Twins 19-15 Braves 23-12
Well, today started a little more calmly than yesterday. My newspaper was in the box, there are no buses on Saturdays (ONLY 8 MORE DAYS OF SCHOOL!! YAY!), no one had any computer problems...a nice peaceful Saturday so far.
But at 9:30 this morning two teenage boys come to stay for the day. So I'll be here with 4 boys. Not too bad, actually. They probably will each pick a corner and play gameboy. It's odd, really. Nate's friends come over and the house goes quiet, except for the little tinny sounds of multiple gameboys. Cassie and I have plans to take them to see the movie "HOLES" this afternoon.
I'll do some serious housework this morning and then settle in with my book, The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. It's about an architect and a serial killer and the World's Columbian Expo in Chicago in 1893. True story. I'll give you a review when I'm done with it.
Saturday, May 10, 2003
Friday, May 09, 2003
Diamond and Stones
Twins 18-15 Braves 23-11
"Some days are diamonds, some days are stoneSome time the hard times won’t leave me alone"
It's 8:04 am and my day has already gone thusly:
"Taylor, the bus is coming. Taylor? uh...never mind...the bus just blew by our neighborhood. Didn't even pull in. Here, I'll drive you to school."
" Yeah, say, bus 4 didn't stop today. No, not just my house...the entire north side of our subdivision. Substitute? Yeah, must be...probably just as well. That bus was going so fast I'm not sure I wanted my kid on it anyway. No, don't send it back. I'll just drive him."
So I'm back from the school and send this, my first email of the day:
Observer-
My account number is ------------. My telephone number is -----------.
Please inform the carrier that I want my newspaper put into the newspaper box. If there is another paper in there, he can either force the Observer in on top of it, or throw it further up the driveway.
It is not acceptable to drop my paper in the street, in the gutter, or in the mud underneath the box. Neither is it acceptable to leave it at the very end of the driveway, where mud runs down from the lot under construction next door.
Driving around our neighborhood, I see newspapers riddled all over in gutters and on wet grass directly underneath paper boxes. I seriously doubt they all have Lancaster News papers in their paper boxes. Besides, that paper comes out only 3 times a week and I've been finding my paper in the gutter every day for the last couple of weeks or so.
And while I'm complaining, please do not draw money from my account on a monthly basis. Little debits for $10 a month are bothersome. Bill me or debit me quarterly and send me a statement that shows the dates the funds will cover. I have requested credits for undelivered newspapers and have no documentation that I've received credit.
And finally, while we are on the subject of credits. I think I should receive credit for today's newspaper. It was in a plastic bag, dropped in the muddy spot under my newspaper box (where mud accumulates because the lot next door has no grass yet) and the plastic bag was not closed or even folded under. The outside section, ironically the York & SC section, is totally wet through and through.
Thank you
Nate: "Mom? What's up with the bus? It just blew by our neighborhood and didn't even pull in. Mom?"
"Some days are diamonds, some days are stoneSome time the hard times won’t leave me alone"
"Some days are diamonds, some days are stoneSome time the hard times won’t leave me alone"
It's 8:04 am and my day has already gone thusly:
"Taylor, the bus is coming. Taylor? uh...never mind...the bus just blew by our neighborhood. Didn't even pull in. Here, I'll drive you to school."
" Yeah, say, bus 4 didn't stop today. No, not just my house...the entire north side of our subdivision. Substitute? Yeah, must be...probably just as well. That bus was going so fast I'm not sure I wanted my kid on it anyway. No, don't send it back. I'll just drive him."
So I'm back from the school and send this, my first email of the day:
Observer-
My account number is ------------. My telephone number is -----------.
Please inform the carrier that I want my newspaper put into the newspaper box. If there is another paper in there, he can either force the Observer in on top of it, or throw it further up the driveway.
It is not acceptable to drop my paper in the street, in the gutter, or in the mud underneath the box. Neither is it acceptable to leave it at the very end of the driveway, where mud runs down from the lot under construction next door.
Driving around our neighborhood, I see newspapers riddled all over in gutters and on wet grass directly underneath paper boxes. I seriously doubt they all have Lancaster News papers in their paper boxes. Besides, that paper comes out only 3 times a week and I've been finding my paper in the gutter every day for the last couple of weeks or so.
And while I'm complaining, please do not draw money from my account on a monthly basis. Little debits for $10 a month are bothersome. Bill me or debit me quarterly and send me a statement that shows the dates the funds will cover. I have requested credits for undelivered newspapers and have no documentation that I've received credit.
And finally, while we are on the subject of credits. I think I should receive credit for today's newspaper. It was in a plastic bag, dropped in the muddy spot under my newspaper box (where mud accumulates because the lot next door has no grass yet) and the plastic bag was not closed or even folded under. The outside section, ironically the York & SC section, is totally wet through and through.
Thank you
Nate: "Mom? What's up with the bus? It just blew by our neighborhood and didn't even pull in. Mom?"
"Some days are diamonds, some days are stoneSome time the hard times won’t leave me alone"
Thursday, May 08, 2003
What's in a Name?
Twins 17-15 Braves 21-11
Well the 3 finalists for names for the new Charlotte NBA team have been announced. There is no apparent attempt to make it seem like a STATE team. All would be for a CHARLOTTE team. That seems interesting to me. In Minnesota all the professional teams are the "Minnesota somethings...". Only the semi-pros and below are named for a town...like the St. Paul Saints or the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks. Seems like in Minnesota there is always an attempt to make Pro teams appeal to "Greater Minnesota".
But I digress. As usual. The three choices are:
Charlotte Flight ("first in flight", Wright brothers...get it?)
Charlotte Bobcats (Are there a lot of Bobcats around here?)
Charlotte Dragons (totally beats me. Seems like there would likely be a few bobcats around, but Dragons?)
Either way it goes, I hope whatever they choose for a name will work well in some other part of the country as well. Charlotte so very recently drove away the Hornets, and I really see no compelling reason why this team will stay any longer. When we were visiting here in June 2002 they were still seeking approval for a new NBA team. The compelling reason we kept hearing for why a different team would survive here was related to the location of the stadium. "Oh, those Hornets couldn't make it here because the stadium was in the wrong place". Hmmm. The new stadium, I'm given to understand, will be in the downtown area. I've been in the downtown area in the evening. Sidewalks all nicely rolled up...
I asked Kristen, a frequent contributor of comments, what she thought about the new name choices. She writes:
"The Flight" ...sounds about as obtuse as "The Wild," but not as shamelessly commercial as "The Mighty Ducks." That one is just too much. What ever happened to naming teams after something that everyone is at least somewhat afraid of? The Timberwolves, Da Bulls, Da Bears, The Vikings... I know that the Yankees engender more disgust than fear, and no one in Buffalo is actually sure what a Bill is, unless it's in a mailbox, but why can't we have real names and mascots anymore. What kind of mascot would "The Flight" have? A big glider? Could we at least use the name of an animal? Maybe that would upset PETA too much.
Kristen didn't know about the "Bobcat" and "Dragon" choices. She's been out of town for several days. But reading her comments, I'm thinking maybe she'd vote for the dragons. It's a scary animal-type thing, but not real, so could PETA get that upset? I'm sure they'd figure out how.
At the risk of going on too much on this topic, I'd like to point you to an article in the Columbia State Newspaper about this. On Sunday, the article was largely about the extensive, expensive, process of choosing a name...like $10,000 worth of research. And the speculation:
"Some suggested a nickname that would tie in with the local Revolutionary War history, like Militia. Some suggested a nickname that would tie in with North Carolina being the home of the Wright Brothers, like Aviators.
Some suggested a nickname that would tie in with the cat family established by the local NFL team, like Bobcats.
Some even suggested a nickname that would blast the owners of the city's first NBA team.
The Shinn-kickers?
Probably not."
Have a good day. It finally stopped raining. For now.
Well the 3 finalists for names for the new Charlotte NBA team have been announced. There is no apparent attempt to make it seem like a STATE team. All would be for a CHARLOTTE team. That seems interesting to me. In Minnesota all the professional teams are the "Minnesota somethings...". Only the semi-pros and below are named for a town...like the St. Paul Saints or the Fargo-Moorhead Redhawks. Seems like in Minnesota there is always an attempt to make Pro teams appeal to "Greater Minnesota".
But I digress. As usual. The three choices are:
Charlotte Flight ("first in flight", Wright brothers...get it?)
Charlotte Bobcats (Are there a lot of Bobcats around here?)
Charlotte Dragons (totally beats me. Seems like there would likely be a few bobcats around, but Dragons?)
Either way it goes, I hope whatever they choose for a name will work well in some other part of the country as well. Charlotte so very recently drove away the Hornets, and I really see no compelling reason why this team will stay any longer. When we were visiting here in June 2002 they were still seeking approval for a new NBA team. The compelling reason we kept hearing for why a different team would survive here was related to the location of the stadium. "Oh, those Hornets couldn't make it here because the stadium was in the wrong place". Hmmm. The new stadium, I'm given to understand, will be in the downtown area. I've been in the downtown area in the evening. Sidewalks all nicely rolled up...
I asked Kristen, a frequent contributor of comments, what she thought about the new name choices. She writes:
"The Flight" ...sounds about as obtuse as "The Wild," but not as shamelessly commercial as "The Mighty Ducks." That one is just too much. What ever happened to naming teams after something that everyone is at least somewhat afraid of? The Timberwolves, Da Bulls, Da Bears, The Vikings... I know that the Yankees engender more disgust than fear, and no one in Buffalo is actually sure what a Bill is, unless it's in a mailbox, but why can't we have real names and mascots anymore. What kind of mascot would "The Flight" have? A big glider? Could we at least use the name of an animal? Maybe that would upset PETA too much.
Kristen didn't know about the "Bobcat" and "Dragon" choices. She's been out of town for several days. But reading her comments, I'm thinking maybe she'd vote for the dragons. It's a scary animal-type thing, but not real, so could PETA get that upset? I'm sure they'd figure out how.
At the risk of going on too much on this topic, I'd like to point you to an article in the Columbia State Newspaper about this. On Sunday, the article was largely about the extensive, expensive, process of choosing a name...like $10,000 worth of research. And the speculation:
"Some suggested a nickname that would tie in with the local Revolutionary War history, like Militia. Some suggested a nickname that would tie in with North Carolina being the home of the Wright Brothers, like Aviators.
Some suggested a nickname that would tie in with the cat family established by the local NFL team, like Bobcats.
Some even suggested a nickname that would blast the owners of the city's first NBA team.
The Shinn-kickers?
Probably not."
Have a good day. It finally stopped raining. For now.
Tuesday, May 06, 2003
Our Practice
Twins 15-15 Braves 20-11
Comments from yesterday: Lil mentioned that the Star Tribune had information that last night's episode of The Practice was to be the series finale. I watched the last half of it. Seemed final to me. Good. She mentioned a show she likes called Everwood. I'd never heard of it. She describes it like this: Everwood is about a very successful neurosurgeon from NY who leaves the big apple after his wife dies and moves to Everwood, CO to see if he can put his life back together. Son is a talented pianist---quit playing after his mother dies, but is finally getting back into it. While in NY. his dad was too busy saving other people's lives to get to his recitals etc. He opens up a clinic in Everwood and doesn't charge. There is another Dr. in town who has a daughter that Ephraim, the pianist son is interested in and she is interested in Ephraim also, but she feels responsible to support her boyfriend who was in an accident and was saved by the neurosurgeon. Have to watch it to get into it. It's on the same channel as 7th Heaven.
Yesterday I had a brief conversation with a fellow church member who expressed concern that the church might not be big enough or have enough programs to hold onto our family, or to attract new families. Our church has about 90-100 regular attenders. We came from a big inner city church in Minneapolis.
The comment took me by surprise. It has never occurred to me that our church seems too small. It's home to us. We joined and pledged to support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. Kind of reminds me of the wedding vows we took 20+ years ago. We made neither pledge lightly.
We joined our local church because it seemed like a place where we could learn and teach. We could support and be supported. Just as we stick together in sickness and health, we'll stick with our church during times of stress and growth.
Our little church is right on the crossroads of change. We have a huge development going up right down the road and lots of longtime residents who feel disenfranchised and shut out by the new changes. We will have many hard decisions to make in the future as we strive to be available to our newly-diverse community while still maintaining our identity as a people of Christ.
Church change is not really new to us. We helped to plant a brand new church in Eagan, MN in the early 80s. In the 90s we changed to a church in our neighborhood in Minneapolis. We only made that change because we had a new baby and wanted him to grow up in a church in the neighborhood. Our new church then was right on the brink of change. Much the same type of change as we have going on here. In Minneapolis, Minnehaha was getting older and not getting many new, young families. Mensa Boy and I were there just as we started making changes to programs and the building to accomodate young couples and kids. And programs were added later to reach out to the poverty-stricken in our community. Today Minnehaha is a growing, diverse church with an emphasis on inner-city outreach.
Are MB and I movers and shakers? By no means! Did we even have much to do with the changes in last church? No. We were busy with 2 young children. We didn't even like some of the changes. In some cases we were wrong about the viability of some of the ideas for change.
But we stayed. That was our family. We learned with them and grew with them. We found little spots where we could make a difference and where we could grow. It's not about the service times. It's not about the building. It's about the people and sincerity and desire to serve God.
We'll do the same at our little church down the road. We're here to stay. They are our family.
Comments from yesterday: Lil mentioned that the Star Tribune had information that last night's episode of The Practice was to be the series finale. I watched the last half of it. Seemed final to me. Good. She mentioned a show she likes called Everwood. I'd never heard of it. She describes it like this: Everwood is about a very successful neurosurgeon from NY who leaves the big apple after his wife dies and moves to Everwood, CO to see if he can put his life back together. Son is a talented pianist---quit playing after his mother dies, but is finally getting back into it. While in NY. his dad was too busy saving other people's lives to get to his recitals etc. He opens up a clinic in Everwood and doesn't charge. There is another Dr. in town who has a daughter that Ephraim, the pianist son is interested in and she is interested in Ephraim also, but she feels responsible to support her boyfriend who was in an accident and was saved by the neurosurgeon. Have to watch it to get into it. It's on the same channel as 7th Heaven.
Yesterday I had a brief conversation with a fellow church member who expressed concern that the church might not be big enough or have enough programs to hold onto our family, or to attract new families. Our church has about 90-100 regular attenders. We came from a big inner city church in Minneapolis.
The comment took me by surprise. It has never occurred to me that our church seems too small. It's home to us. We joined and pledged to support it with our prayers, our presence, our gifts and our service. Kind of reminds me of the wedding vows we took 20+ years ago. We made neither pledge lightly.
We joined our local church because it seemed like a place where we could learn and teach. We could support and be supported. Just as we stick together in sickness and health, we'll stick with our church during times of stress and growth.
Our little church is right on the crossroads of change. We have a huge development going up right down the road and lots of longtime residents who feel disenfranchised and shut out by the new changes. We will have many hard decisions to make in the future as we strive to be available to our newly-diverse community while still maintaining our identity as a people of Christ.
Church change is not really new to us. We helped to plant a brand new church in Eagan, MN in the early 80s. In the 90s we changed to a church in our neighborhood in Minneapolis. We only made that change because we had a new baby and wanted him to grow up in a church in the neighborhood. Our new church then was right on the brink of change. Much the same type of change as we have going on here. In Minneapolis, Minnehaha was getting older and not getting many new, young families. Mensa Boy and I were there just as we started making changes to programs and the building to accomodate young couples and kids. And programs were added later to reach out to the poverty-stricken in our community. Today Minnehaha is a growing, diverse church with an emphasis on inner-city outreach.
Are MB and I movers and shakers? By no means! Did we even have much to do with the changes in last church? No. We were busy with 2 young children. We didn't even like some of the changes. In some cases we were wrong about the viability of some of the ideas for change.
But we stayed. That was our family. We learned with them and grew with them. We found little spots where we could make a difference and where we could grow. It's not about the service times. It's not about the building. It's about the people and sincerity and desire to serve God.
We'll do the same at our little church down the road. We're here to stay. They are our family.
Monday, May 05, 2003
Twins 15-15 Braves 20-11
I took the weekend off from journaling (journalling?). My friend Lois A was here for the weekend. She and her husband are from Iowa and Texas. They live in Texas most of the year and then come back to Iowa for the summer. She is on a month-long tour of the Eastern US and part of Canada. She arrived here on the Amtrak Thursday night and I took her back to the station Sunday morning. I guess I already mentioned on Friday that she gave me a bunch of piano lessons. She's gone now and I'm still not playing any ragtime, but she did leave me a book and I'm going to dabble in it while I work through John Thompson's Second Grade piano book.
Comments came in over the weekend:
From Julie A-D: John and I watch American Dream every week. It is a really great show. We are Practice watchers too. I think Lindsey is whacky. At least thy are making her seem that way. We didn't watch that last week either. We were hooked on Boston Public for a while. Now that has turned into a show where every episode has to be about sex. Yes, that does seem to be something we can come to expect about every show these days. I'm going to be very sad when CSI does that.
From faithful Julia (of the sister variety): I know what Cassie and Peggy mean about 24, but there are only 3 hours left!!! I did enjoy doing the first season as a marathon, but I love watching it every week and live for previews for next week. It's the best show on tv. She also wrote later to mention that Jessie is starting on some ragtime too.
And now to the random part of my blog. Today will be totally random thoughts.
1. For the record, contrary to my son's belief, I DO NOT eat 3 snacks each day. He throws this up to me whenever I tell him he can't have a snack. I couldn't figure out where he got this notion, since I rarely snack in front of him anyway. Then I realized that he may have arrived at this conclusion because I'm home all day. I think he figures if one is home, then one gets a 10 am snack, a 3 pm snack and a "midnight" (bedtime) snack, just like he did when he was home all day. I will admit, however, that Saturday evening I had a Krispy Kreme donut for supper and Edy's Grand Ice Cream for dessert. I have no excuses for that.
2. Mensa Boy called Saturday morning to ask if he is still the nicest person I've ever met. Our "brothers" Doug and Lis introduced him to a guy from "Discipleship Journal" by saying something along the lines of "he's so nice his wife told us he was the nicest person she'd ever met after they'd been married 12 years". I told MB yes, that even though it's been almost 21 years now, he still is the nicest person I've ever met. I'd have to say Tony might be in there too, but I might think that because Tony reminds me so much of MB.
3. My brother-in-law Jim is a pastor in New Sweden, Maine. I talked to my sister-in-law Anne on Saturday morning and they are doing everything they can to support the Lutherans during this terrible time with the arsenic poisoning and shooting and all. They are staying away from TV cameras as much as they can.
4. Seen on the back window of a car parked in the grocery store parking lot on Saturday: "What if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?"
5. Click and Clack, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, writers of the Car Talk column and radio show on NPR, point out that gasoline is NOT actually over-priced. In fact, it's quite UNDER-PRICED. Last weekend they compared the price of gasoline per gallon to the price of Nyquil, bottled water, milk and other items per gallon. I felt rich after hearing that!
6. The best way to survive NPR's "Guilt Week" is to pledge on the first day.
I took the weekend off from journaling (journalling?). My friend Lois A was here for the weekend. She and her husband are from Iowa and Texas. They live in Texas most of the year and then come back to Iowa for the summer. She is on a month-long tour of the Eastern US and part of Canada. She arrived here on the Amtrak Thursday night and I took her back to the station Sunday morning. I guess I already mentioned on Friday that she gave me a bunch of piano lessons. She's gone now and I'm still not playing any ragtime, but she did leave me a book and I'm going to dabble in it while I work through John Thompson's Second Grade piano book.
Comments came in over the weekend:
From Julie A-D: John and I watch American Dream every week. It is a really great show. We are Practice watchers too. I think Lindsey is whacky. At least thy are making her seem that way. We didn't watch that last week either. We were hooked on Boston Public for a while. Now that has turned into a show where every episode has to be about sex. Yes, that does seem to be something we can come to expect about every show these days. I'm going to be very sad when CSI does that.
From faithful Julia (of the sister variety): I know what Cassie and Peggy mean about 24, but there are only 3 hours left!!! I did enjoy doing the first season as a marathon, but I love watching it every week and live for previews for next week. It's the best show on tv. She also wrote later to mention that Jessie is starting on some ragtime too.
And now to the random part of my blog. Today will be totally random thoughts.
1. For the record, contrary to my son's belief, I DO NOT eat 3 snacks each day. He throws this up to me whenever I tell him he can't have a snack. I couldn't figure out where he got this notion, since I rarely snack in front of him anyway. Then I realized that he may have arrived at this conclusion because I'm home all day. I think he figures if one is home, then one gets a 10 am snack, a 3 pm snack and a "midnight" (bedtime) snack, just like he did when he was home all day. I will admit, however, that Saturday evening I had a Krispy Kreme donut for supper and Edy's Grand Ice Cream for dessert. I have no excuses for that.
2. Mensa Boy called Saturday morning to ask if he is still the nicest person I've ever met. Our "brothers" Doug and Lis introduced him to a guy from "Discipleship Journal" by saying something along the lines of "he's so nice his wife told us he was the nicest person she'd ever met after they'd been married 12 years". I told MB yes, that even though it's been almost 21 years now, he still is the nicest person I've ever met. I'd have to say Tony might be in there too, but I might think that because Tony reminds me so much of MB.
3. My brother-in-law Jim is a pastor in New Sweden, Maine. I talked to my sister-in-law Anne on Saturday morning and they are doing everything they can to support the Lutherans during this terrible time with the arsenic poisoning and shooting and all. They are staying away from TV cameras as much as they can.
4. Seen on the back window of a car parked in the grocery store parking lot on Saturday: "What if the hokey pokey really IS what it's all about?"
5. Click and Clack, Tom and Ray Magliozzi, writers of the Car Talk column and radio show on NPR, point out that gasoline is NOT actually over-priced. In fact, it's quite UNDER-PRICED. Last weekend they compared the price of gasoline per gallon to the price of Nyquil, bottled water, milk and other items per gallon. I felt rich after hearing that!
6. The best way to survive NPR's "Guilt Week" is to pledge on the first day.
Friday, May 02, 2003
Visit From a Friend
Dear Julia,
Today is Friday, May 2. I didn't post right away this morning because my computer didn't come on. Turns out my new APC Backups is dead. They are going to send me a new one. This is kind of scary because we have power failures here every once in a while from the construction. Sometimes the power will go off just for a few minutes and then other times it can be an hour or more.
Lois A is here. She's taught me all but the last song in the beginner piano book she brought. She swears I'll be able to play some basic ragtime before she leaves on Sunday morning. HA! I've always said just teach me enough piano to be able to play ragtime...
We're going out for lunch now. She wants to try the Indian place Mom and Dad and I went to a couple weeks ago.
Today is Friday, May 2. I didn't post right away this morning because my computer didn't come on. Turns out my new APC Backups is dead. They are going to send me a new one. This is kind of scary because we have power failures here every once in a while from the construction. Sometimes the power will go off just for a few minutes and then other times it can be an hour or more.
Lois A is here. She's taught me all but the last song in the beginner piano book she brought. She swears I'll be able to play some basic ragtime before she leaves on Sunday morning. HA! I've always said just teach me enough piano to be able to play ragtime...
We're going out for lunch now. She wants to try the Indian place Mom and Dad and I went to a couple weeks ago.
Thursday, May 01, 2003
Practice Jumping the Shark
Twins 12-14 Braves 17-10
I think the TV show "The Practice" has really Jumped The Shark now. Actually...last week.
"Jumping the Shark" is when a TV show has reached it's peak. It's all downhill from there. You've enjoyed it all along, maybe there were some episodes that were a little questionable, but for the most part you keep watching.
But then the show makes a change and it never seems the same again. Maybe they kill off a favorite character, like Jimmy Schmits on "NYPD Blue", or add a new person, like Shemp on "The Three Stooges". Remember when they added Cousin Oliver to "The Brady Bunch"?
"The Practice", I think, took a 3 step approach to jumping the shark. First, the shark started thinking about going up to see what the world was like when they moved the show from Sunday night to Monday night. Then, they broke up the partnership of Lindsay and Bobby. She moved across the hall and started up on her own. That was the shark taking the leap.
But I think the shark hit the top of his leap into the air last week when Bobby slept with the old girlfriend. That episode actually wasn't too bad until the very last camera shot, showing him in bed with her. Up to that point we had a serial killer killing another serial killer and Lindsay forsaking attorney-client privilege to save a life. Not bad.
But I'm done. Didn't even turn it on this week.
I only have 5 shows left to watch now. "American Dreams", which I'm afraid is doomed because it's just too good and I don't know anyone else who is watching it...like "Homefront" was. I'm still watching "West Wing", "Survivor", "CSI" (not the Miami one) and "Without A Trace".
Bad thing is, when there are so few that I watch, I am able to keep up with them all winter. So this summer I won't be catching any other shows on reruns.
Cassie and Peggy are considering dropping "24" because they can't take it anymore. They said they end up every episode with big headaches because each episode ends in a big cliffhanger. My advice to them is: wait until it comes out on DVD. Then just have a big marathon.
I think the TV show "The Practice" has really Jumped The Shark now. Actually...last week.
"Jumping the Shark" is when a TV show has reached it's peak. It's all downhill from there. You've enjoyed it all along, maybe there were some episodes that were a little questionable, but for the most part you keep watching.
But then the show makes a change and it never seems the same again. Maybe they kill off a favorite character, like Jimmy Schmits on "NYPD Blue", or add a new person, like Shemp on "The Three Stooges". Remember when they added Cousin Oliver to "The Brady Bunch"?
"The Practice", I think, took a 3 step approach to jumping the shark. First, the shark started thinking about going up to see what the world was like when they moved the show from Sunday night to Monday night. Then, they broke up the partnership of Lindsay and Bobby. She moved across the hall and started up on her own. That was the shark taking the leap.
But I think the shark hit the top of his leap into the air last week when Bobby slept with the old girlfriend. That episode actually wasn't too bad until the very last camera shot, showing him in bed with her. Up to that point we had a serial killer killing another serial killer and Lindsay forsaking attorney-client privilege to save a life. Not bad.
But I'm done. Didn't even turn it on this week.
I only have 5 shows left to watch now. "American Dreams", which I'm afraid is doomed because it's just too good and I don't know anyone else who is watching it...like "Homefront" was. I'm still watching "West Wing", "Survivor", "CSI" (not the Miami one) and "Without A Trace".
Bad thing is, when there are so few that I watch, I am able to keep up with them all winter. So this summer I won't be catching any other shows on reruns.
Cassie and Peggy are considering dropping "24" because they can't take it anymore. They said they end up every episode with big headaches because each episode ends in a big cliffhanger. My advice to them is: wait until it comes out on DVD. Then just have a big marathon.
Tuesday, April 29, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: My New Farm
Twins 10-14 Braves 15-10
Comments from yesterday: My Dad wrote in to say he's working on tearing down his old garden shed so he can erect a new one. Wanted me to pass on to Nate that "No, he is not putting a bathroom in it". He also is lamenting the absence of chocolate marshmallow anythings.
I did buy a box of Malomars yesterday. The Bob the Builders were good and whetted my appetite for more. I figure each day I ride my bike on my new 5-mile route, I will reward myself with 2 Malomars.
Julia wrote in to say that Michael, the middle nephew shown below, looks strikingly similar to Mensa Boy when he was younger and had his hair permed or longer. She thinks she has a photo of MB looking like that. She's digging around for it. If either of us find it, I'll post it. She also reported that her dinner of Halibut stuffed with brie, crab and apples and cooked on cedar planks was a wild success at Jeff's birthday party. The kids had hot dogs, and the adults entertained themselves by watching Jacob peeling the skin off his hot dogs. Yes, our family really knows how to have a good time!
I went to meet my new farmer last night. Many of you know that I was a shareholder for several years with Big Woods Farm in Northfield, MN. I was also their webmaster. Big Woods Farm, and my new farm, New Town Farm, are part of the CSA movement. CSA=Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially, each spring I fork over about $500 and then all through the growing season I receive weekly baskets of organically-grown vegetables. My money is really stretching far with this new farm, as the growing season goes from May 1 to Thanksgiving. In Minnesota it went essentially from June 1 to Labor Day.
Big Woods Farm is all shareholders, no farmers market work or extra stuff like that. Dave and Laurie Hougen-Eitzman do a wonderful job supporting around 70 shares, with the assistance of an intern. Dave is a professor at Carlton College in Northfield. Their farm is next to Nerstrand State Park South of Northfield. They are surrounded by big farms that grow crops for commercial use.
New Town Farm is a totally different deal. Sammy Koenigsburg went to school to be an architect and then sort of fell into farming when his Dad wanted to divest himself of this piece of property in Union County, North Carolina. Sammy started by selling produce to a few small stores and then got involved with organizing the Matthews Farmers Market, was approached by some big chefs in Charlotte about growing stuff for them, and then the rest is history. New Town Farm has only about 20 shareholders. We essentially benefit from the stuff the restaurants want. They want high-faluting fingerling potatoes, so we'll get them too. They want watermelon radishes, so we'll get them too. They also raise some free-range chickens and a few turkeys and have dabbled in beekeeping. They have a lovely, resort-type setting with a stocked fish pond. Their farm is rapidly being surrounded by subdivisions.
Comments from yesterday: My Dad wrote in to say he's working on tearing down his old garden shed so he can erect a new one. Wanted me to pass on to Nate that "No, he is not putting a bathroom in it". He also is lamenting the absence of chocolate marshmallow anythings.
I did buy a box of Malomars yesterday. The Bob the Builders were good and whetted my appetite for more. I figure each day I ride my bike on my new 5-mile route, I will reward myself with 2 Malomars.
Julia wrote in to say that Michael, the middle nephew shown below, looks strikingly similar to Mensa Boy when he was younger and had his hair permed or longer. She thinks she has a photo of MB looking like that. She's digging around for it. If either of us find it, I'll post it. She also reported that her dinner of Halibut stuffed with brie, crab and apples and cooked on cedar planks was a wild success at Jeff's birthday party. The kids had hot dogs, and the adults entertained themselves by watching Jacob peeling the skin off his hot dogs. Yes, our family really knows how to have a good time!
I went to meet my new farmer last night. Many of you know that I was a shareholder for several years with Big Woods Farm in Northfield, MN. I was also their webmaster. Big Woods Farm, and my new farm, New Town Farm, are part of the CSA movement. CSA=Community Supported Agriculture. Essentially, each spring I fork over about $500 and then all through the growing season I receive weekly baskets of organically-grown vegetables. My money is really stretching far with this new farm, as the growing season goes from May 1 to Thanksgiving. In Minnesota it went essentially from June 1 to Labor Day.
Big Woods Farm is all shareholders, no farmers market work or extra stuff like that. Dave and Laurie Hougen-Eitzman do a wonderful job supporting around 70 shares, with the assistance of an intern. Dave is a professor at Carlton College in Northfield. Their farm is next to Nerstrand State Park South of Northfield. They are surrounded by big farms that grow crops for commercial use.
New Town Farm is a totally different deal. Sammy Koenigsburg went to school to be an architect and then sort of fell into farming when his Dad wanted to divest himself of this piece of property in Union County, North Carolina. Sammy started by selling produce to a few small stores and then got involved with organizing the Matthews Farmers Market, was approached by some big chefs in Charlotte about growing stuff for them, and then the rest is history. New Town Farm has only about 20 shareholders. We essentially benefit from the stuff the restaurants want. They want high-faluting fingerling potatoes, so we'll get them too. They want watermelon radishes, so we'll get them too. They also raise some free-range chickens and a few turkeys and have dabbled in beekeeping. They have a lovely, resort-type setting with a stocked fish pond. Their farm is rapidly being surrounded by subdivisions.
Monday, April 28, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: "Blood Covenant" & "Leap of Faith"
Twins 10-14 Braves 15-10
A few days ago I finished reading Blood Covenant: The Michael Franzese Story. This is an autobiography. Franzese was a mob boss and now is a Christian and the founder of Breaking Out, LLC.
I'm a fan of "The Sopranos". I don't have HBO, but I've watched the first 3 seasons on DVD. This book reads like an episode of the Sopranos without the comedy. Franzese's self-portrait is one of a man who is gifted in business and pretty much ends up being involved with the mob because his father was and all his father's friends are associated with him. He makes it sound like he sort of fell into it. Franzese does not dodge responsibility for his involvement, but he doesn't really sound overly remorseful. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I think if he'd written the book too apologetically, it wouldn't have been as a good to read.
I'm working on Queen Noor's autobiography now. Called "Leap of Faith," the book is heavy with Jordanian history and the Arab side of the Palestinian/Israeli problem. If you are looking for a story about an American suddenly becoming Queen of Jordan, and want the story to sound like a fairy tale, this might not be the book for you. But if you are interested in reading about Middle East politics from an Arab viewpoint, this is an excellent book.
A few days ago I finished reading Blood Covenant: The Michael Franzese Story. This is an autobiography. Franzese was a mob boss and now is a Christian and the founder of Breaking Out, LLC.
I'm a fan of "The Sopranos". I don't have HBO, but I've watched the first 3 seasons on DVD. This book reads like an episode of the Sopranos without the comedy. Franzese's self-portrait is one of a man who is gifted in business and pretty much ends up being involved with the mob because his father was and all his father's friends are associated with him. He makes it sound like he sort of fell into it. Franzese does not dodge responsibility for his involvement, but he doesn't really sound overly remorseful. This is not necessarily a bad thing. I think if he'd written the book too apologetically, it wouldn't have been as a good to read.
I'm working on Queen Noor's autobiography now. Called "Leap of Faith," the book is heavy with Jordanian history and the Arab side of the Palestinian/Israeli problem. If you are looking for a story about an American suddenly becoming Queen of Jordan, and want the story to sound like a fairy tale, this might not be the book for you. But if you are interested in reading about Middle East politics from an Arab viewpoint, this is an excellent book.
Sunday, April 27, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Everyone Else
Today's blog is all about everyone else...not us.
Here is a picture of the other our nephews, Jim & Anne's guys. Anne writes that They had these photos taken for their Canadian Citizenship Cards. So now they have official dual citizenship for life. See photo on old blog
I also have a picture of my cousin Wayne's new baby colt: Yup. Photo on old blog
Lila writes He was born Friday, April 25th. They haven't picked out a name yet. He's a registered Appaloosa. I can't wait to get over there to see him!
And my old high school and college friend, Mary F also sent some comments. She says her family just returned from a cruise to the Grand Caymons and Cozumel. Right after returning they traveled back to Farmington for celebrate Mary's Mother Marilyn's 75th birthday. Sister Cindy even came back from London to attend the open house. Happy Birthday Marilyn! Oh and for the record, Mary thinks perhaps there is a marshallow shortage...explaining the lack of chocolate covered ones. Good theory Mary, but apparently you don't remember ever eating my Mom's chocolate cake with homemade marshmallow frosting! Just karo syrup and some other stuff...
And finally, from "brother" Becky...
We are in the middle of prom week here in Litchfield and are starting to wear down. Can't believe that Stacy is as old as she is. She is pretty excited about the whole event and we know she will look like a fairy princess and are hoping she has a good time. Mike and the kids are all busy with golf. With Kayti now joining her older siblings it makes for fun golf talk around our table. It is so fun having a common interest with our kids. The next thing for us is the band season and the swim club season. Both of those are enough to keep our heads spinning. Mike keeps saying that we are at the pinnacle and we are trying to enjoy each moment.
You know Beck, that's a very healthy perspective to have about the kids. I should also use that thinking those days when Nate forgets to turn in his homework ....these are the best days of our lives!
Here is a picture of the other our nephews, Jim & Anne's guys. Anne writes that They had these photos taken for their Canadian Citizenship Cards. So now they have official dual citizenship for life. See photo on old blog
I also have a picture of my cousin Wayne's new baby colt: Yup. Photo on old blog
Lila writes He was born Friday, April 25th. They haven't picked out a name yet. He's a registered Appaloosa. I can't wait to get over there to see him!
And my old high school and college friend, Mary F also sent some comments. She says her family just returned from a cruise to the Grand Caymons and Cozumel. Right after returning they traveled back to Farmington for celebrate Mary's Mother Marilyn's 75th birthday. Sister Cindy even came back from London to attend the open house. Happy Birthday Marilyn! Oh and for the record, Mary thinks perhaps there is a marshallow shortage...explaining the lack of chocolate covered ones. Good theory Mary, but apparently you don't remember ever eating my Mom's chocolate cake with homemade marshmallow frosting! Just karo syrup and some other stuff...
And finally, from "brother" Becky...
We are in the middle of prom week here in Litchfield and are starting to wear down. Can't believe that Stacy is as old as she is. She is pretty excited about the whole event and we know she will look like a fairy princess and are hoping she has a good time. Mike and the kids are all busy with golf. With Kayti now joining her older siblings it makes for fun golf talk around our table. It is so fun having a common interest with our kids. The next thing for us is the band season and the swim club season. Both of those are enough to keep our heads spinning. Mike keeps saying that we are at the pinnacle and we are trying to enjoy each moment.
You know Beck, that's a very healthy perspective to have about the kids. I should also use that thinking those days when Nate forgets to turn in his homework ....these are the best days of our lives!
Friday, April 25, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: MN Citizenship Test
Twins 9-12 Braves 13-9
Comments from yesterday: Julia is apparently using my blog to tell her what day it is. Yesterday she thought it was Friday and that I was late in my posting. Later in the day, when she checked my blog again and saw it still said Thursday, she realized she had another Friday to live! You go girl!
Diann S writes: Karen, this is great! I got the link from Karen P(There is a Karen P at Mensa Boy's office). You must have a lot of time on your hands :). It's nice to know you're still a "Minnesota Team" fan. It's kind of hard to get into the Twins, but I really think they'll pick up (as soon as they threaten to shut them down again, maybe). I'm really not much of a hockey fan, and I don't have to watch the games because my son runs into the room about every five minutes to let me in on what's happening. (I pretend to be interested--I've gotten pretty good at that over the years.) Keep up the good work; I'll be tuning in regularly. I miss all you guys! Say HI! to Bob. (Diann is a traitorous past coworker of Mensa Boy's who did NOT move with us...we love her dearly and hope she'll see the light soon)
And also from Julia, this test you can take to apply for Minnesota Citizenship:
Personal Information:Name: ___________________sonSex: _____ Ole _____ LenaHomeAddress_________________________________________________Cabin Address____________________________________________ Religion: _____ Lutheran ______ Catholic Income: _____We do OK _____We're Blessed _____ None of your beeswaxQualifications: (check all that apply)___ I own a gas powered ice auger.___ Fargo floods hit a little close to home.___ I can name a dozen celebrities who've stayed at the Mayo___ I've been trick or treating in two feet of snow.___ Paw is both a hand and the male parent.
Multiple Choice:It's time to wear a hat when.A) The temperature is below 10 degrees.B) Your mother tells you to!C) The temperature is -10 and the wind chill is in double digits.
Essay Questions:
1 . What "uff-da" means to me __________________________________2. What "oopsy daisy" means to me _____________________________You know you're from Minnesota when..... 1. Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor.2. "Vacation" means going to Brainerd for the weekend.3. You measure distance in hours.4. You know several people who have hit deer more than once.5. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.6. You use a down comforter in the summer.7. Your grandparents drive 65 mph through 13 feet of snow during ablizzard, without flinching.
9. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave bothdoors unlocked.10. You think of the major food groups as venison, walleye, and Leinenkugels.11. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriendknows how to use them.12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the grocerystore at any given time.13. You design your kids Halloween costume to fit over asnowsuit.14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.15. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel p.j.'s.16. You know all four seasons; almost winter, winter, still winter androad construction.17. It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you'rein a rush because you have to stop to talk to everyone in town.
Happy National DNA Day! Celebrating 50 years of the Double Helix!
Comments from yesterday: Julia is apparently using my blog to tell her what day it is. Yesterday she thought it was Friday and that I was late in my posting. Later in the day, when she checked my blog again and saw it still said Thursday, she realized she had another Friday to live! You go girl!
Diann S writes: Karen, this is great! I got the link from Karen P(There is a Karen P at Mensa Boy's office). You must have a lot of time on your hands :). It's nice to know you're still a "Minnesota Team" fan. It's kind of hard to get into the Twins, but I really think they'll pick up (as soon as they threaten to shut them down again, maybe). I'm really not much of a hockey fan, and I don't have to watch the games because my son runs into the room about every five minutes to let me in on what's happening. (I pretend to be interested--I've gotten pretty good at that over the years.) Keep up the good work; I'll be tuning in regularly. I miss all you guys! Say HI! to Bob. (Diann is a traitorous past coworker of Mensa Boy's who did NOT move with us...we love her dearly and hope she'll see the light soon)
And also from Julia, this test you can take to apply for Minnesota Citizenship:
Personal Information:Name: ___________________sonSex: _____ Ole _____ LenaHomeAddress_________________________________________________Cabin Address____________________________________________ Religion: _____ Lutheran ______ Catholic Income: _____We do OK _____We're Blessed _____ None of your beeswaxQualifications: (check all that apply)___ I own a gas powered ice auger.___ Fargo floods hit a little close to home.___ I can name a dozen celebrities who've stayed at the Mayo___ I've been trick or treating in two feet of snow.___ Paw is both a hand and the male parent.
Multiple Choice:It's time to wear a hat when.A) The temperature is below 10 degrees.B) Your mother tells you to!C) The temperature is -10 and the wind chill is in double digits.
Essay Questions:
1 . What "uff-da" means to me __________________________________2. What "oopsy daisy" means to me _____________________________You know you're from Minnesota when..... 1. Your idea of a traffic jam is 10 cars waiting to pass a tractor.2. "Vacation" means going to Brainerd for the weekend.3. You measure distance in hours.4. You know several people who have hit deer more than once.5. You often switch from "heat" to "a/c" in the same day.6. You use a down comforter in the summer.7. Your grandparents drive 65 mph through 13 feet of snow during ablizzard, without flinching.
9. You install security lights on your house and garage and leave bothdoors unlocked.10. You think of the major food groups as venison, walleye, and Leinenkugels.11. You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriendknows how to use them.12. There are 7 empty cars running in the parking lot at the grocerystore at any given time.13. You design your kids Halloween costume to fit over asnowsuit.14. Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.15. You think sexy lingerie is tube socks and flannel p.j.'s.16. You know all four seasons; almost winter, winter, still winter androad construction.17. It takes you 3 hours to go to the store for one item even when you'rein a rush because you have to stop to talk to everyone in town.
Happy National DNA Day! Celebrating 50 years of the Double Helix!
Thursday, April 24, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Bob the Builder
Twins 9-11 Braves 12-9 Twins game was posponed due to rain yesterday. This is probably good. They needed to sit down and think, I think.
Bob the Builder
Can We Fix It?
Bob the Builder
Yes We Can!
My new favorite....Bob the Builder! I had a wonderful hour last night with chocolate-covered marshmallow Bob the Builders, courtesy of my friend Cassie. I was at choir practice, minding my own business, when in walks Cassie. She hands me a package of Bob the Builder chocolate covered Marshmallows! And West Wing was a new episode last night! Woo Hoo!
Comments from yesterday:
Lil said: Glad you mentioned the Wild and the Wolves this morning!!! The Twins are not doing so well at this point in the season. They lost to Kansas City 4-3. Gardenhire's comment, "Sometimes you lose to win." Check out the Startrib website and find the write up of the game. The article says, "Gardenhire surveyed the game, littered with so many non-productive moments and found a flower blooming in the muck" Check it out!!! As for chocolate marshmallow candy, I have no idea what they are since I am not a candy eater.
Now, I looked up that article. It definitely was a good one. See, the Twinks were down 4-1 going into the 9th of that game. Then they woke up and scored a couple of runs. Gardenhire said it reminded him of the Twins of last year. So with the rain postponement of last night...maybe????
Kristen said: I looked high and low for marshmallow eggs, one of my all-time favorites, and didn't find any. I like all of the eggs—peanut butter, coconut, caramel and marsh.—but had a hard time this year.
Last, I'm happy for my Yankees, but wish it didn't come at the expense of the Twins. I miss MN and had kind of adopted the underdog Twins. I just hope the Yanks pound Boston and Atlanta every chance they get. Then the Twins can take a whack at them, too!
Is anyone else tired of hearing about the Dixie Chicks?
Bob the Builder
Can We Fix It?
Bob the Builder
Yes We Can!
My new favorite....Bob the Builder! I had a wonderful hour last night with chocolate-covered marshmallow Bob the Builders, courtesy of my friend Cassie. I was at choir practice, minding my own business, when in walks Cassie. She hands me a package of Bob the Builder chocolate covered Marshmallows! And West Wing was a new episode last night! Woo Hoo!
Comments from yesterday:
Lil said: Glad you mentioned the Wild and the Wolves this morning!!! The Twins are not doing so well at this point in the season. They lost to Kansas City 4-3. Gardenhire's comment, "Sometimes you lose to win." Check out the Startrib website and find the write up of the game. The article says, "Gardenhire surveyed the game, littered with so many non-productive moments and found a flower blooming in the muck" Check it out!!! As for chocolate marshmallow candy, I have no idea what they are since I am not a candy eater.
Now, I looked up that article. It definitely was a good one. See, the Twinks were down 4-1 going into the 9th of that game. Then they woke up and scored a couple of runs. Gardenhire said it reminded him of the Twins of last year. So with the rain postponement of last night...maybe????
Kristen said: I looked high and low for marshmallow eggs, one of my all-time favorites, and didn't find any. I like all of the eggs—peanut butter, coconut, caramel and marsh.—but had a hard time this year.
Last, I'm happy for my Yankees, but wish it didn't come at the expense of the Twins. I miss MN and had kind of adopted the underdog Twins. I just hope the Yanks pound Boston and Atlanta every chance they get. Then the Twins can take a whack at them, too!
Is anyone else tired of hearing about the Dixie Chicks?
Wednesday, April 23, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Chreasters
Twins 9-11 Braves 11-9
How deeply satisfying to pick up the Charlotte Observer sports section today and see, in HUGE type, these words:
Timberwolves devour Lakers
hahahaha!
and then to see that The Wild has also done quite well...to advance to the semifinals.
However, I really need to find an source for chocolate marshmallow candy...the Twins are about to drive me around the bend!
Got a few comments yesterday, thank you. My friend Lil sent a newsy email about a couple of people from Chapel of Hope in Minneapolis...how they are doing. And she also said they had baked french toast at Minnehaha UMC for the Easter breakfast. No grits for them. In fact, no grits for us, either. We had pancakes, sausage and fruit. It was good, but I'm still waiting to have some of Harold Mc's famous grits. I guess they really rock.
And Tony wanted to know what a "Chreaster" is. He figured it out before I could answer him back. A Chreaster is a person who only seems to show up for church at Christmas and Easter. Southerners are too polite to use that term, I'm thinking.
How deeply satisfying to pick up the Charlotte Observer sports section today and see, in HUGE type, these words:
Timberwolves devour Lakers
hahahaha!
and then to see that The Wild has also done quite well...to advance to the semifinals.
However, I really need to find an source for chocolate marshmallow candy...the Twins are about to drive me around the bend!
Got a few comments yesterday, thank you. My friend Lil sent a newsy email about a couple of people from Chapel of Hope in Minneapolis...how they are doing. And she also said they had baked french toast at Minnehaha UMC for the Easter breakfast. No grits for them. In fact, no grits for us, either. We had pancakes, sausage and fruit. It was good, but I'm still waiting to have some of Harold Mc's famous grits. I guess they really rock.
And Tony wanted to know what a "Chreaster" is. He figured it out before I could answer him back. A Chreaster is a person who only seems to show up for church at Christmas and Easter. Southerners are too polite to use that term, I'm thinking.
Tuesday, April 22, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Chocolate Marshmallow Eggs, Where are Ye?
Twins 9-10 Braves 10-9
Where have all the chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs gone? I don't mean the ones in my sons' Easter baskets. There were none in there. There were none in there because there were none in the stores.
They were my favorite as a kid. They were my favorite when my kids were smaller.
I think I'll need to make a Chocolate Marshmallow Pinwheel run this afternoon.
Where have all the chocolate-covered marshmallow eggs gone? I don't mean the ones in my sons' Easter baskets. There were none in there. There were none in there because there were none in the stores.
They were my favorite as a kid. They were my favorite when my kids were smaller.
I think I'll need to make a Chocolate Marshmallow Pinwheel run this afternoon.
Monday, April 21, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Easter Weekend Reflections
Twins 9-10 Braves 10-9
I've decided to leave the comments section off this blog. But, I will post any comments that come to me in an email, as long as they are appropriate for "family viewing". Kristen B suggested we leave the section on there and "we could all just ignore the idiots out there, just like we do everywhere else... " But hey, I've got nieces who read this, so....
Click on the little yellow envelope over to the left on this screen and send me a comment. The next morning I'll post it on the blog in purple with whatever name you put in there for yourself.
Someone named "Da Prince" mentioned the Old Market in Charleston in a comment the other day: "The Market actually started out as farmers market and city market... the Slave Markets were elsewhere... the remaining one, the Old Slave Mart Museum is closed now because of a lack of funds". Thanks Prince, whoever you are. You're a...well...a prince...for giving us that tidbit of info. Sad though, that whole lack of funds thing.
Mom and Dad left this morning. Boston Terror Mickey seemed anxious to go...dogs always know when your're leaving. He started pawing at the door as soon as he saw the luggage. Soya didn't really pay attention, but of course, once she saw a car door open she had to jump in, in hopes of getting a ride. Took a bit of coaxing to get her out. She's been looking for Grandpa all day now.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we had a nice, but a bit busy, day. Mensa Boy and I actually did go to the Sunrise service. It was just so nice being outside at 6:30 am on Easter Sunday morning, and it was 53 degrees. I thought I hadn't been to one since I was 15 and my fingers were freezing on the strings of my guitar. But later hubby reminded me of ones we used to go to at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN. Those were not outside, but we used to go to this cold cabin-type structure and light a fire in a fireplace, I think. You old-time Adventers will need to remind me...I can't seem to call up those memories too well.
Our choir's cantata went well, although we didn't get to hear Tony preach, except during the children's time. The church was packed, except for the front pew. Tony said that isn't all bad. It's a good reminder that there are always more possibilities for people to come to us. I'll step out on a limb here and give an opinion online about the Easter service. I think when you have all the "Chreasters" come to church you should trot out your best assets. And since I see Tony as one of ours, I think he should always preach on Sunday and Easter.
So there. Post your comments by clicking on the little yellow envelope...and let me know if you don't want your name mentioned.
One of the truly surprising things for me yesterday was how cool our cross looked. They wired it up with chicken wire and told everyone to bring cut flowers "from your garden or someone else's" and they would put them on this cross. It was absolutely the prettiest thing I've seen. After the service they carried it outside and it's still out there. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post it, if it's still out there. I think I was just so skeptical because I'm not used to seeing flowers out at Easter time.
Mary R came to church with us yesterday. Tony asked her how the bread and beer diet was going. I would just like to say in my defense that I did ask permission from her before writing about it.
We had Nanette and husband Jesse for dinner and then walked all the pooches afterward. Nannette and Jesse have two schnauzers, Josephine and Sophia. They are great fun to watch, as they walk Nannette everywhere and treat her a bit like a maypole, twisting themselves around her. I do think they are a bit annoyed that their kerchiefs are Valentines Day ones. It seems Jesse was too busy sewing backdrops for Nannette's concert this week to make them Easter kerchiefs...Memorial Day is coming, Jess. Better get out the machine again.
I think I'll quit here. I think I'll go crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. The Twinks lost 15-1 to those Yankee people this afternoon.
Confidential to Valerie, c/o Heaven: No one here greeted us with "He Is Risen" on Sunday morning. But I think I heard you whisper it to me. And I reply: "He Is Risen Indeed. Just As He Said."
I've decided to leave the comments section off this blog. But, I will post any comments that come to me in an email, as long as they are appropriate for "family viewing". Kristen B suggested we leave the section on there and "we could all just ignore the idiots out there, just like we do everywhere else... " But hey, I've got nieces who read this, so....
Click on the little yellow envelope over to the left on this screen and send me a comment. The next morning I'll post it on the blog in purple with whatever name you put in there for yourself.
Someone named "Da Prince" mentioned the Old Market in Charleston in a comment the other day: "The Market actually started out as farmers market and city market... the Slave Markets were elsewhere... the remaining one, the Old Slave Mart Museum is closed now because of a lack of funds". Thanks Prince, whoever you are. You're a...well...a prince...for giving us that tidbit of info. Sad though, that whole lack of funds thing.
Mom and Dad left this morning. Boston Terror Mickey seemed anxious to go...dogs always know when your're leaving. He started pawing at the door as soon as he saw the luggage. Soya didn't really pay attention, but of course, once she saw a car door open she had to jump in, in hopes of getting a ride. Took a bit of coaxing to get her out. She's been looking for Grandpa all day now.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we had a nice, but a bit busy, day. Mensa Boy and I actually did go to the Sunrise service. It was just so nice being outside at 6:30 am on Easter Sunday morning, and it was 53 degrees. I thought I hadn't been to one since I was 15 and my fingers were freezing on the strings of my guitar. But later hubby reminded me of ones we used to go to at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN. Those were not outside, but we used to go to this cold cabin-type structure and light a fire in a fireplace, I think. You old-time Adventers will need to remind me...I can't seem to call up those memories too well.
Our choir's cantata went well, although we didn't get to hear Tony preach, except during the children's time. The church was packed, except for the front pew. Tony said that isn't all bad. It's a good reminder that there are always more possibilities for people to come to us. I'll step out on a limb here and give an opinion online about the Easter service. I think when you have all the "Chreasters" come to church you should trot out your best assets. And since I see Tony as one of ours, I think he should always preach on Sunday and Easter.
So there. Post your comments by clicking on the little yellow envelope...and let me know if you don't want your name mentioned.
One of the truly surprising things for me yesterday was how cool our cross looked. They wired it up with chicken wire and told everyone to bring cut flowers "from your garden or someone else's" and they would put them on this cross. It was absolutely the prettiest thing I've seen. After the service they carried it outside and it's still out there. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post it, if it's still out there. I think I was just so skeptical because I'm not used to seeing flowers out at Easter time.
Mary R came to church with us yesterday. Tony asked her how the bread and beer diet was going. I would just like to say in my defense that I did ask permission from her before writing about it.
We had Nanette and husband Jesse for dinner and then walked all the pooches afterward. Nannette and Jesse have two schnauzers, Josephine and Sophia. They are great fun to watch, as they walk Nannette everywhere and treat her a bit like a maypole, twisting themselves around her. I do think they are a bit annoyed that their kerchiefs are Valentines Day ones. It seems Jesse was too busy sewing backdrops for Nannette's concert this week to make them Easter kerchiefs...Memorial Day is coming, Jess. Better get out the machine again.
I think I'll quit here. I think I'll go crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. The Twinks lost 15-1 to those Yankee people this afternoon.
Confidential to Valerie, c/o Heaven: No one here greeted us with "He Is Risen" on Sunday morning. But I think I heard you whisper it to me. And I reply: "He Is Risen Indeed. Just As He Said."
Gone to Carolina Archive: Easter Weekend Reflections
Twins 9-10 Braves 10-9
I've decided to leave the comments section off this blog. But, I will post any comments that come to me in an email, as long as they are appropriate for "family viewing". Kristen B suggested we leave the section on there and "we could all just ignore the idiots out there, just like we do everywhere else... " But hey, I've got nieces who read this, so....
Click on the little yellow envelope over to the left on this screen and send me a comment. The next morning I'll post it on the blog in purple with whatever name you put in there for yourself.
Someone named "Da Prince" mentioned the Old Market in Charleston in a comment the other day: "The Market actually started out as farmers market and city market... the Slave Markets were elsewhere... the remaining one, the Old Slave Mart Museum is closed now because of a lack of funds". Thanks Prince, whoever you are. You're a...well...a prince...for giving us that tidbit of info. Sad though, that whole lack of funds thing.
Mom and Dad left this morning. Boston Terror Mickey seemed anxious to go...dogs always know when your're leaving. He started pawing at the door as soon as he saw the luggage. Soya didn't really pay attention, but of course, once she saw a car door open she had to jump in, in hopes of getting a ride. Took a bit of coaxing to get her out. She's been looking for Grandpa all day now.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we had a nice, but a bit busy, day. Mensa Boy and I actually did go to the Sunrise service. It was just so nice being outside at 6:30 am on Easter Sunday morning, and it was 53 degrees. I thought I hadn't been to one since I was 15 and my fingers were freezing on the strings of my guitar. But later hubby reminded me of ones we used to go to at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN. Those were not outside, but we used to go to this cold cabin-type structure and light a fire in a fireplace, I think. You old-time Adventers will need to remind me...I can't seem to call up those memories too well.
Our choir's cantata went well, although we didn't get to hear Tony preach, except during the children's time. The church was packed, except for the front pew. Tony said that isn't all bad. It's a good reminder that there are always more possibilities for people to come to us. I'll step out on a limb here and give an opinion online about the Easter service. I think when you have all the "Chreasters" come to church you should trot out your best assets. And since I see Tony as one of ours, I think he should always preach on Sunday and Easter.
So there. Post your comments by clicking on the little yellow envelope...and let me know if you don't want your name mentioned.
One of the truly surprising things for me yesterday was how cool our cross looked. They wired it up with chicken wire and told everyone to bring cut flowers "from your garden or someone else's" and they would put them on this cross. It was absolutely the prettiest thing I've seen. After the service they carried it outside and it's still out there. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post it, if it's still out there. I think I was just so skeptical because I'm not used to seeing flowers out at Easter time.
Mary R came to church with us yesterday. Tony asked her how the bread and beer diet was going. I would just like to say in my defense that I did ask permission from her before writing about it.
We had Nanette and husband Jesse for dinner and then walked all the pooches afterward. Nannette and Jesse have two schnauzers, Josephine and Sophia. They are great fun to watch, as they walk Nannette everywhere and treat her a bit like a maypole, twisting themselves around her. I do think they are a bit annoyed that their kerchiefs are Valentines Day ones. It seems Jesse was too busy sewing backdrops for Nannette's concert this week to make them Easter kerchiefs...Memorial Day is coming, Jess. Better get out the machine again.
I think I'll quit here. I think I'll go crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. The Twinks lost 15-1 to those Yankee people this afternoon.
Confidential to Valerie, c/o Heaven: No one here greeted us with "He Is Risen" on Sunday morning. But I think I heard you whisper it to me. And I reply: "He Is Risen Indeed. Just As He Said."
I've decided to leave the comments section off this blog. But, I will post any comments that come to me in an email, as long as they are appropriate for "family viewing". Kristen B suggested we leave the section on there and "we could all just ignore the idiots out there, just like we do everywhere else... " But hey, I've got nieces who read this, so....
Click on the little yellow envelope over to the left on this screen and send me a comment. The next morning I'll post it on the blog in purple with whatever name you put in there for yourself.
Someone named "Da Prince" mentioned the Old Market in Charleston in a comment the other day: "The Market actually started out as farmers market and city market... the Slave Markets were elsewhere... the remaining one, the Old Slave Mart Museum is closed now because of a lack of funds". Thanks Prince, whoever you are. You're a...well...a prince...for giving us that tidbit of info. Sad though, that whole lack of funds thing.
Mom and Dad left this morning. Boston Terror Mickey seemed anxious to go...dogs always know when your're leaving. He started pawing at the door as soon as he saw the luggage. Soya didn't really pay attention, but of course, once she saw a car door open she had to jump in, in hopes of getting a ride. Took a bit of coaxing to get her out. She's been looking for Grandpa all day now.
Yesterday, Easter Sunday, we had a nice, but a bit busy, day. Mensa Boy and I actually did go to the Sunrise service. It was just so nice being outside at 6:30 am on Easter Sunday morning, and it was 53 degrees. I thought I hadn't been to one since I was 15 and my fingers were freezing on the strings of my guitar. But later hubby reminded me of ones we used to go to at Advent UMC in Eagan, MN. Those were not outside, but we used to go to this cold cabin-type structure and light a fire in a fireplace, I think. You old-time Adventers will need to remind me...I can't seem to call up those memories too well.
Our choir's cantata went well, although we didn't get to hear Tony preach, except during the children's time. The church was packed, except for the front pew. Tony said that isn't all bad. It's a good reminder that there are always more possibilities for people to come to us. I'll step out on a limb here and give an opinion online about the Easter service. I think when you have all the "Chreasters" come to church you should trot out your best assets. And since I see Tony as one of ours, I think he should always preach on Sunday and Easter.
So there. Post your comments by clicking on the little yellow envelope...and let me know if you don't want your name mentioned.
One of the truly surprising things for me yesterday was how cool our cross looked. They wired it up with chicken wire and told everyone to bring cut flowers "from your garden or someone else's" and they would put them on this cross. It was absolutely the prettiest thing I've seen. After the service they carried it outside and it's still out there. I'll try to get a photo of it tomorrow and post it, if it's still out there. I think I was just so skeptical because I'm not used to seeing flowers out at Easter time.
Mary R came to church with us yesterday. Tony asked her how the bread and beer diet was going. I would just like to say in my defense that I did ask permission from her before writing about it.
We had Nanette and husband Jesse for dinner and then walked all the pooches afterward. Nannette and Jesse have two schnauzers, Josephine and Sophia. They are great fun to watch, as they walk Nannette everywhere and treat her a bit like a maypole, twisting themselves around her. I do think they are a bit annoyed that their kerchiefs are Valentines Day ones. It seems Jesse was too busy sewing backdrops for Nannette's concert this week to make them Easter kerchiefs...Memorial Day is coming, Jess. Better get out the machine again.
I think I'll quit here. I think I'll go crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head. The Twinks lost 15-1 to those Yankee people this afternoon.
Confidential to Valerie, c/o Heaven: No one here greeted us with "He Is Risen" on Sunday morning. But I think I heard you whisper it to me. And I reply: "He Is Risen Indeed. Just As He Said."
Saturday, April 19, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Charleston
Twins 9-7 Braves 9-8
We went to Charleston Thursday night and came home Friday night. What a great place! I could spend a week there, quite easily.
I would not stay at the Best Western there again, though. Our rooms were $90 per night and the rooms are in bad need of overhauling. They were very clean, though, so that was good.
We started out the day with breakfast at the hotel. They have these waffle irons that stay hot all through the breakfast period. The attendant fills cups with just the right amount of batter and you simply pour the batter into the iron you want and cook your waffle. I don't really eat waffles too much myself, but the guys enjoyed cooking these massive waffles and eating them. While we ate, we figured out where to go.
Tony had said if you have only one day to spend in Charleston, go to the Market. Mary R. had suggested the Exchange. So we drove to the Battery and looked at all the memorials for submariners and soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. They also had memorials for Hurricane Hugo.
A word about the Civil War: In Charleston, the sites we saw that day all called it "The War Between The States". This pleased me. I'd been hearing it called "The War of Northern Aggression".
After walking around the Battery, we went to the Exchange. This is part of the original fortress that was built around the city to protect it from Indians, Pirates, Spanish and wild animals. They also had a room where the South Carolinians got together to ratify the Declaration of Independence. And this was where the British held prisoners during the Revolutionary War, after they had taken the city.
We had lunch at Diana's Restaurant. I had read about it in Roadfood.com which is a website dedicated to finding the the most memorable eateries along the highways and backroads of America. I heard about this website on The Splendid Table, which regularly features reviews by Jane and Michael Stern.
At Diana's, Mom and I shared a cup of crab and corn soup, a huge plate of shrimp etoufee with fried green tomatoes and grits, and a giant piece of coconut cake. Who cares what all the guys ate?
After lunch we went to the Old Market and walked around. This is a series of old buildings, said to be where slaves were sold, that have been preserved and now house lots of little shops and booths.
It's only about a 3 hour drive to Charleston, if you don't drive over the supper hour and have to stop and eat and the stop for bathroom breaks, etc.
Today is Easter Saturday and I had a coffee at my house. Tony, Peggy Mc, Miss Rachel, Cassie S and Margaret W all came and we had cinnamon rolls and fruit salad. I had mentioned a Koffee Klatch to Tony. He hadn't heard that phrase before. I explained that it's just a gathering where you drink coffee and chat. I told him I'd do it again and make Kolaches sometime, just so he could say he went to a Koffee and Kolache Klatch!
Mensa Boy and Dad ditched and did not attend the coffee. We sent them grocery shopping for tomorrow's ingredients. They did a great job and had the patience to keep looking for a ham that was NOT spiral sliced. What is it with this? It seems so hard to find an unsliced ham. Is that a Carolina thing, or is it same all over? Dad ended up pay $22 for a ham and could have gotten one the same size, spiral sliced, for about $8. But most of those were honey-baked, and that doesn't make the greatest scalloped potatoes and ham later in the week.
Tomorrow is Mom and Dad's last day with us. As usual, everyone is talking big about going to the Sunrise Service. Usually that ends up not happening, as I am the only one that generally is up in time. But, with the weather here so mild, there might be more motivation. After that, there is breakfast at the church and then Sunday School and the regular service.
We hope to eat the ham early in the afternoon so there will still be enough Sunday left to have ham sandwiches later. One has to plan these things...
Happy Easter!
We went to Charleston Thursday night and came home Friday night. What a great place! I could spend a week there, quite easily.
I would not stay at the Best Western there again, though. Our rooms were $90 per night and the rooms are in bad need of overhauling. They were very clean, though, so that was good.
We started out the day with breakfast at the hotel. They have these waffle irons that stay hot all through the breakfast period. The attendant fills cups with just the right amount of batter and you simply pour the batter into the iron you want and cook your waffle. I don't really eat waffles too much myself, but the guys enjoyed cooking these massive waffles and eating them. While we ate, we figured out where to go.
Tony had said if you have only one day to spend in Charleston, go to the Market. Mary R. had suggested the Exchange. So we drove to the Battery and looked at all the memorials for submariners and soldiers from the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. They also had memorials for Hurricane Hugo.
A word about the Civil War: In Charleston, the sites we saw that day all called it "The War Between The States". This pleased me. I'd been hearing it called "The War of Northern Aggression".
After walking around the Battery, we went to the Exchange. This is part of the original fortress that was built around the city to protect it from Indians, Pirates, Spanish and wild animals. They also had a room where the South Carolinians got together to ratify the Declaration of Independence. And this was where the British held prisoners during the Revolutionary War, after they had taken the city.
We had lunch at Diana's Restaurant. I had read about it in Roadfood.com which is a website dedicated to finding the the most memorable eateries along the highways and backroads of America. I heard about this website on The Splendid Table, which regularly features reviews by Jane and Michael Stern.
At Diana's, Mom and I shared a cup of crab and corn soup, a huge plate of shrimp etoufee with fried green tomatoes and grits, and a giant piece of coconut cake. Who cares what all the guys ate?
After lunch we went to the Old Market and walked around. This is a series of old buildings, said to be where slaves were sold, that have been preserved and now house lots of little shops and booths.
It's only about a 3 hour drive to Charleston, if you don't drive over the supper hour and have to stop and eat and the stop for bathroom breaks, etc.
Today is Easter Saturday and I had a coffee at my house. Tony, Peggy Mc, Miss Rachel, Cassie S and Margaret W all came and we had cinnamon rolls and fruit salad. I had mentioned a Koffee Klatch to Tony. He hadn't heard that phrase before. I explained that it's just a gathering where you drink coffee and chat. I told him I'd do it again and make Kolaches sometime, just so he could say he went to a Koffee and Kolache Klatch!
Mensa Boy and Dad ditched and did not attend the coffee. We sent them grocery shopping for tomorrow's ingredients. They did a great job and had the patience to keep looking for a ham that was NOT spiral sliced. What is it with this? It seems so hard to find an unsliced ham. Is that a Carolina thing, or is it same all over? Dad ended up pay $22 for a ham and could have gotten one the same size, spiral sliced, for about $8. But most of those were honey-baked, and that doesn't make the greatest scalloped potatoes and ham later in the week.
Tomorrow is Mom and Dad's last day with us. As usual, everyone is talking big about going to the Sunrise Service. Usually that ends up not happening, as I am the only one that generally is up in time. But, with the weather here so mild, there might be more motivation. After that, there is breakfast at the church and then Sunday School and the regular service.
We hope to eat the ham early in the afternoon so there will still be enough Sunday left to have ham sandwiches later. One has to plan these things...
Happy Easter!
Thursday, April 17, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Comment Crabbiness
Twins 8-6 Braves 7-8
I'm deciding what to about the comments section of my blog. Apparently there is no way to delete comments that people put on there. As most of you know, a person "flamed" me pretty well the first week and I left it there.
But this morning I find someone has put characters in a comment that seem suggestive.
I can either leave the comment option open and we can ignore them, or I can turn the comments off altogether.
Most of you are not writing comments anyway. All of you know my email address, so you can send me notes using that.
So, if you have a feeling about it, let me know. I'd hate to take the comments off, because my initial feeling was that people might sort of use it like a "Round Robin" sort of thing and we could all communicate with each other using that feature.
But, I don't want scum using it to get cheap thrills either. Let me know.
I'm too crabby to write anything entertaining this morning, so I'm signing off.
I'm deciding what to about the comments section of my blog. Apparently there is no way to delete comments that people put on there. As most of you know, a person "flamed" me pretty well the first week and I left it there.
But this morning I find someone has put characters in a comment that seem suggestive.
I can either leave the comment option open and we can ignore them, or I can turn the comments off altogether.
Most of you are not writing comments anyway. All of you know my email address, so you can send me notes using that.
So, if you have a feeling about it, let me know. I'd hate to take the comments off, because my initial feeling was that people might sort of use it like a "Round Robin" sort of thing and we could all communicate with each other using that feature.
But, I don't want scum using it to get cheap thrills either. Let me know.
I'm too crabby to write anything entertaining this morning, so I'm signing off.
Wednesday, April 16, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Bread and Beer Diet
My personal baseball reporting: Fair, Balanced, Unafraid
Twins 7-6 Braves 6-8
My neighbor, Mary R, is on a Bread-and-Beer diet. Not really, but it sounds funny, doesn't it? She and I run errands together occasionally and she is hooked on Harris Teeter's artisan breads. She also like Corona Light. I tease her about what the neighbors will think when they see her two empty Corona cases put out for Dean the Garbage Guy. (It's not EVERY week)
Whatever she is doing, it's working. She's dropped something like 20 pounds since moving here in September.
Last night Mensa Boy announced that we only had one sandwich bag left. This is a bad thing, since we make lunches for the kids to take to school every day. I told him I'd just gotten back from Target earlier in the day, so we'd have to start a new Target list. He came up with a brilliant, Mensa-boy idea:
"If we went to Maggie Moo's, we could get sandwich bags at Harris Teeter at the same time." So, we all piled in and went to Maggie Moo's. We love that place. You choose an ice cream and then a mix-in like chocolate chips. They put both ingredients on a frozen slab and smash everything around while you watch. Cool.
Didn't buy the sandwich bags. I love Harris Teeter, but I'd rather buy my plastic and paper products at Target. With the money I save I can buy another scoop of Cocoo Amooreto with chocolate chips.
Twins 7-6 Braves 6-8
My neighbor, Mary R, is on a Bread-and-Beer diet. Not really, but it sounds funny, doesn't it? She and I run errands together occasionally and she is hooked on Harris Teeter's artisan breads. She also like Corona Light. I tease her about what the neighbors will think when they see her two empty Corona cases put out for Dean the Garbage Guy. (It's not EVERY week)
Whatever she is doing, it's working. She's dropped something like 20 pounds since moving here in September.
Last night Mensa Boy announced that we only had one sandwich bag left. This is a bad thing, since we make lunches for the kids to take to school every day. I told him I'd just gotten back from Target earlier in the day, so we'd have to start a new Target list. He came up with a brilliant, Mensa-boy idea:
"If we went to Maggie Moo's, we could get sandwich bags at Harris Teeter at the same time." So, we all piled in and went to Maggie Moo's. We love that place. You choose an ice cream and then a mix-in like chocolate chips. They put both ingredients on a frozen slab and smash everything around while you watch. Cool.
Didn't buy the sandwich bags. I love Harris Teeter, but I'd rather buy my plastic and paper products at Target. With the money I save I can buy another scoop of Cocoo Amooreto with chocolate chips.
Tuesday, April 15, 2003
Gone to Carolina Archive: Plant the Trees Straight
My personal baseball reporting: Fair, Balanced, Unafraid
Twins 6-6 Braves 5-8
Yesterday I went shopping with the 2 Marys. My Mom and my neighbor Mary R. Mary R and I are interested in herb gardening, and my Mom has some experience in that area. Although my Mom says she really doesn't know much..."I just plunk stuff in the ground and see if it grows"...she is generally knowledgeable, I find.
First we went to a pottery place and bought pots. I am not ready to commit to a garden plot and so I'm doing some herbs in a strawberry pot. Mary R is an avid gardener...both in pots and in the ground. She knew just the place to go.
After that we had lunch at Trio, which my friend Nannette had introduced me to a couple of weeks ago.
Then we went to Lowe's. My Mom has always tried to steer me away from home centers for plants, but Mary R is a big fan and it is true that Lowe's has some great stuff.
Later in the evening, Mom planted the herbs in the strawberry pot and also did a pot of basil and another pot of Rosemary. Why didn't I help with that? Well, Mary R had been nagging me to get this pine tree I had bought in December into the ground. So yesterday was the day.
The tree is about 3 feet tall. Mensa Boy dug the hole for me. After the herniated disk incident, I've decided to lay off shovels for 3 months. Then Taylor and I planted the tree.
This is where Taylor and I learned a very important lesson in tree planting. Be sure the tree is straight in the hole before you fill it in and water it. Fortunately, Mensa Boy straightened the little tree with a well placed shovel blade in the exact right spot next to the tree. Taylor and I then hurried to pack more dirt around it to keep it straight.
Today my Mom, Dad and I went looking for a couple of golf courses for Dad to hit balls. Then we went to Best Buy and watched Mom drool over $300 keyboards and $5000 flat-screen tvs. My Mom is on the brink of retirement. She could retire any day from her job at the Farmington Elementary School kitchen. She tells people she doesn't think she can retire because Best Buy isn't doing too well and she feels a personal responsibility to do what she can to keep it afloat!
We went to The Bombay Grille for lunch. My parents had not eaten Indian food before. I had read a review in the Charlotte Observer about them several months ago. They are on Pineville Matthews Road (hwy 51) and they have a wonderful buffet at noon with about a dozen items. Everything was very fresh and good. Our old friends from Minneapolis, Irshad and Rehanna A, had always told us good Indian food is not so spicy that you can't taste it. And it shouldn't upset the American stomach. This stuff did not. It was superb, just as the review in the Observer had promised. I would give you the link to the review, but the stupid cheapo paper doesn't keep stuff on it's website. They have the review posted in the restaurant.
And we helped the Easter Bunny stock up on goodies.
Twins 6-6 Braves 5-8
Yesterday I went shopping with the 2 Marys. My Mom and my neighbor Mary R. Mary R and I are interested in herb gardening, and my Mom has some experience in that area. Although my Mom says she really doesn't know much..."I just plunk stuff in the ground and see if it grows"...she is generally knowledgeable, I find.
First we went to a pottery place and bought pots. I am not ready to commit to a garden plot and so I'm doing some herbs in a strawberry pot. Mary R is an avid gardener...both in pots and in the ground. She knew just the place to go.
After that we had lunch at Trio, which my friend Nannette had introduced me to a couple of weeks ago.
Then we went to Lowe's. My Mom has always tried to steer me away from home centers for plants, but Mary R is a big fan and it is true that Lowe's has some great stuff.
Later in the evening, Mom planted the herbs in the strawberry pot and also did a pot of basil and another pot of Rosemary. Why didn't I help with that? Well, Mary R had been nagging me to get this pine tree I had bought in December into the ground. So yesterday was the day.
The tree is about 3 feet tall. Mensa Boy dug the hole for me. After the herniated disk incident, I've decided to lay off shovels for 3 months. Then Taylor and I planted the tree.
This is where Taylor and I learned a very important lesson in tree planting. Be sure the tree is straight in the hole before you fill it in and water it. Fortunately, Mensa Boy straightened the little tree with a well placed shovel blade in the exact right spot next to the tree. Taylor and I then hurried to pack more dirt around it to keep it straight.
Today my Mom, Dad and I went looking for a couple of golf courses for Dad to hit balls. Then we went to Best Buy and watched Mom drool over $300 keyboards and $5000 flat-screen tvs. My Mom is on the brink of retirement. She could retire any day from her job at the Farmington Elementary School kitchen. She tells people she doesn't think she can retire because Best Buy isn't doing too well and she feels a personal responsibility to do what she can to keep it afloat!
We went to The Bombay Grille for lunch. My parents had not eaten Indian food before. I had read a review in the Charlotte Observer about them several months ago. They are on Pineville Matthews Road (hwy 51) and they have a wonderful buffet at noon with about a dozen items. Everything was very fresh and good. Our old friends from Minneapolis, Irshad and Rehanna A, had always told us good Indian food is not so spicy that you can't taste it. And it shouldn't upset the American stomach. This stuff did not. It was superb, just as the review in the Observer had promised. I would give you the link to the review, but the stupid cheapo paper doesn't keep stuff on it's website. They have the review posted in the restaurant.
And we helped the Easter Bunny stock up on goodies.
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