Klemm's (yes, a wedding gift) so we went there for brunch this morning.  I ordered my usual and it came, not as I had envisioned it, but in do it yourself style - one large unsplit biscuit, one small bowl of gravy, and two eggs (yes two) over-easy just lying on the plate, by themselves.  Once I had assembled my meal it was really quite delicious.  I guess "making" my own breakfast isn't that bad.  

thank you...

 I spent most of today writing thank you notes for gifts we received for our wedding on January 14.  I know, that's more than ten weeks ago, and I do know better.  Thank you notes should be sent promptly after the event.  My mother raised me right, but, alas, life got in the way.  So now you can relax and stop wondering if your note got lost in the mail.  It didn't.  It will come as no surprise to my regular readers that this note writing spree reminded me of the thank you notes I wrote after my first wedding.  It was a noteworthy event (pun intended).  I clearly remember sitting in our car, on the side of an interstate highway, somewhere in Illinois.  Ours had been a driving honeymoon and we were on our way home.  I'm not sure why it happened but we ran out of gas.  So I sat and waited while my spouse hiked back a mile and a half to an off ramp where a gas station sign could be seen clearly in the distance, and came back again eventually with the necessary fuel.  I'm pretty sure he got a ride back but not positive about that.  But, in the meantime, having nothing much else to do, I wrote my thank you notes.  Those notes went out on time.  I'm not sure why I even thought to take the note cards and list with me on my honeymoon, but there they were, ready for action.  It never hurts to be prepared.  

My way.

 The Frank Sinatra version of "I Did It My Way" is running through my head right now, and there's a good reason for that.  The Philharmonic Pops Concert this evening was "Sinatra and Beyond with Tony Desare."  I had never heard of Mr. Desare before tonight, but I will certainly make it a point to hear him any time he's back in town.  He travels with his own small ensemble - guitar, bass, drums and conductor and tonight they were accompanied also by the full orchestra.  His voice carried strong and true over all the background music and he sang Sinatra's songs they way Sinatra sang them, true to the originals.   But, honestly, I really enjoyed his own compositions more than anything.  In addition to singing, he's an excellent pianist.  Such fun.  But there was more.  I've mentioned in previous blogs that I like to see my music as well as hear it and this evening's production was a visual feast.  All of the brass instruments and some others were on risers, arranged like an orchestra of the 40s or 50s.  I loved having a clear view of the trombones who played a lot.  All in all, a wonderful evening at the Pops.

flashback...

 Today was a rather chilly day.  Actually I would call it cold with a high of 34%, but I won't quibble with the weather person.  In search of something warm and comfy to wear for just working around the house, I came upon a pair of flannel lined jeans.  I'm still finding clothes in several second floor closets, wherever my spouse could fit them in when he moved clothes from my apartment.  But I digress.  My west coast brother and sister-in-law gave me these for Christmas about ten years and 20 pounds ago.  They were tight at the time so I didn't wear them much, but today they were loose and comfy and very warm.  Interestingly, just pulling them on made me remember my first ever pair of flannel lined jeans.  I was in first grade and may have been the first of my girl friends to ever wear jeans.  At the time, Central Lutheran School in New Haven, where we had just moved, allowed girls to wear pants to school, instead of dresses or skirts, in cold weather.  Very progressive I think.  That bubble was popped when we moved to Woodburn when I was in third grade.  At Woodburn Lutheran leggings were accepted, but only for getting to and from school.  Some how seeing twenty or so little girls at the back of the classroom stripping off their leggings does not seem less risque than simply letting them wear pants. But back to those wonderful jeans. What I remember most vividly was that the lining was plaid (with lots of red) and when my mommy turned up the cuffs, you could see the lining.  So cool. Today's jeans have a dark green lining but they aren't long enough to turn up the cuffs so it really doesn't matter.  At my age warmth trumps style every time. 

get in line...

 I know that patience is a virtue, and, based on today's experience, My husband and I should have earned a few stars in our crowns.  It started very simply. I had a prescription to pick up at our nearest Walgreens so my spouse drove me there.  This was early evening, about 6:00pm.  When we arrived, the line at the drive through was quite long so I suggested that he park and I would go in and get the pills since it was my ID they might need to see, and it should be faster inside.  When I got in line there were three people ahead of me and a couple already at the counter.  Twenty five minutes later (I am not exaggerating) the same couple was still at the counter.  I admit, by this point I was eavesdropping, but a little too far away to get the whole story.  What I did get was that they were trying to pick up a prescription for someone else, her dad maybe??? and couldn't figure out how to get their insurance to cover it (or anybody's insurance evidently).  In case you're wondering, this was the only indoor counter that was being manned.  Meanwhile, the drive through window was moving people through at a merry clip. I finally gave up, because I really couldn't stand there any longer, went out to the car and admitted to my ever patient spouse that we needed to go through the drive through.  When we got in line, there were four cars ahead of us.  The first one took ten minutes after we pulled up, but then things started moving.  We finally got my prescription, with no problems because of the name change, and headed home.  As I said, we earned some stars in our crowns today.  

Game on...

 A few days ago I introduced my husband to the game Quiddler and he really likes it.  It's a word game, similar in some ways to Scrabble, which we also like.  I should explain here that it's our habit to play a game in the evening as a way to relax after a long day of unpacking boxes or trying to merge more of our stuff.  I'm happy to report that I have managed to fit most of my books into the available shelf space, but I'm never quite sure what I'll find in any particular box.  Today, for example, I found several games.  Mostly games are stored on shelves in the basement here so I had set some apart in a box, to be taken downstairs.  Naturally my spouse wanted to browse through the box.  He was impressed by my complete set of mahjong tiles that came from China.  Thankfully, he didn't suggest we learn to play that.  He did get intrigued by my Chinese Checkers board though and we decided to give that a try.  We refreshed our knowledge of the game, chose our colors and had a good game.  I won this time, but not by much.  Who knows what tomorrow might bring?

cluck, cluck

 My west coast brother has informed me that today is "National Backyard Day" and "National Poultry Day."  That leads me to think about chickens in the back yard.  In the 1930s and 40s it was not unusual to have chickens in your backyard.  My first husband once confessed that his mother kept chickens when he was small and that's why he couldn't eat chicken.  He saw them as pets while she saw them as dinner.  There has been some revived interest in raising yard chickens in recent years, but happily, to me, the neighborhood covenants and restrictions where I live now forbid chickens in the backyard.  If you wonder about my backyard fowl aversion let me explain.  When I was in third grade my family sold their little house in New Haven and moved to five acres in the country to live the dream of "Five Acres and Independence" which also happened to be the name of a popular book of the time.  As it happened, our five acres had, in addition to an old house and garage, two chicken coops.  That's where chickens belong.  Before you knew it, we were in the chicken business.  1500 delightful baby chicks delivered every three months, so cute for about a week, after which they evolved in twelve weeks into big smelly but very marketable fancy flock fryers.  The best memories of those chicken years are the chickens we had butchered and kept for our own use. Fried chicken every Sunday in the cold months and my father's amazing barbequed chicken during the summer.  Sweet convoluted memories.  

part two..

You may have thought, like me, that once Saint Patrick's Day was over there would be nothing left to celebrate, unless you insist on finishing off the green beer.  But, surprise!  There was an even better follow up.  For some reason, my spouse and I had mentioned soda bread and soda crackers over the last couple of days while finishing up some very dry crackers from a Christmas gift basket.  No, they weren't stale, just dry. Today, while shopping at Kroger's, my clever husband came upon something in the bakery section called Irish Soda Bread, which was half price on the day after SPD.   He was curious, since we had been talking about soda bread, so he bought a loaf.  It is a dense moist bread studded with bits of fruit (but not heavily, like fruit cake) with a sugar coated crust.  Very good with butter.  Did I mention the sugar crust?  I think it's time for my bedtime snack.

Shmrocks all around...

 I hope you all have had a fine Saint Patrick's Day.  I did not eat corned beef and cabbage, although I do like it, and I did not drink green beer, but that's understandable.  I am not much of a beer drinker.  Generally one a year is my limit, and that one is a good dark beer at Germane Fest.  If you think about it, this is reasonable since I am of about 90% German heritage and 10% the rest, which includes a little bit of French and some Scots Irish.  That's my only claim to a right to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day, and then I should probably be wearing orange not green.  I did wear green today though, if a comfy old sweatshirt counts.  My husband and I celebrated by doing more unpacking and putting away and another trip to Good Will.  It's amazing how many duplicates we have.  And thinking of green things, does anyone need/want an extremely sturdy avocado green blender?  We really don't need two.

Here's proof of our industry.  We actually got some of my weavings hung up and some organizing done in my loom room.

surprise!

 

These days I am not hosting any parties or family get togethers.  I'm actually not planning ahead for much of anything.  But I do love it when accidental entertainment happens.  This evening was a great example. My husband's son (mine too, steps count) stopped in to spend the evening while his daughter (who is temporarily without a car) was working the sound board on a play at First Pres Theater. He came after supper so no meal prep necessary.  Since he had a few hours to pass with us, I invited him to join us for a game of Scrabble.  He agreed but said it had been a long time since he played. My husband helped him install the "Scrabble Spell Checker' app and we played.  We do not use any kind of timer so our game pretty much filled the whole evening.  We had a good time, lots of laughs and some really weird words, and he finished very close to his father's score. Not a bad showing for "the first time in a long time." Did I mention that I won?  Like I said it was a fun evening.  

fun times three..

No problem with the Ides of March for me, but then I wasn't wearing a toga or mingling with a group of knife wielding friends.  I did have three kinds of fun though.  First, I am sitting at my own pretty well organized desk to write this blog.  Second, my son and daughter-in-law went with us to supper at Guadalupe's where we caught up on each others news and I was able to enjoy their fabulous pineapple water.  Then, to top off the evening, we went to, if not the funniest, certainly the strangest store I have ever been in.  It's right next door to the restaurant and I think the name is Red Hot Deals.  Across the front of the store is a huge banner that tells you that anything in the store is available for $10 on Fridays, $9 on Thursdays, $8 on Wednesdays and so on.  I may not have those numbers exactly right but $10 is the highest.  Evidently they get their big shipment of new stuff in on Fridays. Lucky us.  There is no rhyme or reason and they are certainly not paying anyone to keep the shelves organized. Long rows of tables are stacked with the most unbelievable assortment of stuff, just all piled together.  Since my husband and I have spent the last couple of weeks in our own personal jumble, we were not remotely tempted.  But in among the piles of anti-barking dog collars, cat toys, dried foods and children's books, my son found a sealed package of material to use in a 3D printer.  He was very pleased because what he got for $10 usually costs $25.  The rest of us just walked out feeling that we had saved a lot of money by not buying anything.  All in all, a very fun evening.  

Run, little rodent!

 Have you ever watched a gerbil or hamster or pet mouse run on a wheel.  They run and run and run without ever getting anywhere. Today I felt like I was in a similar situation.  First I received an 'urgent' email warning that I was late on a payment on a credit card.  I did not click on to that email but I did log on to the credit card site, where I always make my payments. and discovered that my next payment was due April 8 (not late by my calendar) but they seemed, indeed, to think I was late, so I decided to go ahead and make a payment.  I pushed all the usual buttons (several times) but kept getting the message that they were unable to process my payment at this time.  Finally, after several attempts (my spouse even got involved) I decided I would just phone the company and make a payment over the phone.  So I found the phone number, made the call, answered all their robo questions to properly identify myself, and finally got a message that their customer service people could no longer accept payments over the phone.  I stopped trying before I tore all my hair out.  I will try again before April 8.  In the meantime, my husband found the perfect way to calm my nerves.  We took our first trip to Zesto's for the year.  Yum!

reward!

 My west coast brother sent me this quote today - Einstein supposedly said "If a cluttered desk is a sign of a cluttered mind, of what, then is an empty desk a sign?" Something to think about.  I am happy to report that there is no fear of me having an empty desk any time soon. I did, however, spend several hours today replacing files, that had been packed in boxes for the move, in my filing cabinet, and even managed to throw away some stuff, like my most recent 20 page lease agreement.  My husband has a more powerful shredder than mine, which really helped the process. As a reward for this diligence (and because it was already planned) we went out to dinner with my spouse's son and family for a delayed birthday celebration for said son.  We went to Ziano's, so the food would have been reward enough, but it turned into one of those really delightful family get togethers where conversation flowed freely and no one had to rush away after dinner.  That was my reward for my desk work.  By the way, if you're looking for something to celebrate tomorrow, it will be March 14, also known as pi / pie day.  I was very impressed that my step-granddaughter, who, by the way, is heading off to Ball State in the fall (that's my school) could rattle off the numbers for pi to the tenth digit.  No, she won't be a math major.  She has been accepted in the theater department.  That's my girl.

pictures

 

View of my still to be organized office.

One drawer in my nicely organized bathroom vanity.

my day...

 According to my west coast brother, today is "National Organize Your Home Office Day." It's also "National Plant a Flower Day."  I did not run out and plant a flower but I did start thinking about planting some bulbs in the fall along the south side of the house. But my real focus is organizing my home office.  Actually, I spent some time this morning organizing my bathroom vanity.  That may not sound like much, but it's a lovely new vanity with six drawers.  Over the last couple of weeks I've accumulated some interesting drawer dividers and organizers which really helped with the vanity today and gave me some good ideas for my desk.  So I guess the bottom line is, I'm still at the 'mentally organizing my home office' stage.  Ah well, it will all get done eventually.

Nap on...

My west coast brother, after some careful research, has discovered that today is, among other things, "Oatmeal Nut Waffles Day." And, if you eat enough of those for brunch, will lead right into "National Workplace Napping Day."  People who know me know that I am a big fan of afternoon naps, a habit I've had since childhood, but few know that I have also indulged in workplace napping.  Not every job lends itself to workplace napping, but sometimes it works, one way or another.  During my last year of full time teaching, when I was pregnant with my first child I had the "afternoon sleepies" (it's a real thing, ask any pregnant woman) so I cleverly arranged for my first class after lunch to have their required independent reading time during that period, bliss!  On another job, a desk job this time, I really did nap.  I almost always lunched at my desk, and after lunch, with the door closed, put my head down on my desk for twenty minutes.  It does help.  Now, of course, I just nap when I feel like it.  Retirement is great.   

A sweet surprise...

 After a long day of unpacking, finishing moving clocks forward, arranging my new office, searching for a misplaced cell phone (which was set on 'do not disturb') and intense research to decide which of two blenders (decidedly not new) is the best to keep, my husband and I realized that it was after 7:00pm and we probably should make supper plans.  Nothing in the frig sounded good. so, after a quick check to be sure they were still open (yes 'til 8:00pm) we headed to Guadalupe's Mexican Grill in Georgetown.  As usual, the burrito (his) and bowl (mine) were delicious.  They make everything fresh and it's always very tasty.  I have to be careful about what I drink these days, no caffein, no carbonation, mostly water or fruit juice, no sugar added.  So when we got there tonight I was delighted to discover a new item on their menu, pineapple water.  It's made with real pineapple mixed with water, then strained, no sugar added, and absolutely delicious, naturally very sweet.  I brought a refill home with me and it's like dessert in a glass.  So, if you're thirsting for a sweet treat, try Guadalupe's pineapple water.

Music seen and heard...

 I love to hear good music, but I also like to see it, so this evening was a special event for me.  My husband and I decided, as a treat after this busy moving week, and because I'm feeling better, especially in the evenings, to go to the Philharmonic.  We have season's tickets but have been giving them away for the last months, but tonight it was our turn. This evening's program included "Impressions - Suite for String Orchestra" by Assad, personally my least favorite piece (we both agreed that it went on too long).  The second piece was "Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 14" by Barber.  This one featured violin soloist Rachel Barton Pine, who was excellent.  But, far and away, my favorite was the final piece, Dvorak's "Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Op. 70."  I mentioned earlier that I like to see my music as well as hear it, and this evening did not disappoint.  The strings got a really good work out, my favorite oboe player was there, the bass section got more attention than usual, the drums rumbled and all in all it was quite entertaining.  Hooray for music, heard and seen.

fait accompli...

 And that's about all I remember from my high school French.  But, using English, "mission accomplished."  After the very busy week we've had, my husband and I decided that this rainy day was the perfect day to relax, take it easy, and approach unpacking slowly.  Eventually, we did unpack three boxes, all dishes and other kitchen implements, and, and this is the good part, I managed to fit almost all of the dishes in the CC. Almost.  I fitted all of the 12 place setting of china with all of their accessories and another eight plates and cups and saucers plus other odds and ends, but I'm sitting here now staring at 12 white soup bowls that simply don't go anywhere.  I must keep these casual bowls because I use them to serve my family's favorite ham and bean soup.  I will find a place.  In the meantime, here's how the CC looks now.  

four strong men...

 Well, the big move is finished.  They advertise themselves as "Two Men and a Truck" but four men showed up at the apartment at 8:30am, as scheduled, and got right to work.  Unfortunately, the large maintenance elevator which I had requested days in advance wasn't in place when they started packing, but they didn't let that stop them.  It was after 9am, when the office opened, that we finally got the big elevator, but the movers did not waste the time.  They made several trips down in the regular elevators with small items and had lots of larger items waiting in the hall for the maintenance elevator.  I watched in awe as they carefully wrapped large furniture items in large blankets, then miles of what looked like heavy duty Saran Wrap.  Everything was done and all items in the truck by 9:30am.  Due to my husband's morning chiropractor appointment which took longer than usual, the men weren't able to start unloading the truck until 10:40am, but, even with our special requests (moving the heavy old kitchen table to the basement for example), they were finished and out of here by 11:30am.  I have never seen four men work faster, but still very carefully.   And I marvel at how they just picked up and carried pieces that looked immovable to me.  My desk and filing cabinet are now safely housed in my office up stairs.  After they left, my husband and I took a few deep breaths, and realized that all we need to do now is unpack all the boxes and find places for all of my stuff to co-mingle with all of his stuff.  We actually took a large bag of place mats, Christmas towels and other goodies (some mine. some his) to Good Will this afternoon, making room on a cabinet shelf for my silverware chest.  That sort of thing will continue for some time I suspect.  But the bottom line is the big move is done.  

Happily, my corner cupboard and round dining room table fit perfectly in the breakfast nook.  Now I just need to put the dishes back in, but tomorrow is another day.

a conspiracy?

 Once again, thanks to my west coast brother for bringing this to my attention.  Today is "National Oreo Cookie Day," "National White Chocolate Cheesecake Day" and "National Frozen Food Day."  It's also, and here's where I suspect the conspiracy, "National Dentists' Day."  After a long day of finally, finally getting everything ready for the movers tomorrow (all boxed and taped and ready to go) my weary husband and I went to Culver's for a quick supper.  There I celebrated the day by having some mint chocolate chip frozen custard. We must support our dentists.