Not your mother's market...

 My husband and I went grocery shopping at Meijer today.  We most often shop at Kroger so we weren't really familiar with the layout of the grocery section of the super Meijer near us.  I am an old fashioned make a list on paper and wander around the store, following the signs till I have everything I need kind of person.  This system has worked for me for many years.  But not my Wonder Spouse. He has definitely moved into 21st century shopping.  He had a list (on his phone of course) and was able to call up the exact location, aisle and section, for every item on his list.  So efficient, and yet the same thing happened to us that seems to occur whenever I go grocery shopping.  At check out there are always items in my cart that were definitely not on my list.  I suspect that they jump in my cart when my back is turned.  You may have had the same experience.  Today it was cherries, but who can resist sweet dark red cherries when they are in season?  A bag of pretzels also jumped in the cart.  At the end of the expedition came the checkout. Again we are different.  I like to get in line and let a friendly cashier ring up the charges, a bagger bag them, then place them back in my cart, and I am on my way.  Not so my WS.  He prefers self checkout, and he's right, it is faster, but not easier, at least for me.  In today's scenario I was the bagger which is not as easy as it looks.  I tried to keep up with his rapid fire checkout technique but it wasn't easy.  I managed to keep everything on the scale 'til he was finished and did not  smush the bread with the jug of cranberry juice, so all was well.  We loaded everything in the car and made it home without mishap.  But, just between you and me, when I next go to the grocery store alone, I will probably do things my way.  

be artistic...

 Today, according to my west coast brother, (what would I do without him?) is "Water a Flower Day" and also "National Creativity Day."  The first was easy to accomplish because my spouse waters our house plants every Sunday and Thursday.  When I moved here my only house plant came along and it is thriving with this improved schedule.  I never neglected it exactly, I mean I've kept it alive for 18 years, but these days it gets regular watering and feeding.  Lucky plant.  Mother nature took care of the outside flowers.  We have roses and lilies.

As far as creativity is concerned, I can be creative.  For example, I'm working on a wall hanging right now.  First I wove the fabric on my loom and now I'm working on stitching the 'picture' on it.  This is the sixth one of these that I've created, but it has taken much too long.  That's because I was interrupted by getting married and having COVID and other stuff, some fun, some not so much.  But now I am trying to get it finished.  We have a parish art show coming up in September and I want to exhibit it there.  I have a lovely space to work in, and all the materials I need, but life still keeps getting in the way.  Things like going to the Amish bakery this morning are way more fun.  In case you're interested we each got a mini-pie, mine blueberry, his cherry, and apple bread, which is what we went for in the first place.  Then of course there was the four pack of cinnamon rolls.  I am looking forward to breakfast, then I will work on my stitchery, after a manicure and a quick trip to JC Penny's.  You do see why this isn't getting done very fast, don't you?

eat up

 My west coast brother informed me that today is 'International Coq Au Vin Day.'  He was planning to threaten his chickens that so they keep laying.  It's also 'National Biscuit Day' and 'National Senior Health and Fitness Day.'  Those two kind of cancel each other out.  I did exercise today, but it was my laptop giving me fits.  Thanks to my Wonder Spouse all the computer problems have been solved for now.  But let's focus on biscuits, specifically biscuits and gravy. I'm sure that's what is meant by biscuit day.  I mean a biscuit without gravy is just another form of bread.  My very favorite breakfast in a restaurant is biscuits and gravy with one egg over easy on top.          A Divine Encounter Cafe on Coliseum is always my first choice for biscuits and gravy. Soo good.  I did, however, break with tradition on Tuesday morning.  DE is closed on Tuesdays so we went to Klemm's Candlelight Cafe on East State.  Side note, we were there for breakfast, but they also make excellent cheeseburgers.  On Tuesday, to my husband's surprise, I ordered a waffle and chicken tenders.  Quite good, but next time it will be biscuits and gravy for sure.  Are we hungry yet?

a new wrinkle...

 Recently a friend told me that she had read that eating a prune a day helps improve bone density.  At my age bone density is not something to be taken lightly so I purchased some prunes.  Actually, my spouse purchased them when he was at the grocery store.  I have been eating one a day, and, while I have no way of knowing if my bone density has improved, I do enjoy the taste, and eating prunes does remind me of a story my mother used to tell me.  When she and my father were first married they lived in Havre de Grace, Maryland because my dad was stationed at Aberdeen Proving Grounds.  This was during WWII and rations were limited.  She told me that, when they went to their favorite neighborhood restaurant, the dessert choices were always the same "prunes, pudding or Jello." I always thought I would have chosen the pudding, but, since it was made with powdered milk, maybe not.  Evidently prunes was the tastiest choice.  Tasty then, tasty now, and good for you.  Although the key lime cheese cake I had a Casa's last Friday was way better, and, you know, cheese has calcium, also good for my bones.  

a day to remember...

 I hope for each of you that your Memorial Day was filled with more good memories than bad.  When I think about it, I marvel about how very fortunate my own family has been.  While many of my family, including my daughter and son-in-law, have served in the military none have died in battle that I know of from actual knowledge and family history.  i hope you have had similar memories to appreciate on this memorial day.  

This is the banner I displayed in my front window while my daughter was deployed in Iraq, to show that I had one child serving in the military.  I am so proud of her and eternally grateful that she came home safely.

the big race...

My husband and I started the day on a healthy note by walking to and from Blueberry Pancake House which is about a twenty minute walk from our home.  While there we ate relatively healthy food (no pancakes, waffles or stuffed French toast) for our brunch.  After we got home we did a few chores, then settled down to watch a bit of the Indianapolis 500.  In case you don't know, that's a really big deal car race.  We ended up reading our books and half watching a rerun of last year's race which was broadcast while Indianapolis was deluged with rain.  At 3:00pm, after the rain had passed and the track had been dried, the Indy 500 started with 45 minutes of pomp and ceremony.  I always enjoy that part and the soloist who sang "Back Home Again in Indiana" this year was excellent.  Ordinarily if  I watched any of the race, it would probably be just the first few minutes, same with my spouse, but this one sucked us in.  There was an accident within the first five minutes of the race, and several more happened in the first half.  Blessedly, no drivers were injured.  The accidents were mostly of the running off the track and scraping against the wall variety.  The cars weren't smashed up too badly, just enough to be out of commission. During the race, almost all in the first half, there were eight times that the yellow flag slowed everything down.  The explanation given for this spate of accidents was that possibly, during the long rain delay, the drivers indulged in too much Red Bull and/or coffee.  Sounds reasonable to me.  All in all it made for an interesting race with a very exciting finish.  Maybe we will watch again next year.

I'm guilty...

 Today, according to my west coast brother, is "Geek Pride Day." Also "National Italian Beef Day" if you would rather think about food.  I looked up the definition of 'geek.'  It's someone who is knowledgeable about and obsessively interested in a certain subject.  The example given was a computer geek.  Not naming names, but I have known a few of those in my life.  But this evening I think my spouse and I may have joined the ranks of 'geekdom.'  During supper we just casually started talking about travel plans for this year.  We both agreed we would like to travel west to see my WCB and family.  Before we knew it, we were seated at my husband's computer creating a list of everything we would like to see on a trip west and then exploring ways to get there.  We considered train, plane, automobile, bus and ship.  The last two were quickly eliminated.  We want to do a lot of sight seeing on the way there and back which makes it trickier.  As I write this my Wonder Spouse is still working away at his computer.  He may have the whole trip scheduled by now.  One way or another we will be heading west in September (probably).

Joy times two...

 Two of my granddaughters, cousins ages 20 and 21, spent the evening with us, and the one from out of town is staying the night.  We played Five Crowns and laughed and reminisced about many things including the time I pushed one of the girls down a snowy slope on a sled and she ended up in the creek.  She was rescued instantly, wet but unhurt, but what she remembered most was that her cousin, who was living with us at the time, was very angry that I borrowed some of her clothes for the unfortunate victim.  Ah, such sweet memories.  Happily they have grown up into nice generous ladies who are still happy to spend time with me. 

a penny your thoughts.... for

 Today is "Lucky Penny Day" and "National Taffy Day."  Thanks again to my west coast brother for that information.  When I read this my thoughts immediately went to penny candy.  For those of you who are too young to remember, there actually was such a thing and I indulged.  When I was in first and second grade my family lived in New Haven (Indiana not Connecticut) and, wonder of wonders, there was a little candy store at the end of our street.  It was a tiny little building and I have a hazy memory of a nice lady behind the counter.  What I do remember clearly though was the candy.  There was an amazing assortment of candy available for a penny a piece.  About once a week my brother and I and two neighbor girls would be allowed to go to the candy store, armed with a nickel each, to buy some candy.  My very favorite were sugar coated cinnamon balls.  I loved the taste and the way the sugar melted in my mouth.  I also really liked bubble gum; I had just learned to blow bubbles. Also Tootsie Rolls, Necco Wafers, mints, taffy and so much more.  I could go on and on but suddenly I'm craving a sweet bite.  I'm sure I'll find something in the pantry but it won't be as good as a cinnamon ball.

. 

facelift..

Doesn't it look fine? 

Yesterday we had the house washed and today the mulch man spiffed up the landscaping.  I think it looks about twenty years younger.  I wish there was some kind of quick spray and cover up that could make me look 20 years younger.  Ah well, at least I have a pretty house to come home to.  And speaking of coming home, I just found out that my granddaughter who is in college in Columbus, Ohio (CCAD) will be coming to town to deliver one of her art pieces to another granddaughter, and will spend Friday night with us.  A fun and unexpected pleasure.  Life is good in so many ways.  

the sequel..

 Yesterday, you may recall, was, among other things, "Pick Strawberries Day."  Now I have learned, thanks to my west coast brother, that today is "National Strawberries and Cream Day."  This is a delightful coincidence because I still have some of the huge delicious strawberries that were delivered to us yesterday.  So, always willing to celebrate a special day, I finished up my evening with one sliced strawberry in vanilla ice cream.  Nothing said the cream had to be liquid.  I'm pretty sure I will be repeating this dessert tomorrow.  

And speaking of things that are bright and white (like vanilla ice cream) we also had a treat of a different kind today.  We had our house washed.  It was not a pressure wash, and it's not the kind of house that you can pull through a car wash. The company that did the wash used a compound that gently washed off all of the grime that had accumulated over the twenty plus years since this siding was put on, and guaranteed their work for three years.  They did an amazing job on every surface including parts of the roof.  The house looks like new again.  Even more amazing to me is that they cleaned this big old five bedroom two story for $540. 

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.