BOGO

Last Friday I wrote about my new adventure in "couponing" and watching for sales.

Today, I learned the value of "buy one, get one (free)" -- or BOGO.  Our drugstore has various BOGO offers each week, so I looked through this week's sales flyer and got my list together.

I went to the drugstore today, and I left with "get one" items amounting to $44!  Woohoo!

And I did not buy things that I wouldn't ordinarily buy.  We use all of the stuff that I got!

(Postscript:  I even had a $1-off coupon for one of the items, which I was allowed to use on the "buy one" side of the BOGO.)

Memorial Day

I am thankful to those that gave their lives for my freedom.  As the saying goes, "Freedom isn't free."  I don't want to take our country's freedom for granted ever.  God bless America!

The weather forecast was on target for this long weekend.  Lew and I took a fabulous walk this morning.  (I am now 3-0 in The Motorcycle Game.)  Then we sat on the deck and read for a bit.  To be honest, I'm not sure Lew did that much reading.  I think his eyes were closed most of the time.

I couldn't sit in the sun for very long.  It was really, really hot -- but a welcome change from the recent rainy, cold weather.

Lew is now on a motorcycle ride.  When he gets home, he will fire up the grill.

Best wishes to all on this Memorial Day.

...And More Signs

Lew went on a golf outing after church today with some of the guys.  It was Lew's first time to play this year.  They played 18 holes, and I have yet to learn Lew's score.  He tells me that he didn't do very well -- but the weather was beautiful, and they had a good time.  I'm glad that he had a chance to go.  He's glad, too.  He's especially glad that he has the day off from work tomorrow (Memorial Day).

Josh and Zack came up to our house this afternoon and drove the go-cart around for awhile.  This was the first "go-carting" of the season.  They were pretty good about taking turns with each other.  They were not good in attending to their grandfather's request of "don't tear up the lawn!"  I sat out on the porch with my mother and watched them for a bit.  They were zooming right along.

Thanks, God!  I really like the day you made today!

More Signs of Warmer Weather

Lew and I took a walk down to the Eastern Trail this afternoon.  It was only our second such walk this year.  We played The Motorcycle Game on our way home.  Lew guessed "five" and I said "lower."  We didn't see any.  I am now 2-0 on the season!

Lew and Dad lifted our grill onto the deck.  Lew grilled some chicken for us and a couple hamburgers for my father.  Mom had a little bit of the chicken.  We had french fries and cole slaw from Ken's Place.  Lew and I also ate corn on the cob.  It was a good meal, that's for sure!  Happy tummy.

The weather forecast for tomorrow is the high 70's.  For Monday, it's the mid 80's.  Woohoo!

Strategic Shopping

Several of our church friends are into "couponing."  Lew and I haven't traditionally used a lot of coupons, because neither of us really bothered to take the time to gather them.  But when I heard my friends talk about how much money they save, well....

So, I saved the coupons from the last three Sunday newspapers.  This morning I went through them all and clipped only the coupons I know that we will use.  (The rest I'm going to give to one of the gals at church.)  There are also a couple Facebook pages about couponing that I "Like" -- I've gotten some really good coupons through those, too.

I'm looking at the store flyers to see what's on sale that week.  I'll glance through all of the flyers, but I'm going to concentrate on our grocery store and our drugstore.  If something's on sale and I have a coupon, that's a good time to buy it.  Lew and I are going to try to plan our shopping in order to take advantage of the best prices.

We just got home from our weekly shopping trip.  We saved $28.54 by buying stuff on sale and/or using coupons.  Not bad for rookies!

Portland Sea Dogs

Lew's employer had a sky box for the Sea Dogs game tonight.  There was a Kevin Youkilis bobble-head giveaway for the first 1,000 fans to enter the ballpark, and we arrived early enough.

I ate Doritos, fruit and cheese, a BBQ chicken sandwich, nachos and dip, a steak and cheese sandwich, a Sea Dogs Biscuit*, and a whoopie pie.

I wish I could write that the Sea Dogs played as well as I ate. I think the final score was something like 13-7.

We had a great time laughing with Lew's work friends, so it was a wonderful evening despite the defeat on the field.

But at least the Red Sox won today -- another blowout, 14-1. Keep it up, boys!

(* A Sea Dogs Biscuit is a vanilla ice cream sandwich.  The "bread" of the sandwich?  Chocolate chip cookies!  Yum!)

Dad: Unedited XLVI

(The Red Sox ended up pulling out their game today with a final score of 14-2.  It was a squeaker.  Enjoy Dad's post! -- Tracy)

Derf Here!

Today is the first day with what we expect the weather to be.  It is delightful.  I'm here watching a day baseball game.  The Sox (Red) are beating up on Cleveland.  It is 14-0 in the seventh inning.  The Yankees are also winning.  Boo!

What a week we've had.  We have the motor home set up and our summer resident is here.  Kaelen arrived Monday evening and is preparing to start work tomorrow.  She is ready (she told me so).  The Clambake will be her summer home away from home.

Later today we'll attend a Josh baseball game.  We saw Josh pitch a complete game last evening.  His team won (4-2).  He struck out 14 batters out of 18 outs.  He threw out a runner on a ground ball and fielded another ground ball and stumbled to first to beat the batter.  The other two outs were a fly ball to center field and a foul pop-up to the catcher.  Tomorrow we'll go to his seventh-grade team game at Bonny Eagle.  After that we will enjoy a weekend with no sports (holiday weekend).

Baseball (Josh) and Lacrosse (Zack) will be back next week.  We'll be ready!!

We appreciate the nice weather today as the past two weeks have been sunless (is that a word?).  Our past weather has been just fine compared to the tragic storms of "Tornado Alley."  The nice weather allowed me to mow the lower 40 today and it does look very estate-ish (is that a word?).

I must now go to the garage and set up our summer refrigerator.  I have purchased our drinks and desserts and must now make them available to those interested in enjoying the "goodies."

Sooo!  Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

What's That In the Sky?

The sun came out today!  It was warm enough to open windows and get some fresh air in the house.

I ventured out for about an hour and a half this morning.  I believe it was the first time I'd been out of the house since last Thursday.  This cold really threw me for a loop.

I'm not feeling 100-percent yet, but I'm getting there.  Hopefully, I'll feel up to walking with Ellen tomorrow morning.  I haven't gotten much exercise these past few days.  :(

I also haven't worked much on my novel writing.  I had written about 10,000 words prior to this week, but then I just stopped.  I'm not really excited about the story, so I'm going to file that idea away for now.

I do have another idea for a novel that I think is much better.  I wrote about 250 words this afternoon -- just to get my feet wet -- and it's already a lot more interesting.

Kaelen is getting settled in.  She went grocery shopping today with her grandparents (also known as my parents).  She "ellipticalized" this afternoon, and then her grandparents took her to Josh's little league game.

Lew went to work today.  After he came home, he worked out on his home gym.  Then he made dinner for the two of us.  (I am so spoiled!)

Pepper ate goodies, looked out the window, slept, ate goodies, looked out the window, slept, ate goodies, looked out the window, slept....

An exciting day was had by all!

A Sign of Summer

Another day of rain.  Another day of blowing my nose.

Yet there is a definite sign of Summer -- my niece Kaelen arrived today!!  She'll be working at the Clambake again this year.

Welcome, Kaelen!



Kaelen with her "little" cousins, Josh & Zack



Day Number Three

I really don't like to miss church, but sometimes it can not be avoided.  Today was one of those times.  It was my third straight day devoted to rest and recuperation.

I am happy to report some improvement in my health.  The highlight has been a dramatic decrease in my tissue usage, which makes my nose very happy.

The sun was supposed to make an appearance today.  Lew told me that he looked for it all day, but he never saw it.

Hey, Mister Sun!  I will come out to play if you will!  Let's make it really soon, OK?

Keep Feeding a Cold

I was hoping that my cold was a one-day event.  Not sure why I thought that could be a possibility, as I've never had a cold that didn't last longer than that.

I had a teacher in junior high who used to say that if you do nothing to treat your cold it will last for about seven days.  If you do try to treat it, it will last about a week.

Our breakfast buddies are in Florida, so we stayed home this morning.  Lew made pancakes.  Lew's buddy Steve came over for dinner, and Lew made spaghetti for all of us.  Steve brought a triple layer chocolate torte cake for dessert.

I like food.  I don't like having a cold.

Feed a Cold

Today I am giving a fine demonstration of how to "lie low."

I woke up with a sore throat.  I was also a bit "stuffy."  I cancelled my Friday morning walk with Ellen.  (As it turned out, the rain would have preempted our walk anyway.)

I did a couple loads of laundry this morning.  Other than that, I have spent my day on the couch eating, drinking tea, reading, and playing on my laptop.

I have also been sneezing and blowing my nose.  I haven't used a whole box of tissues yet, which I actually find quite surprising.

During our text exchanges today, Lew asked if he should bring home some "comfort food."

I am expecting my Hawaiian pizza to arrive any moment now....

Get Out the Noisemakers!

When I logged in on Blogger just now, I saw that I had 499 posts.  So, this is the 500th post on "Mainely Tracy."  Woo hoo!  Time to celebrate!  I have not written all of the posts myself.  Derf has written 45 of them.  And Pepper has been a guest blogger a couple times as well.  (She is such a clever kitty!)

I went to the eye doctor this morning for a regular checkup.  She told me that I don't need new glasses!  This is another major cause for celebration.  I've had my current pair of glasses (progressive lens bifocals) for three years now.  If my memory serves me correctly, they cost over $500 when I got them.  My eyesight is so bad that I need all of the "bells and whistles" when it comes to the lenses; thus, the high cost.  So, I am very very very very very very very happy that I don't need to buy new glasses.

I just went upstairs to get my father a couple of AAA batteries.  I am very clumsy and fall while going up the stairs if I'm not careful.  I was not careful.  I was almost to the top when I fell, but I did manage to catch myself.  Then I took a few more little stumbles and almost fell into the wall.  I will not be asked to be in the ballet anytime soon.  Still, I am safely back downstairs and continuing this post.  Another reason to celebrate!

The printer that I bought yesterday normally costs $100.  This week, it was on sale for $80.  Plus, I had a $30 coupon for this very printer.  So, I only paid $50 for it!  Yahoo!

The Red Sox are currently two games over .500.  Hooray!  Keep it up, boys!

Now, if it would only stop raining....

Dad: Unedited XLV

(Dad wrote the following post this morning.  I'm a little late getting it typed in, because I went shopping to get my new printer.  And then I had to set the printer up, of course!  Enjoy my father's post.  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the "verrry sooogggy" Northeast.  No sun!  Constant precip!  However, no flooding -- something to be thankful for!

Update! Update!  Update!
The Sox (Red) are over .500!  Josh's two teams haven't lost in a week.  Zack's lacrosse team still winless, but improving (I think)!  The Bruins are still playing.  The Celtics are done!  So sad!  I believe the Kendrick Perkins trade broke up the Celtics chemistry.  Maybe not, but that is what I believe.  Part of the "family" was traded away.

This week was originally supposed to be the week to get ready for Kaelen.  Oldest grandchild Kaelen is set to arrive here next Monday to start her summer job at the Clambake.  This will be her third summer working at "The Bake."  She has just finished her second year at Eureka College (Illinois) and also had to serve a term of jury duty.  Her jury duty was a short term.  She went one day.  Wasn't chosen and did not have to return.

Kim and Joe attended the Eureka College graduation exercises and met featured speaker Newt Gingrich.  Newt was the speaker at Ronald Reagan's alma mater.  I don't think Newt did his presidential run justice by his comment Sunday about "right wing social engineering."  Didn't seem to be friendly to Paul Ryan and crew!  Self-control doesn't seem to be one of Newt's characteristics.  Must control  one's speech!

I'm planning on travelling to Gorham today to Josh's game if the weather permits.  Only four games left.  I must try to attend all of them (three away, one home).

Looking out our kitchen window today I can not see our neighbor's house very clearly.  It seems that the lilacs are about to bloom and smell up the area.  Both purple and white lilacs are actually quite well liked by the residents.  It is a sign of spring when in bloom (usually around the first week in June).  They will be gone in a couple weeks.

I still have to purchase my "topsy-turvy" planters as I'm planning on trying to raise some tomatoes, cukes, and squash.  Don't know if it will work out or not.  I'm going to give it a shot.  I kind of miss our garden that we used to have in the lower forty.  That was several years ago, however.

I just had some good weather-related news.  It might stop raining in a couple days for a day.  Wow!  Great!  I'll keep you posted.

I must now have my "salad" lunch and do my "ellipticalization" for thirty-four minutes prior to the afternoon ball game.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Various Stuff

It rained again today.

The Red Sox had a terrific victory last night.  They were down 6-0 at one point.  And heading into the bottom of the 9th, they were still behind 7-6.  But they pulled it out!  I actually stayed up late enough to see the end of the game.

The black ink cartridge hasn't been working on my wireless printer.  I decided to try to fix it today.  Everything I tried did not work.  From what I read online, this particular printer is infamous for the very problem I've been having with it.  It will cost less to buy a new printer than to fix this one.  (I've had it for a couple years, so I've gotten good use out of it.)  Shopping trip tomorrow!

This past Sunday was our annual meeting at church to elect the leadership and to approve the budget for the new fiscal year.  I was appointed Treasurer for another one-year term.

Pepper has been hiding under the bed again.

Currently, Right Now, At This Point In Time

My beloved Boston Red Sox are finally .500 on the season.  They'd been in the hole since they were 0-0.

They were 17-20 going into this past weekend's three-game series against the New York Yankees.

Get out the brooms!  And in New York, too!

The Red Sox are scheduled to play tonight.  I am hoping for a win.  A loss would be icky, as that would put them in the hole again.

But for now, I am enjoying the 20-20 record.

Go, Red Sox!

Raining

It's pouring outside.  Really, really pouring.

Some church friends actually had to take their kids to soccer games today.  Despite the rain, the games were not cancelled.  Their kids are little kids -- not even in middle school yet.  But because my friends also coach, they all had to go.  (Next time I see them, I'm going to tease them about their sanity!)

I am pretty selective about what I will do outside when it's raining.  Basically, I will do "nothing" -- other than running to and from a vehicle.  And perhaps to the mailbox if I can't talk Lew or my father into doing it.

I have gotten caught outside in the rain a few times in my life.  A few examples:

--  Once when I was in college, I had to walk two miles in the rain to get home.  Fortunately, it was summer and it was warm.

--  Lew and I got caught a few years ago when we were out taking a walk.  We didn't start our mad sprint home until it was too late.  We got soaked.

--  Two summers ago, my sisters, their families, Lew, and I went to see the fireworks at Old Orchard Beach.  We walked to the fireworks location from my Aunts' cottages.  It began to rain before the fireworks were over.  And it wasn't a light rain.  It was pouring hard, kind of like it is now.  We all got drenched.  (And, of course, none of us thought about calling Aunt Debbie to come pick up a driver or two....)

--  Our family used to ride antique bicycles in parades.  One year -- right as the Yarmouth Clam Festival parade ended -- the rain began coming down in buckets.  Most of us had to ride on an open trailer back to where all of the other vehicles were.  It was not fun.  I think that was the most wet I have ever been in my life, if there is such a thing as "most wet."

--  Lew and I did once try to sit through one of Josh's football games in the rain.  We didn't make it to the end.  And due to an unfortunate seating decision, my jeans were soaked.  But we still had a few errands to run before heading home.  Solution?  Buy new jeans.

Try not to get wet!!

A Cat Confession

I have been keeping a secret from my husband.

For several consecutive evenings this past week, Pepper hid under my parents' bed.  I tried to lure her out with her "nite-nite" goodies, but she wouldn't come out.  (Although she did eat the goodies when I put them under the bed with her.)

Mom wondered if Pepper was feeling well or not.  I figured that she was just trying to change her routine a bit.  (Don't cats get bored???)

I went over to say hello to Mom yesterday morning, and as I opened her door she said, "Keep an eye on Pepper!  She just threw up."  And Mom went to her sink to get some cleaning supplies.

Before I fully comprehended what had happened, Pepper ran by me through the open door into the entryway.  And from the entryway she ran through another open door...into my side of the house.

She ran through our dining room (sheet vinyl floor) into the living room (carpeting).  Then she stopped, and....

I'm sorry, Lew!  Pepper threw up on our carpet!  But only a little bit.  Mom cleaned it up, as I was pretty useless.

There.  No more secrets.

I feel better now.

(Postscript:  Pepper did not hide under the bed last night.  Mom was right!)

Tweet, Tweet!

I don't know when Blogger became unavailable yesterday, but I wasn't able to access it when I tried to sign in last night.  The site was OK for "read only," but it wasn't available for posting again until today.  So, there was no entry on "Mainely Tracy" yesterday -- only the fourth day without a post since 01/01/10!

Wednesday was Derf's day, which means I haven't really posted since Tuesday.  "What's new with her?" you may be asking.  (Yes -- I can hear you all asking.)

Well...

I signed up for a Twitter account!

I have only "tweeted" once.  My tweet was:
This is my very first "Tweet."

I really got on Twitter so that I could follow other people.  For example, Jerry Remy.  He is the color analyst for the Red Sox broadcasts on NESN.  He was quite ill a couple years ago and missed much of the season.  So, when he missed several games in a row within the last few weeks, I started to wonder if he'd had a relapse.  But then I saw an article that mentioned he had "tweeted" about what was going on.  So now that I'm on Twitter, I can tell you that he's had a "viral coughing thing" in his chest, and doing the games would have been "annoying" to the viewers.  But he's feeling much better and hopes to be back in the booth Monday.  (Hooray!)

I'm also following "Bible Summary."  The tweeter is summarizing the Bible -- one tweet per chapter, one chapter per day.  (Today's summary was for 2 Samuel chapter 12, so he has a long, long way to go.)  This is an interesting idea, because of the 140-character limit for a tweet.  He really needs to capture the essence of the chapter with great efficiency in his use of vocabulary.  (Much like the sentence I just wrote!)

Tweet, tweet!

(Postscript:  The "Bible Summary" tweets are archived on the following website, in case you're interested:  http://www.biblesummary.info/.)

Dad: Unedited XLIV

(At the time of the following tale, I was living in Saint Louis -- not "in the area."  Are there more discrepancies in Dad's retelling of this family legend???  Mum's the word!  Enjoy his post.  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the frigid Northeast!  "Calendar Spring" is here, but not "Weather Spring."  Dandelions are mowed!

Update!  Update!  Zack scored his first goal in lacrosse but team lost twice.  They are playing better and his goal tending is improving.  Josh's school team is 3-1 and they won their first "little league" game Saturday.  Josh pitched and got the win.  This week has 4 baseball games and two lacrosse games.  Add in last night's band concert and it is a long week.  Whew!!

Now to the tale!!  Mother's Day went well and spouse was in conversation with all offspring.  However, many years ago, this was not the case.  The most interesting Mother's Day happened about 17 years ago.  It is a family story that won't go away.  The "tale" follows.

Spouse expects conversations with offspring on the "Day."  No problem with two of them, as both live in the area.  However, the one from away (who was pregnant) did not call, as had been expected, by the time expected.

Well, why wasn't spouse called?  There seemed to be only one way to solve the problem.  The call had not been made so the worst was expected.  Was something wrong?  Had something happened to the third offspring?  The solution:  Call the Eureka, Illinois police department!!  The call was made to check on area happenings.  No reports of anyone matching the description was forthcoming.  No hospitalization or accident reports were found.

The day ended, rather late, with a conversation between spouse and said offspring.  It still is a story that's brought to life every now and then.  It seems that offspring was visiting and they didn't return home until late in the evening.  Offspring (Kim) always calls fairly early now on Mother's Day!  Now you know why!

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

The Cloud

Several weeks ago, Lew learned that he would soon be working in "the Cloud."

"What do you think it is?" he asked me.

"The Cloud?  Is that a place?"  I couldn't help but look at the sky out the window.

This exchange was followed by a Google search.  Apparently "the Cloud" has something to do with the Internet and computer equipment far away from where you actually are.

It might be that "the Cloud" is really a place.  Perhaps some secret underground computer facility that is guarded by big guys with guns.

I made that last part up.  Or at least I think I did.  One never knows when it comes to "the Cloud."

(Postscript:  On a serious note, I believe that "the Cloud" is mostly a fancy name for the Internet.  But I am not an expert.  And you can take that to the bank...seriously!)

Novel Update

I have written just over 4,000 words of my novel.

That's not a whole lot.

And it's terrible.

But everything that I've been reading about writing says that the first draft always stinks.  So, I have a lot more "stinking" to do.

I have an outline that I am trying to follow.  Today I realized that I had changed the names of my characters, and I was starting to confuse myself.  So, I wrote the names down and then went back and made everything consistent.

I hope to write for several hours tomorrow, as it's time to really get going on this.

I CAN DO IT!!!

(End of pep talk!)

Happy Mother's Day

The card I gave my mother today starts off by saying, "Mom, you spent most of your time..." -- and then it lists several things that moms do.  One of those things is "explaining."  The artwork on the card clearly shows this to mean "helping with homework."

When my mother thanked me for the card, she also said, "But I don't ever remember helping you with your homework."  I reminded her that she saved me from dropping out of high school after only one day.  (Well, it wasn't quite that serious....)

My freshman year I signed up to take Latin.  The teacher (whom I grew to really like) had me totally confused by the time class got out the first day.  So when I got home, I just stared at my homework.  I had NO clue how to proceed.  This was a new experience, as schoolwork had always been somewhat easy for me.

But what do you know?  My mother had taken Latin!  In fact, I think they were still speaking it when she studied it.  (Ha ha!)

I must have told Mom that I was having trouble.  I remember her sitting down on my bed with me and explaining the basics.  And that's all I needed.  I don't think she helped me with homework (ever again) after that day.  But it is a special memory, so I end today's post with a message to my mom:

Te amo!

The Eye Has It

When we arrived at breakfast this morning, Dick told us right away that he finally got his new eye.  Lew looked at him and said, "Gee, I hardly recognize you!"  Hahahaha.

I asked Dick if he still had his old eye.  He did, and he pulled it out of his pocket.  It was in a nice little plastic case.  For some reason, I was expecting it to be completely round -- you know, an eye "ball."  But it wasn't.  It was mostly flat on the back, with a little hook-type shape on one edge that kept it in place in the eye socket.

Carole may use the old eye in one of her jewelry creations.  Either a ring or a pendant.  I'm voting for the pendant.  I told her that she wouldn't be able to sell the final piece, though.  She definitely would have to keep it for herself!

Dick had used the old eye for over 50 years.  The new eye is bigger and looks better.  And, of course, I told him that... but then I quickly added, "Not that you were unsightly before!"  Oops... Did I really say that?  No pun was intended.  Really.

Not that Dick would have minded the pun.  After all, his C.B. radio handle was "Dead Eye."

(Postscript:  I probably should give a little background.  Dick lost his left eye due to a childhood accident.  I believe that an arrow was involved.  Ouch!)

Walking With Ellen

My friend Ellen and I go for morning walks together on Wednesdays and Fridays.  I should qualify that:  We go walking when the weather cooperates.  For example, Wednesday was a rainy, dreary day.  So, no walk that day.  Today, however, was beautiful.

Ellen and I have a nifty plan for meeting up.  We leave our houses at the same time, and walk toward the other person.  No, it's not rocket science, but it works.

Today, Ellen asked me if I had gotten my mother anything for Mother's Day.

Nope.  My parents don't really have a lot of place to put stuff.  (Although I do have a card for you, Mom!)

But, after Ellen and I parted, I remembered something that I could do for my mother!  Something that would be very beneficial!  Yes!  As I finished my walk home, I took great care to not step on any cracks....

:)

(Postscript:  For those of you feeling sorry for my mother -- even though she is getting a card -- please rest easy.  She and I are going to go buy an outdoor plant sometime next week.)

Annual ABBA Banquet

Tonight, Lew and I will be attending the annual Community Awareness Banquet for ABBA, A Women's Resource Center.

As I wrote on this blog a year ago:

"ABBA is a crisis pregnancy center in Portland. In a nutshell, ABBA offers life-affirming options and counseling. I was on the board of directors for eight years. This is a ministry that Lew and I wholeheartedly support.

"If there is a Christ-centered, life-affirming crisis pregnancy center in your area, I encourage you to learn how you can help."

There is no life that is too small....

Dad: Unedited XLIII

(Happy Birthday to my cousin Wendy!  Enjoy today's post by Derf, a.k.a. "the lawn caretaker."  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the well-manicured northeastern estate on Pine Point Road in Scarborough, Maine.  Just a little pat on the back to the lawn caretaker of the south 40.

One of my busiest weeks in history has just passed by.  As I look back at the events, I'm surprised I have managed to withstand the pressures (at my age) surrounding the events.  I witnessed 4 (four) live baseball games for Josh (W2 - L2) and 2 (two) live lacrosse games which Zachary played (lost both).  All this while I'm trying to keep up with the progress of the Celtics (not good), Bruins (very good), and the Red Sox (seems to be getting better).  So much for athletics.  The game season is upon us and we'll try to keep up with all the pros and "not so pros."

While all the above was going on, I hear there was a wedding across the pond.  I did my best to avoid all the "hoopla" surrounding this event with great success.  Thanks for the remote.  One would think this was a big "world wide" event.  Not to me.  I will tell you that spouse and Tracy arose at 4:00 a.m. to witness the event live.  Waste of time -- you be the judge!  Tracy's Colby college roommate Suzy was in the live crowd to see a couple cars drive by.  She was a witness to history.  However, I believe she had a better view upon arriving home to observe the whole boring 7 hours of the recording.  That's enough on that event.

Osama Bin Laden is dead!  You need no more on this situation.  Let's just thank the military men and women who serve and protect us and our rights on a daily basis.  Great job, Seals!

Two other events happened this week that probably trump all others.  Birthdays for Tracy (age unknown -- I really know because I was there) and niece Wendy (the family "prayer warrior").  Her age is only known to a few, but I do know she has one year on Tracy's unknown age.  If I'm not mistaken next year is a "big one."  Right, Wendy!  Hopefully both enjoyed their day!!  Actually, Wendy's is today.  If the phone lines aren't tied up, I hope to get through to wish her "Happy Birthday, Wendy!"

I'm writing this post while in the "caah" sitting in the Old Port section of Portland.  Spouse is having a doctor's treatment while I write.  Usually my time here is spent reading but today it's writing.

As you see the Northeast is in Spring mode (was sure cold yesterday at the 2 games I observed), and there are various events to occupy our time.  We're looking forward to summer, visit from our Illinois family, and warmer weather.  Please!!

Until next time (when I'll try to have another tale for you).

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

My Weekly Book Challenge

Have you noticed yet?  Since last Thursday, I have had a new link on the right for "my weekly book challenge" blog!

I only have one post on it so far, but I thought I'd mention it on "Mainely Tracy" today.  That way, I'll have to keep it up -- I don't want to disappoint my faithful readers!

I had originally wanted to read three books per week, but two is much more realistic.  Especially since I am supposed to be writing...ahem...my own novel.  And that takes time.  (Time that I haven't been taking.)

So, as you read "Mainely Tracy," be sure to check out my "book" blog at least once a week or so.  Maybe you'll get some ideas for books you'd like to read.  (Or maybe not.  That would be OK, too!)

And, I'll get cracking on that novel....  :)

"Oh See, Oh Go!"

O CI, O GO.

One Comes In, One Goes Out.

The project for Day 29 of the Organize-a-thon was to adopt the above mindset.

So when my mother gave me a birthday gift yesterday of two pair of athletic slacks (one long pair, one knee length), I knew what I had to do.

Good-bye, light pink sweat pants that I've had for over 20 years!  I will miss your stretched out waistband that I had to safety pin so that you would stay up.

Good-bye, black pair of Matt's old Portland High School gym shorts that had a big hole...and lots of little ones.  Every time I put you in the washing machine, I wondered if you would come out in one piece!

Both of the above "Out" items went into the garbage, which was picked up today.  So it's too late if any of you thought, "Gee, I might like to have those...."

They Say It's My Birthday....

... Happy Birthday TO ME!

I ate a chocolate chip cookie with my breakfast.

My parents took us out for lunch, and I ate an appetizer as my meal.

We had birthday cake when we got home.  (I ate two pieces!)

What a super birthday it has been!  :)