ah, saturday

We're having a lovely weekend. We made a trip by the watering hole last night and talked to lots of people. Nice way to start a weekend. We're trying to organize a trip in late June to the two vineyards in the area and maybe an end-of-day trip to Cambria to the burger joint. There's a big green bus that might be available and Al just got his license so he needs the practice.

Yesterday, we went to Ella's last day of pre-school program. Here are a few pictures:

Ella and her best pal.

Ella and her mom.

Performing girls!

Tomorrow, the off-spring and their families are coming for dinner to celebrate Mother's Day. Amber and Emily both have to work which seems unfair. If there are ribs left at the end of the feast, we'll send some home for them. I'm making roasted red potatoes, roasted cauliflower (our current favorite), and a triple berry trifle. Regis is making his famous ribs at Ella's request.

Happy Mother's Day to my mom. I've published this poem for her before, but I think it's a good one for the day.

What She Taught Me

by Teresa

For Mom

She taught me knitting, sewing, Teeny Tiny,

and reading every night before you go

to bed. She taught me how to make things for

people you love. She taught me how to make

stuffing by letting the butter and chopped onions sit

on the stovetop overnight. She taught me how to

make spaghetti from scratch

and that leftovers make a good meal and that pets,

even messy ones who come through the screen door

during thunderstorms, are part of the family.

She taught me that it’s more important to bake

fresh cookies or to read a book than

have a clean house. She taught me that having piles

of books around your house is decorating and that wearing

a flannel nightgown until noon doesn’t mean you’re

lazy. She taught me that you invite people over

if you’re lonely. She taught me how to always

believe you can fix it yourself and to keep on learning

and that when you go on vacation you should

stay with relatives. She taught me that cookbooks make good

reading and if you don’t have what it calls

for, you use something else. She taught me that hunting

down a good deal and taking a long nap in the afternoon is

the only exercise you ever really need in life.

When my dad died, her husband of more than fifty years, she

taught me that you cry but you go on. You go on living. You keep

the ashes in the window sill, you tell stories about the memories

and you laugh and you cry. But you keep on living.

Hmmm. This isn't looking quite right when I try to go from html edit back to compose. I'm going to keep going and hope for the best.

I went to the coop to buy berries for the trifle. It was pretty quiet there this afternoon which is nice since I have a low tolerance for crowds. I like to buy organic berries but they're more expensive. I like to buy meat there, too, especially since seeing Food, Inc. Don't watch that movie if you don't want to change the way you eat.

I picked up sticks from the birch tree this morning. It was so cold I had to come in before I was done but holy crap, there are a lot of sticks. I think this tree sheds some sticks every spring but with the high winds of the last week, they all came down at once. The city will come around this week and pick up any yard waste that you've piled up along the curb so we don't have to pack them in the trunk and haul them to the compost site.

I had a couple copies of my guest column in my purse last night so when the guys on geezer's row at Patrick's said they had read it but missed the last three paragraphs, ta da...I could supply them. Regis thinks I'm shameless and I probably am.

Just an observation on robins. When I was driving to the Pulse this morning, I noticed that they run back and forth on their tiny legs to cross the street. What's up with that? Wouldn't it be safer and faster to fly? I wonder if the eggs they're making are weighing them down because they don's seem to run so much later in the summer. I googled this but had no luck coming up with an answer.

A man joined us at our table last night and before he even said hello or took off his jacket, he launched into a joke. Then another joke. Then another joke. What the hell. I have a low tolerance for jokes. I can enjoy one now and then, but I think there just could be more to social intercourse than constant Little Johnny jokes. Arrghghghg. I had to get up and scope out another place to sit. Anybody else feel like this or am I the crazy one?

I have a new recipe for a thin crust pizza I'm trying out tonight.

Update on the menu for this evening. Decided to go with fresh pico de gallo and a guacamole dip instead of pizza. Might bake some nachos, too. We should have some company for this meal.

rainy thursday

We had a grand time last night. We went to the Donahower House for a Firefly Theater performance. Our neighbor Mike brings in comedians from around the country and last night we saw Paul Strickland. Very funny guy who is more storyteller than one-line comic. When I complimented him on three exquisite lines in one of his stories, he actually went upstairs and brought back his "script" of the show so I could find them.

Patrick's served wine and margaritas and tacos. I sat in an antique chair that looked like a throne. The minutes I spotted it, I knew it was mine. We met so many nice people during the evening...a woman who helped me with our medical insurance dilemma, a young man who details cars, and a wood floor guy who wants Regis to help with his website. It was a bonanza, I tell you.

We stopped at Patrick's on the way home because there was a nice bus parked in front and I had the notion it might be Willie Nelson's bus. It was not Willie Nelson, but a busload of drunken nursing students who are graduating. They were cutting a rug, believe me.

Because we were gone on Cinco de Mayo, I made a Mexican dip tonight for dinner. The men at the table pronounced it delicious and devoured most of it. I like it when my cooking is appreciated.

There's a poetry slam tonight that I would really like to attend but I've been gone two nights in a row and I think that's my limit.

I worked hard today helping teachers fight their way through the blizzard of paperwork required to provide special education. It's a good thing we get rich doing this because otherwise these nice people would find another way to make a living.

It's been cold this week and I've had to dig out the sweaters again. Three layers today. Man, some sun would be nice.

Happy Friday tomorrow! But WTF is up with the 45 degrees?????

a case for celebrating

Regis and I left the house about 2:00 yesterday and made a road trip west. We made our way (no thanks to the GPS) to Morgan Creek where they were celebrating the start of the wine season. Even though it was cool and windy, by the time we got into the ravine and sat in the shelter of the main building, it was beautiful and we enjoyed the setting. Ben Marti played some accordion, there was a fire in the pit, we had some good wine with friends, and we had some laughs. All good for the senses.

Note re: the pictures. They were giving away the straw hats with a purchase. Good thing they didn't award a hat for each glass of wine. Ha!

Next stop was the Grand Kabaret in New Ulm. Lovely place with some bad music. It might have been good jazz but it wasn't my style and resonated more like elevator music which starts to feel like a pin in the eye after a while. Note that this might be my unsophisticated taste in music and have nothing to do with the actual quality of the music. The food was great. Regis and Ron had morel mushroom soup and we ordered a cheese plate, a bowl of olives, and a German plate with cheese sausage. It was a perfect meal.

Next stop was George's Fine Steaks and Spirits in New Ulm. We had spirits but will go back for a fine steak in the future. It was a friendly place. We met George and sat by Bob at the bar who told us about the merits of New Ulm.

At the end of the night, we agreed that we feel lucky that we don't feel compelled to get up on a beautiful, sunny May 1st Saturday and start weed whacking or washing windows. There is not enough time in life to enjoy a holiday like yesterday. We're making plans already to repeat this trip. It was a feast from start to finish.

random moments

Regis went shopping for groceries this morning as he does most Monday mornings. When he got home, he sent this message:

The Secretary General of the United Nations just called. They did a quick webcam survey of our refrigerated food stocks and has concluded that:

1. We have enough food to feed an entire Vietnamese village for 3 weeks.
2.  In the event of Nuclear war and we were cut off we would have enough stuff to live comfortable for 16 weeks; 4 if Peter is here.
3.  The Saint Peter food shelf could supply the needy for 90 days.

All-in-all somewhat disturbing in a family where the kid is only around sporadically, the wife doesn't eat, and the old man is trying to lose weight.  

We had pizza from the Cheese Shoppe in LeSueur last night. Tiffany, Elliot, and I drove over there yesterday afternoon. Elliot had his first experience with an automatic door and he was fascinated. He must have gone in and out a hundred times while we waited for the pizza to be constructed.

Here he is making his funny squinty-eyed face. I laugh when he does it so consequently, every time I point the camera at him, he does it. Babies are so predictable. And so cute.

Am I the only one on the planet who is frequently overwhelmed with things I have left undone? Birthdays I have missed? Sympathy cards I should have sent? Friends I should have called?

I felt great all day because for the first time in weeks, my shoulders don't hurt. I worked out with Rachel this morning and she took it easy on my upper body but showed me some stretching exercises. Oh man. Right away they felt better. When I ran, I heard a click click click like someone finally pushed them into the right spots. What a relief.

Hey, that Cheese Shoppe has a wide array of great cheese but also lots of interesting snack things like chipotle sweet potato crackers. It's worth a trip over there especially if you have out-of-town company. Schmidt's Meat Market in one direction and the Cheese Shoppe in the other.

I've been on the hunt for the perfect chicken nugget since Patrick's had what they called boneless wings last fall. I loved them because they were nice chunks of white meat with a very light breading. Then they stopped carrying them. I've tried and tried to make something like it and finally stumbled onto a recipe that works...parmesan chicken nuggets. The chunks of breast meat are rolled in egg, dipped in bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, and drizzled with butter. They're roasted at 450 for 15 minutes. Delicious.

I'm ready to go to bed and it's only 7:15. I hate going to bed when it's light out although I do it frequently in the summer. Last night I went to bed at 7 but I did make it through the Creative Nonfiction journal before I conked out and went to sleep.

Mom's friend Ione had surgery a week ago, then developed a very scary pulmonary embolism. She was helicoptered to Sioux Falls on Sunday. I called mom today and Ione is out of ICU and doing much better. So glad to hear it.

Bad week on Minnesota roads for teenagers, too. I don't watch the news and this is why. You always hear stuff you wish you hadn't heard. Tell your kids not to drink and drive, not to text and drive, not to fool around and drive. Sad and scary and tragic for their families.

Well, there you go. My thoughts for the day. On to another week...the last one of April.

ode to spring

Regis took these beautiful pictures of our apple tree yesterday. It seems early for them to be blooming, and the lilacs are not far behind, but we love it. We sat on the patio the other night and soaked in the view. The redbud tree is read to burst into bloom, too.

We looked back at pictures we took of these trees when they were first planted, right after the tornado. They were only six feet tall and very spindly. Now they give good shade and gorgeous flowers.

The piece I posted the other day about exercise and the marathon will be published as the guest column in our local paper next week. The editor was very complimentary of my writing and said not to change a word. My husband, on the other hand, had some suggestions. Ha! Now I have to submit a mug shot.

We have a quiet weekend planned. It's raining hard here right now so that will preclude any outdoor work. I'm glad for that. I don't understand why the minute the weather gets nice, people rush outside and grab their rakes and hoes. Can't we just enjoy a few days before we go to work? I should move to a warmer climate where the pace is slower.

We're probably in the minority but we haven't mowed our grass yet, we haven't raked the grass, and we haven't planted anything. We have done these things: sat and watched the trees bloom, meandered around the yard to see what's growing, watched the chickadees and finches at the feeders.

There are a lot of things I don't do: laundry (Regis does it), car maintenance (Regis does it), buy groceries (Regis does it), clean my house (Jan does it), paint (Don Foster does it). I have parties, I cook, I plan meals, I keep us organized. There you go. I'm lucky to have the husband I have.

I'm taking care of Betty's cat, Bonita, today. She is not a friendly cat, at least to me, so I'll just go up and leave some food for her. She may not even come out while I'm there. I used to like cats, and I like Marie's cat Nick when I go to get my taxes done, but other cats I know are kind of creepy. They always look like they're up to something.

My cousin Deb recently visited our friend Maura in Florida. This is a picture she took of Maura's house, called Dragonfly Cottage. Isn't is the cutest thing you've ever seen? I love the pink picket fence. I wish people here were more imaginative about their colors. Sometimes you'll see a house with bright colors but it's sort of frowned upon. We tend more toward the taupe end of the color spectrum. Ella would love a house like this so Bob and Emily, I think you should consider some new siding.

I got an early Mother's Day present, an iPod nano. It's the red one. Regis ordered it from Apple and it was delivered from China in less than 30 hours. Amazing. It's a teensy little thing but has 16 gigs of memory, a video camera, and a pedometer. Also amazing. I copied my entire iTunes library (including a hundred podcasts) into it and have lots of room left. How many words in this paragraph were not even in the language ten years ago?

I hear thunder...and birds singing.

I told Regis I would take him out for dinner tonight to celebrate the almost end of his semester. He's been chained to his desk for a week as he finishes his big projects. I'll have him write a guest post when he's done, describing what he did, because I don't know. Something about networks and firewalls and pings. I think. Not sure where we'll go. I think Mazatlan won in the straw poll we did last night which means we have to go reasonably early or it will be crazy busy. Mexican seafood...my favorite.

I won't go into too many medical details here but I went to see my doctor yesterday. I've had sore joints and muscles since I had strep throat and yesterday a friend of mine suggested I might have reactive arthritis. That is the danger of the internet. Someone suggests a disease that only 30 out of 10,000 people get, you read the symptoms, and you are convinced you have it. I've had the same doctor for ten years so when I ask if she wants to hear my diagnosis, she laughs and says, "Of course." She doesn't think I do have it and she thinks my symptoms will eventually go away. A conservative course of treatment. I like that.

I'm going to exercise this morning, then pick up the house a bit, take out recycling, go through the week's mail, do the dishes, sort through my clothes, and take a nap. There you go. Happy Saturday and happy spring!

thoughts about exercise and the Boston Marathon

I was at work on Monday, the day of the Boston Marathon, but I was distracted, for the first time in my life, by an athletic event.

Rachel More, my trainer, and Kristie Boyer, a fellow teacher, were running in the marathon. I knew this was going to mean something to me because I admire them both, and the group they run with, so much. When I come in the door of the Pulse on frosty January mornings, they are often going out the door to run outside. They return an hour later, frost covered, to drink water, stretch, and share stories.

I don’t know what the stories are about as I have always felt outside the circle of athletes. I grew up in the 50s and 60s when the chances for women to be active were few. I belonged to the Girl’s Athletic Association that met once a month and played games like deck tennis and ping pong. There were no girl’s sports in my schools. I played outside with my brothers but I never felt like real athletic pursuits were for me.

I have exercised for very brief periods of time in my life but never long and never very strenuously. It was something I did in an attempt to lose weight. Exercise never had any value on its own.

In the past two years, starting when I was 57 years old, I started to exercise. I began with swimming every morning at 5 a.m. in a local hotel’s pool where it was dark, quiet, and warm. I didn’t do any extreme swimming but paddled back and forth across the pool for an hour. It almost killed me when I started but I kept at it until April when I started to feel like I needed something else. Something harder and faster.

I signed up for a year’s membership at the Pulse and for weekly personal training sessions with Rachel. At first my goals were things like trying to walk on the treadmill without having a death grip on the side rails. I was uncoordinated and very slow. Walking on the treadmill at 3.5 miles per hour for ten minutes was difficult. I was lifting three and five pound weights.

Gradually, I got better at things. I could walk for 30 then 45 minutes, no hands! I walked in the 5K Halloween Fun Run and even ran a little. I walked in the Jingle Bell Jam in December and felt that surge of competition; I didn’t want people passing me so I would run until I got ahead enough that they couldn’t.

In February, I ran for three miles and decided that I wanted to train and register for a 5K every month of the summer starting in May. Now, I can lift eight and ten pounds weights easily. I can walk not only three, but four or five miles without being winded. I feel fit and strong and healthy. Today, I’m wearing a t-shirt I earned for jumping rope for seven minutes after I ran for thirty minutes. I’m still not all that interested in competition but I like knowing what my body can do.

I’ve wondered how this all adds up to my emotional fascination with the Boston Marathon. I almost cried when I said good-bye and wished Rachel and Kristie luck. All morning on Monday, I watched their progress and sent my husband emails where I pasted the results for each kilometer from the Boston Athletic Association’s website. Ask my friends, but believe me: I have talked about the Boston Marathon a lot in the last few weeks.

I wish I could think of a way to thank them; for being such wonderful role models to so many young women and a few old ones like me; for being such an inspiration by their commitment to running; for pointing out the possibilities to those of us who spent too many years not taking care of ourselves. What they’ve done is amazing and I want them to know that I think so.

what happens to this kind of joy in our lives?

it should be saturday every day

It's been such a nice day. I got up early and went out to the garden to start cleaning up. Regis did a good job a year ago and I put a lot of mulch down last summer so it was easy today. I didn't rake out all the leaves, thinking they can compost and help the soil. I picked up three huge bags of sticks and dead stuff and pulled a few of the early weeds.

Regis took this picture of me working since I so seldom do. Haha. What a comedian.

There are a dozen tulip bulbs and one lone flower.

The bottom picture is a fern leaf peony that I've had for years. It came from Mom's garden. It didn't bloom for a long time and I've moved it three times trying to find a place it liked better. Three years ago, we had one flower, then last year we had three. This year there are six buds so if the rabbits don't get it, we'll have gorgeous peonies in a few weeks.

We picked Ella up and went to hear Lehto and Wright in Mankato. It was interesting (and ironic) hearing them sing Handsome Johnny in the Morson Ario with the big wall mural of the flag raising at Iwo Jima behind them. It's a powerful song and always gives me goosebumps.

We went to Papageorge for dinner. Regis had Greek shrimp and I had sea scallops. Like where else would they come from? The food there is delicious. Ella had chicken strips and signed her menu. She said it was her contract and she had to take it home.

I had to publish this post and close Firefox to discover why a commercial for Walmart sheets kept playing some very annoying music. It was a damn pop-up window from hell.

Regis showed me an iPod today that you can wear on your arm and if you have the right Nike shoes, they will transmit mileage information to your iPod. It also has a video camera, an FM radio, and a 16 GB hard drive that will hold 4,000 songs. If they could only figure out how to integrate my laptop, my kindle, my cell phone, and my iPod. That is a gadget I would buy.

We're watching To Catch a Thief, the Alfred Hitchcock movie with Cary Grant and Grace Kelly. I know Cary Grant was considered hot in his day but he looks sort of long in the tooth for the young women with whom he is paired. He looks like an aging pervert. Hahahaaha. I don't really get it because I'm not paying attention. I don't multi-task very well when it comes to movies.

Here's another little weird piece of technology. Rachel, my trainer at the Pulse, is running in the Boston Marathon. I don't really know why, but it makes me emotional to talk about it with her. I got weepy when I said good-bye and wished her luck on Friday. I was able to send a text to someone (???) and was registered for updates on her progress to be sent to my cell phone.

The fastest woman in the Boston Marathon will finish in about 2 hours and 20 minutes. I cannot imagine it. It would take me three days and two motels. Seriously. Running 13 miles an hour? One time I ran three miles. Most days I can run 11 mph for a minute or two. It's beyond my comprehension. This year there will be 26,000 runners and a record 11,316 women runners!

Well, that's enough for today.

runnin' through jello

I didn't sleep well last night. Had a busy day at work with lots of things on the list of things to do. They were all running through my mind all night like little ants. I woke up a lot and tossed and turned when I wasn't awake. The alarm went off at 4 and I slammed it off and rolled over to go back to sleep. All day, I felt muddy and bleary eyed.

We went down to Patrick's for a glass of wine because Regis had to do a project for school that had something to do with a firewall and pings and some green chart of the router. I think that's how it went anyway. That didn't take long so we came home, ate some enchilada casserole out of the freezer and watched a Crosby Stills and Nash concert from Netflix. What a night.

I could hardly keep my eyes open but managed somehow. CSN looked a little rough by the 1990s...mullets and beer bellies and really bad fashion. It was the 90s but really.

I know this is whining but my back and shoulders have been very sore since I had strep throat. I've been going to the chiropractor for muscle stimulation, manipulation, and other mysterious things. I felt much better today but I'm nervous about going back to my workouts. Monday I could hardly lift my arms to get dressed. That's a bit of a handicap.

My garden is a mess. The compulsive neighbors have cleaned everything up in their yards and that only makes mine look worse. Holy crap. The city isn't even picking up yard waste until mid-May, what is the bloomin' rush?

I read in the paper that the St. Cloud superintendent resigned. He's 49 years old and must have had experience. I don't know if there is more to the story but the paper said he was worn down by the politics in education. Sad. Our governor wants to put unlicensed people in classrooms to teach when you can't cut hair or give a manicure without a license. I've been ranting about this for days and I'm tired. I can understand the guy getting worn down by this silly shit. Really.

Happy Birthday to Peter!

Happy 23rd Birthday to Peter!

spring weekend

Yesterday we went down to Reg and Amber's house to help plant the tree we gave them for a housewarming gift. It's a Minnesota river birch like the one we have in our yard. It's a beautiful tree and should give them some shade in not too many years. It was Amber's birthday so they cooked some burgers on the grill once the tree was in the ground.

The sun felt great in the afternoon so I sat on the patio for a while. I almost slept but the mail carrier delivered the junk mail just as I closed my eyes. Yeah, it would hurt a lot to give up Saturday delivery.

We made a new recipe for chicken bites last night. They were kind of messy to make but tasty. I ate mine with Tabasco since I've had a hankering for wings. Patrick's doesn't have the boneless wings on the menu regularly although I'm thinking maybe I could convince them to keep a bag in the back of the freezer for me. They're lightly breaded and that's what I like...not all the dough. Regis made a nice balsamic vinaigrette for the salad we had with the chicken. Delicious.

I have cookbooks piled around me again today. We're making the transition from winter food to summer food so some meals require grilling. I bought a couple vegetable grilling cookbooks since we bought a share of the Living Land Farm. Tonight we're making scallops on the grill and a small steak.

Peter will be 23 on Tuesday so we're taking him out for dinner. He wanted to go to Red Lobster but yuck. Fast food fish. I might try to change his mind.

The birds are back to our feeder. Yesterday I saw gold finches all over the tube feeder. They're still sort of dirty yellow but it's nice to see them back. We have had a small flock of red-winged blackbirds in our yard the last few years. They must be on their way through to somewhere else because they don't stay long. They have a call that sounds like a cell phone ring. There are also lots of robins and mourning doves.

 Today, I'll put out the grape jelly hoping we can attract some orioles. Last year, they were fussy about jelly. Mom says her orioles will eat anything but maybe our neighbor uses a better quality jelly, giving our birds options. Why eat jelly from the dollar store when you can eat Welch's?

hey look at this

These leaves popped out on our tree in the front yard on Monday. Regis was so kind to go out with the camera and document it for me and I was so lazy that it took me until today to post the photo. So nice to see green leaves after six months.

I went to yogalates this morning and my butt is dragging tonight. Yogalates is designed to strengthen both the mind and the body through the combination of poses and exercises. I liked it because it helped me work on flexibility, strength, and balance. The room was dark and the music wasn't tool loud...and no sudden movements. My legs and arms are stinkin' tired tonight, though.

Tomorrow, I go back to the chiropractor. She's a young woman and very stout and strong. She digs her fingers into my back muscles and it's heaven. Like a massage.

Having a little trouble with the thought train tonight. It's been a long week...well, two days...at work.

Last night we watched the blue-ray version of Up on our big television. I am sure now that I could never watch a movie if Regis wasn't home. It took a minimum of three remote controls and more settings than I could count. When I was a kid we had to walk all the way to the tv to change the channel. Hahaahah. I didn't make that up but it's funny.

A weekend with no plans coming up and can't wait. I'm going to sit on the patio, read my book, take a nap, and watch the garden. It's not doing much yet but every time I walk around and bend over real close, I see things poking up through the leaves. Ah, spring.

ham

The ham was delicious.

not much left

The bread is gone. There is a little bit of a ten pound ham left and some of the berry trifle dessert. The rest of the food has been parsed out in tiny bags to the guests who didn't leave until 7:30. Amazing party. We ate at 1:00, sat and gabbed and giggled, ate again, gabbed some more, ate some more, the kids took naps, and we made one final round-up on the food...and it was over. Wow.

another holiday

I got up early this morning to get my bread in the oven. It suffered a little from the cool temperature in the house overnight but it came back to life and it's just beautiful. I love making that bread. It's called Italian country bread and it takes a couple days to make it because you start with a sponge, then let it rise overnight. It makes a gorgeous loaf. I'll post a picture later.

I'm drinking coffee out of Aunt Vi's little tea cup this morning. It has lilies of the valley on it so I thought it was appropriate for Easter.

I made a trifle with four kinds of fresh berries. It's probably a little bit of a risk because I used a nice creamy yogurt instead of that chemical laden pudding which is always popular. It also isn't chocolate. We'll see how it goes over. I tried to whip some cream to put on top but the dang stuff just wouldn't stiffen up. Wonder what's up with that. It's really pretty, too.

More later...more pictures...more stories...more more more.

Happy Easter!

more spring

I went to the garden center today. Just as I drove down the street, a big ass wind came up and blew dirt all over the place and brought in a ton of hard rain. It wasn't a good day to shop the outside plants but I had a good time looking at the indoor plants...that will eventually go outside. I love that place and think, if it weren't for the mice, I could live there.

I woke up at 3:30 this morning so it's been a nice long day and I feel like I've gotten my money's worth out of a vacation day. I went to the Pulse early and did my fast 30 minute run/walk. I'm just getting back on the horse after suffering with strep for a week so that's all I did. Tomorrow I'll add weights and then I should be back to business as usual by Monday.

Regis and did our errands early. We were out of the HyVee before it was light this morning, then went to Perkins for a little breakfast. I remembered a few things I wanted at Target...a strainer since Ella used the old one I had as a hair brush last weekend. It was time to replace it anyway so it was no big loss. I bought some spring candles, a few pieces of summer clothing, and some pot holders. It's amazing what a guy needs when he sees it at Target.

That's a viola in the picture. It was my free seasonal gift for having a softball coupon. I wanted to buy pansies but with the rain and wind, I decided there were better days ahead for that.

I think the Howard Fritsch Memorial Rosemary tree can go outside soon. There are daffodils blooming in the garden today. I love spring.

I bought an Easter egg coloring kit. I tried to interest Regis, then Peter, in helping me color eggs to no avail. I like to color eggs but I'm a purist...no mixing colors. This is from years of coloring eggs with four brothers who dipped their eggs in one color after another until they were all brown. I looked up the directions for boiling eggs online (I know...) and the safety precautions almost turn you off to doing it. Holy crap. I think we left ours on the table for a week when I was a kid. Didn't we, Mom? Maybe Ella can come and decorate eggs with her Nana.

officially spring

It's officially spring when you have a glass of wine on the patio. I came home Thursday and Regis had set up the table and chairs and chilled a bottle of wine. Here I am...first sip of the season. It was a gorgeous day but not as warm as they (whoever they are) predicted. Yesterday was even better but we were out and about instead of sitting on the patio. They (again) say rain for today and the weekend will be cooler. The flowers will appreciate that.

I made some last minute changes to my Easter menu. No matter how many kids beg for it, I can't bring myself to make a salad that calls for Mountain Dew. Tiffany said it looks like phlegm which also didn't help my feelings for it. So, now we're making Paula Deen's cranberry and pineapple salad. Also subbed green beans with bacon for asparagus. I think that will go over better.

On my way to the Pulse to work out. Then to the grocery store and Target although I can't remember what I wanted to go to Target for anymore.

More later, no doubt.

tuesday tuesday

Last night, I started to feel a sore throat again. I marched right over to urgent care this morning to see what that was all about. I saw the nurse, then she asked if I wanted to see a doctor. Or did I want to wait until maybe later this afternoon to see how I was feeling. Frankly, I was stumped. I sat for a long time thinking about this. Why did I go to urgent care? To wait longer? I finally decided that since I was there, sitting in the exam room, I would see the doctor. The doctor said I should finish the course of antibiotics and that maybe I had a viral infection on top of the strep. Lovely. I seem to be better tonight.

This made me ponder the differences between the urgent care experiences of the last week. One was clearly urgent care hell and it lasted four hours. The other was much better...actually like I was the only patient and I was escorted in and out of pristine rooms like a queen... and lasted 40 minutes. Regis said this is the way the universe seeks balance.

Daffodils and tulips, both with buds, are up in my garden. They look a little dry which is amazing considering all the snow we've had. I saw the neighbors had crocus blooming around the corner yesterday. Spring might be here, after all.

We have a short week of school and that seems fair considering the smack down put on teachers by almost everybody lately. There was some abomination of an article in the paper this morning about why Minnesota didn't get the Race to the Top grant from the feds. Really. Are they serious? You have to read it to believe it. It makes a guy want to just write a letter of resignation from the whole profession.

I made fajitas for dinner last night and orange chicken tonight. Both are labor intensive meals that take until almost 7:30 to cook, serve, and clean up. I'm about done with that crap for the week. The fajitas were made with free-range organic cows and the chickens came from an Amish style farm. I wonder what that means and probably, I don't want to know. I just know I'm not eating any more of that meat that comes from ulcerated poodles.

It's windy and I know I'll have trouble sleeping so I'm going to bed. I'm not exercising in the morning. I asked Regis to drag out a couple of patio chairs so the minute I get home from work, I can drop my butt into one for the rest of the daylight hours.

Enjoy the rest of your week!

sunday night in march

We had a hoot of a time tonight. I told Tiffany I would watch Elliot so she could go see her friend Teresa. I picked up Ella about 1:30 and we headed to Eagle Lake. Conversation with a four-year old is so surreal. She's riding happily along with me and then asks, "Nana, where are we going?" So trusting.

We picked up Elliot and rode back to St. Peter without incident. Let the games begin. If you want to know why young people are genetically programmed to have babies, spend an afternoon with a couple of them. The babies not the young people. Regis says it's either why young people have babies or why old people drink. We had a wonderful time but it seems like a whirlwind.

Nobody misbehaved. They were all (three of them) engaging and interesting and funny and sweet. But man, they are a busy bunch. If you look at the pictures, Ella's hair is flying in every one. The boys are letting loose with these amazing shouts of joy. Then they all just crash.

Our house is tiny and it would help if they could take more than three steps before a U-turn. We'll have a bunch here next Sunday for Easter. I started cleaning out the porch today (lots of stuff collects there over the winter) and we hope to have the patio open. An extra room and some outside space really helps. If anybody else has a baby before these three grow up some, we'll have to have family dinners at the Holiday Inn.

I'm going to pack up the baby bed, put my clean clothes away, and settle in with a book. I have an appointment to work out with Rachel in the morning at 5 a.m. After my week with strep throat and no exercise, I better put 911 on speed dial.

friday on the couch

I'm just sitting at home letting the antibiotics do their job. Imagining the little streptococcus microbes getting slam dunked by the amoxicillin street fighters. I feel so much better this morning....like I came out of a cave after four days. A bit worrisome as I drove to Mankato twice and attended a conference for two days of the four. Today I feel like I might stand a chance of being vertical most of the day.

Stupid blogger wants to write in italics today and I'm tired of trying to correct it. If italics appear, they don't mean anything.

I have some vague notions of what went on in the world in the past few days. Something with the pope. Something with the health care bill. Tea party rallies. Are those people insane? Has the whole world gone crazy? Deb said she heard a table of people in a restaurant say that Obama was only elected because college kids thought it would be funny to elect a black person as president. How ignorant do you have to be to believe that malarky? Too much Fox News, I'd say. That shit will cause brain cancer.

You realize that a lot of stuff I write here is not because I think it's particularly blog worthy but because I like to write and this is a good venue. I could post on Facebook ten times a day but then I'd get labeled as a nutcase.

Most people who are on Facebook don't post at all which is sort of like being an electronic voyeur. I guess they like those games like mafia wars and farmville which I hide. I can't stand those big pictures of cows, for one thing. So, I just hide every game that comes along. I also ignore all the heart requests and requests for support of this or that. I am a fan of Patrick's because I like to know every week, what they have on tap. A guy has to have priorities.

I have also hidden a few people on Facebook. It sort of goes along with my aversion to the news. People who only write maudlin, cryptic messages about their despair are blocked. They should find a good  therapist  and not look for salvation or redemption on the internet. I realize that people may not like my weird rants either and I think they should hide my posts if that's true. It might be the internet but it comes to your house and to your  personal computer so you shouldn't have to read anything you don't want to read.

This is a sign that people used to post outside their homes during the Depression. It signified that a kind-hearted woman lived there and a hobo could probably get a meal. My mom should have a sign like this outside her door. Bless her heart. She is so good about inviting people to share her home, no matter what their circumstances. Peter lived with her while he went to school and I know of at least five other people she's invited to live with her for at least short periods of time. I admire that about her. If all those people show up at the same time, there could be a problem, but I don't think it would bother her much. My mom is a kind-hearted woman.

I have two goals for the weekend: take the Christmas tree down and clean out the back porch. I want Regis to have this as a goal for the weekend: get the patio furniture out. But I don't get to prescribe his goals, unfortunately. Ha! We're having the crew for Easter dinner and it would be nice to spread out a little if the weather is nice. The porch is a sure thing; the patio is very tentative. April 4th; hell, we could have snow. Notice the plague of semi-colons in this paragraph? I'm never sure I use them correctly, but what the hey. Most of you reading this aren't sure either!

My neighbor is all done raking his yard. That's because he rakes around the snow drifts and as they shrink, he rakes the edges. This is no joke. I think the snow has to be completely gone before you rake. You rake in a t-shirt, not a snorkel parka. We aren't yard fanatics. We like the grass long because it produces more oxygen. We don't fertilize because then you have to mow more often. We don't water for the same reason. Why water your grass so you have to spend more time cutting it? Doesn't make sense.

I'm worried about what's going to happen when I run out of space on blogspot. About a year ago, I read about transferring this whole mess to my own domain but I can't really get a mental grip on what that means. Do my widgets go, too? Hahaha. Isn't that funny? Yesterday, I opened a wiki account, then realized I had no idea what to do with a wiki and didn't feel like going through the tutorials to learn what it would do so I closed it. My wiki experience was a lot like my experience with twitter. I don't do wiki and I don't tweet.

Moving on. Happy Friday!

sick

I have had a wicked rough week. I went to a special ed law conference on Tuesday and started to feel rough in the afternoon. I came home about 4:30 and went to bed. Same thing Wednesday. I stayed home today, took two naps, and still felt like hell when I woke up. I had a raging headache and a sore throat that didn't seem to be progressing into a cold. I drove myself to Urgent Care and TA DA...I have strep throat and now, a prescription for an antibiotic. The very kind doctor at the beautiful River's Edge Hospital said it will take one day to not be contagious and a couple days to feel better and I guess it will. Thank you for listening to my medical problems.

It's been a beautiful and sunny week. No complaints there. It would be nice if it were warm enough for lawn chairs but that's coming.

We're going to spend a productive evening watching John Stewart through 30 Rock. I am giving some thought to giving news in all its formats. I love John Stewart's humor but the Glen Beck clips are really hard to watch. How can a person be that damn stupid? And that tea party stuff is just so weird. Wingnuts and pitchfork wavers. Seriously, a  guy is better off not knowing about these folks.

I finished a book today but not wanting to disparage a Minnesota author, I won't mention the title. I was disappointed because I loved her first two books but this one had too many plot lines and too many characters. Even healthy, I don't think I could have kept track of all of that. I started Andre Agassi's book Open and so far, it's good. I bet I read the best part in the People magazine, though. I was more interested in his drug abuse days than his days as a nine-year old tennis player in LasVegas.

I won't be going to work tomorrow because the rules for strep are 24-48 hours after the start of an antibiotic. I'm getting sick and tired of being sick and tired and I can't wait to feel better.

Minnesota River Flood 2010

vernal equinox and of course, a party

Regis and I have a reputation for finding some pretty bizarre reasons to throw a party. We didn't celebrate St. Patrick's Day (other than with corned beef and cabbage and the parade) but we saw that the vernal equinox (first day of spring) was occurring on Saturday so, there you go. This is the crew we assembled to come for lunch: Vicki, Nikki and Scott (he's from Minneota, Mom), Harvey and Kathy, me and Regis. I made the old two-cheese casserole recipe, Irish soda bread, and black and tan brownies. I made Irish coffee and Regis made black and tans with Harp and Guinness.

The party idea was hatched one Saturday afternoon a few weeks ago. The invitations said sky clad was optional which amused us no end but probably scared some of our friends. We saw it on a pagan party site and it means naked. None of us appeared at the party naked which is a darn good thing. Imagining it is bad enough.

I worked with my recipes some more this afternoon and planned the Easter meal. I think I've mentioned before that I have this "meat" thing. We've decided we want to eat less meat and better quality meat. Scott (in the picture) raises cows, pigs, and chickens for the meat. Grass-fed, no nasty stuff like antibiotics, and they get to move around on their legs, unlike the animals raised on factory farms. So, we're going to get our meat from the coop, from Schmidt's, or from Scott.

We also bought a share of the Living Land Farm here in St. Peter. It's an organic farm on the Ottawa Road. Every two weeks we'll pick up a load of vegetables and herbs from them. I have three cookbooks sitting here by my chair so we can get familiar with ways to cook these things. Regis has made a commitment to be more open minded about green things. This is probably a natural progression from my "focus on food" of the last year. I'll be posting some pictures and recipes for our vegetable adventures!

For now, the Easter menu looks like this:

Strawberry Belinni

Deviled Eggs

Glazed Ham

Mashed Baby Red Potatoes

Roasted Asparagus

Seven Layer Salad

Italian Country Bread

Lemon Curd Trifle

I found this website on foodtv that has a lot of good, traditional recipes. I thought we were going to have a small gathering, but the list is growing already. I love holidays.

On to Monday. I'm going to bed early to read.

my favorite: wind

Not only is it going to be in the 30s today but they've added my personal favorite weather event, wind. 48 mph gusts. Lovely.

the weather is going to suck tomorrow

It was 62 degrees today. Lovely warm sun. Everyone and I mean everyone, was outside walking their dogs and stretching their winter legs. Laying on flat rocks. Soaking up the rays. I saw people in shorts and flip flops.

Tomorrow, the forecast is 32 degrees for a high. What the hell. That's cruel irony.

It was Tiffany's 25th birthday today. I can't believe she can be 25 but I guess it's true. We met her and Elliot at Mazatlan for dinner tonight. Elliot was transfixed (is that a word?) by the lights and bright colors and particularly by the guitar player who came to our table more than once. When the server discovered it was Tiff's birthday, a bunch of them came over, guitar player included, and sang a couple songs. She was mortified but I got tears in my eyes. What better way to celebrate? Happy birthday to my baby.

We're watching carefully, the health care debate, and plan to have a bottle of champagne on ice for the vote on Sunday. This, if done right, has the power to change our lives.

My mental health has been less than optimal lately, mostly due to the weather and the time of year. I made a list and a plan today and will implement tomorrow. Nothing I like better than a plan and a list.

Tomorrow is Friday. Back to sweaters and leggings. Ugh.

st. patty's day 2010

Elliot made leprechaun ears at daycare today. He sponge-painted the ears himself and don't you think they demonstrate artistic talent?

Tiffany came over late afternoon and we went for a long walk while we waited for the parade to start. We ran into the Queen Mary and Tiffany and Elliot got their picture taken with her. It's in the slide show. We had a great time...what a beautiful day for a parade. The streets were packed, I tell you.

Ella was going to join us for the parade but alas, she got sick some time yesterday and was home sipping 7-Up. Poor baby. Next year, we're all going to be in the parade. It's a plan.

march the 18th- sleep the 19th

A friend of mine told me today that the tradition in International Falls is to have a minnow swimming in your beer on St. Patrick's Day. The minnow swims around until it dies, you fish it out, you get another minnow. Some people swill them down by the end of the night. He couldn't explain what this had to do with St. Patrick's Day and I didn't google it. I just appreciate the myth.

Ella is going to the parade with us. I know the St. Patrick's Day Queen and hope I can get a picture of Ella with the Queen. She'd loved that big crown and green velvet cape.

I bought a couple shamrock plants today. I tried to carry them over the winter last year but we don't have enough sun to make that a successful project.

I made a Guinness cake on Sunday because Peter has a friend who loves it. I told Peter to take it to Jake. It still sits there so I guess it's fair game. Damn kid.

I found a sauvignon blanc that I loved so much I thought it must be expensive, because I have such good taste, right? I went to the liquor store and it was $6.99 a bottle. I didn't know if I should be disappointed in the wine or in myself. It's Petirrojo Bisquertt. Not only is the wine good, the label is lovely.

Regis and I went to the coop after school. We're revising out diet plan again. We've done that, radically, so many times in the past that it was on my list of "reasons why I'm pissed" today. I think I have my head around it now. Oh, yeah...forgot. We were pricing meat at the coop. After we watched Food, Inc., we resolved to be more careful (WAY more careful about our meat purchase and preparation) so we were checking to see what this would cost. Like, could we afford this resolution AND insurance?)

I'm reading Michael Pollan's books. I started with Food Rules, now I'm reading In Defense of Food: An Eater's Manifesto. I don't want to be a freak about eating habits so that's all I'll say. But they're very good books. If it won't ever rot (McDonald's hamburger) don't eat it.

We're watching The Quiet Man, our favorite St. Patrick's Day movie. I usually hate John Wayne but this is a good movie. They play patty fingers in the holy water. Oh my. Mom, you'd like it. See if they have it at your local video store. This movie and a bottle of that wine would make a good night!

I heard the sun might shine tomorrow for the parade. Oh, that would be a great blessing. We are sun deprived, sun starved. To be on Third Street in the sun for the parade would be wonderful.

I took my friend Mary, the St. Patrick's Day Queen, a shamrock plant today. Happy St. Patrick's Day, Mary!

 I'm going to watch the movie and finish my wine and get ready for the holiday! Happy St. Patrick's Day!

signs of spring today

a recipe from the past

I'm working on a project to organize my recipes. I decided against using google docs exclusively for several reasons most of which revolve around my love for just browsing through the binders and remembering special meals. Here's the mess today. I have ended up with binders for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick's Day, Miscellaneous parties, Healthy, and General. One of the pleasant side effects is that I run across recipes I thought were lost. Here's one.

I first had this at Deb's apartment in probably 1976. I copied it and made if for a St. Patrick's Day party in 1978 when I lived in St. Paul. It's been missing for a while but here it is! Resurrected for St. Patrick's Day 2010!

Two Cheese Casserole
10 slices white bread with crust removed
softened butter
3/4 pound shredded cheddar cheese
3/4 pound shredded Monterey Jack
8 eggs, slightly beaten
4 cups half and half
1 t. brown sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. garlic and onion powder
1/8 t. red pepper
1/4 t. pepper
1 t. Worst. sauce
1 t. dry mustard

Butter the bread and cut in cubes. Grease a shallow pan (9X13). Put in half the bread cubes, sprinkle with 1/2 of each cheese to make 2nd and 3rd layers. Repeat. Combine eggs and spices and other ingredients. Pour evenly over the top. Refrigerate at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Bake uncovered at 325 degrees for one hour.

You can tell this is a recipe from the days when "light" had no meaning in cooking but we knew the bread didn't need no dang butter! With all the cheese and those whole eggs? You can skip that step. I adapted it a couple times by adding ham or sausage and it's very good that way, too. I think now I might use pepper jack cheese instead of the Monterey Jack. Just for more of a kick.

Back to my project.

saturday evening

We met Pat and Helen and Amanda at Mazatlan to celebrate Amanda's 23rd birthday. Peter took this picture. He was uncharacteristically social and joined us...saying he wouldn't pass up a free meal but he has passed up lots of them if it meant visiting with people. He stuck around for the whole evening and even visited. It was very nice. The food was delicious, of course. Happy birthday, Amanda!

Regis dropped me at TJ Maxx for a while so I could shop. I love shopping but I hate trying things on. It works out most of the time. Ironically, Peter went shopping today, too. He was quite proud of the sweatshirt he got off the clearance rack for five bucks. Hey, Mom! We trained him well!

I'm almost done with Once a Runner so I have to go to bed soon and finish it. Don't ask me why. I just have to finish it. Erin Hart's new book is next in line. She's going to be in St. Peter on Tuesday but I don't know if I'll go see her. It depends on the weather.

Tomorrow is a day to stay at home. I might take a nap. I plan to pick up the house and do some cooking. I plan to make my grocery list, clean out the refrigerator, get my clothes in the laundry, and get organized. I guess that would be get organized in a general way although being disorganized is sort of a fact of most folks' lives. I would really prefer a kind of gypsy life with no obligations and no responsibilities but maybe I wouldn't like that if I had it.

I say if I won the lottery I would quit working. People tell me I wouldn't be happy doing that. Hmmmm. I'm not so sure.

update on saturday morning

I stuck my head outside into the cold and damp and decided to hell with that. I went to the Pulse where I walked and ran for three miles then pumped some iron for a half hour. Satisfactory workout.

Had to get out the carpet cleaner for a pet mess. Good grief.

Had more coffee and a piece of toast. Into a warm bath to relax with more coffee. I like to make my saturday phone calls from the pool.

Niece Amanda's birthday today and her family might meet up in Mankato giving us a chance to see them. Haven't heard the final plans but we suggested Dino's or Mazatlan. I think we'll make this a relaxing day and tomorrow the day to get organized.

A good day for a nap.

saturday morning

I'm going to write a fast post here while I make my decision about what to do at 7 a.m. I didn't sleep worth a darn, I woke up way too early, and I'm a little grumpy. I can't decide if I should exercise inside this morning or if I should take my iPod and go for a long walk in the rain and muck. I'm leaning toward the outside. I'm not in the mood for a room full of people in a bright room. Yup, that's it. I'll just hit the pavement this morning.

Yesterday, on my way home from work, the sun was actually spotted through the clouds. I saw an actual shadow. I am pretty sure I detected a sliver of blue sky. It was fleeting, as Joanne says, and we were lucky to be outside when it occurred but it was appreciated. Be optimistic, people! The sun is still up there and it will return!

I've had two cups of coffee this morning and ordered some books on Amazon. They make that way too easy. I've gotten interested in Michael Pollan's books. He's been on Oprah lately and while I don't watch Oprah (too much yelling and jumping around), I do pay attention to the news about Oprah. I read his book Food Rules and I think I've written about it here before. One of his rules: If it won't ever rot, don't eat it. Interesting concept, eh?

It's a busy week. St. Patrick's Day Wednesday. Tiffany's birthday Thursday. Vernal equinox on Saturday. Make plans to celebrate one or all of those things. I don't get it when people say they aren't into birthdays. We look for reasons to celebrate so your birthday, my birthday, doesn't matter. Make a cake, pour a glass of wine, wrap up a present.

We went up to Tom and Betty's last night, opened the bar, and had a good time. Betty and I were dancing with Elvis and Gonzo. Good story there, believe me. They seemed to prefer the Jamaican music to the Irish. We're all anxious for patio and pool weather. Ella, Betty says hi... and how's Pitty Pat the Kitty Cat?

Better get my rain gear on so I can go for a walk.

the nuclear option

I grabbed that phrase from the Colbert Report but I have no idea what it means. I have a severe aversion to the news (always) and more so than usual so I only half listen. I know why it is: that crap gets in your head and goes around like a bumble bee leaving little tiny footprints of shit everywhere it lands.

I was at the Pulse this morning, walking on the treadmill, minding my own business, and all of a sudden realized everyone was gone. I didn't worry too much but I did wonder where they went. Then I saw shadows in the other room and realized they were all in there doing pilates. (How did I miss the exodus?) But...they went away and left the televisions on the news! I ignore it, but why would someone go away and leave the television blaring news about kidnapping and murder and robbery and war? Another poor soul decided to take charge and shut them both off and what a relief it was. Ah, well.

One week from tonight, there is a parade in town. People who are not fans say it's just a bunch of people walking down the street. Those are clans of people of Irish heritage and they're celebrating. There is a difference between that...and people walking down the street.

It looks like we'll make it through this miserable week after all. Ha!

cloudy with a really good chance of rain

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Today...Periods of rain in the morning...then a chance of rain in the afternoon. Widespread dense fog in the morning...then areas of dense fog in the afternoon. Highs 35 to 40. East winds 5 to 10 mph.

Tonight...Cloudy. A chance of rain and areas of drizzle in the evening...then a chance of rain after midnight. Areas of fog through the night. Lows around 35. East winds 10 mph. Chance of rain 40 percent.

Thursday...Rain likely in the morning...then rain in the afternoon. Highs 35 to 40. Northeast winds 10 to 15 mph.

Thursday Night...Cloudy with rain likely. Lows around 35. North winds 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 70 percent.

Friday...Cloudy with a 50 percent chance of rain. Highs around 40. North winds 15 to 20 mph.

even the bunnies are sick of the weather

I went to the drug store after work which is a story in itself but when I came home, I walked right past this bunny in the front yard. He's hunkered down by silver garbage can we keep in the front yard for bird seed. He looks disgusted, right? I threw a couple carrots out for him but I think I scared him off rather than providing him a meal. He hasn't been back.

We're in the midst of a hard rain. A hard rain's gonna fall, Dylan fans.

Regis made Guinness stew for dinner. It made the whole house smell good. He said there was vegetable identification going on which means that he could tell the parsnips (he finds them loathsome) from the potatoes. We have a glass of wine now and we're going to watch The Big Lebowski in honor of Jeff Bridges and because we need a laugh here in the land of endless gloom. It's all gutter balls and strikes, dude.

Regis is a really good cook, a skill he hid from me for a few years. It's nice to eat the cooking of someone else.

Back to Stephen Colbert. Presidential puberty. Hahahahaaha

So, I guess it's about what we do to get through the March madness. We cook. We have wine. We watch funny movies. We have parties. We pick fleas off the dog.

Regis thinks the animals in captivity are rising up. As evidence he offers: the bear that bit three fingers off the woman in Wisconsin, the whale who did in the trainer at Sea World, and the otter that mauled the face of the 95 year old man. I could have some of the details wrong as I loathe bad news and do my best to avoid it. He says these stories are true.

John Stewart of the Daily Show, the only source on television for legitimate news, has a story on about bombs. I'm not a fan of bombs or news about bombs.

If you haven't been reading the comments on previous posts, you should. They are a hoot. I think some are from my mom and some are from Jill. Probably some from Deb. They're pretty funny.

Happy birthday to my Aunt Vi today. I tried to post a comment on Deb's blog but it wouldn't work from school. We have a chintzy bandwidth. A can and a string between schools, you know, with budget reductions. If I had a few glasses of wine, a microphone, and a podium, I would be dangerous.

Hang on. The sky will clear. The snow will melt. There will be green grass and daffodils and tulips. We'll be able to go outside without mittens and parkas. Be optimistic.

oh weekend...don't go

We've had a wonderful weekend. I won't do the play-by-play but it's been relaxing and fun. Tonight, I made focaccia bread for dinner and we had Irish cheddar cheese, red and yellow peppers, olives, and shrimp on a nice platter while we watched the Academy Awards. I'd like to stay up until the best actor award is given and I had a nap this morning so it might be possible. Then again, maybe not.

Focaccia bread is very easy to make and very good.

Regis is checking out the weather forecast, and they predict a big thaw this week. Today, even though it didn't look so nice outside, was almost balmy. It smells different when spring weather comes. We continue to look for signs of spring and this week, besides the smell of spring, we've noticed curbs which we haven't seen since November, the sound of birds in the morning, puddles on the streets, and bare legs. A guy has to be optimistic.

I started a project a few weeks ago that involved making sense of all my recipes but I think I'm going to abandon it, or at least I'm going to change it. My idea was to put them all in electronic format, on google docs. I could access them from anywhere and I wouldn't have to dig through piles of paper recipes or binders to find the one I want. But, I've discovered, much like pages of a book on the kindle, there is no context for a recipe in google docs. I don't have the picture, there are no stains on the page, and it doesn't have any recipe friends. Usually, in the binder, recipes are with others from the same meal or the same season or there are some clues about when I made it. I don't like this recipes in isolation thing.

I've noticed that nobody says good-bye in email conversations. At least, most of the time, it's true. I have some friends who write more formal emails and use a greeting and a closing but some friends, who tend to write a line or two every few days...we start a conversation and then one or the other of us just drops it. All those email conversations just floating around there in cyberspace. Unfinished. Very sad.

Well, it's ten o'clock and this show isn't over yet. I'm done. On to Monday.