Slipping On The Shoes

Carole's daughter Mandy had an open house tonight for Carole's jewelry.

As I prepared to go, I realized it was finally warm enough outside to wear shoes with no socks.  That is more significant than it may sound, as my feet are very sensitive to the cold.  It's only been within the past week that I stopped wearing socks to bed.

Thank you, Spring.  It's nice to have you around.

(Postscript:  I bought myself a piece of jewelry, of course!  It's been the featured piece on Carole's CJ Collection blog.  I love it!)

I Noticed the Pomp

Yes.

I watched the Royal Wedding.

Live.

Around 4:00 this morning, I texted the following to my mother:  "The guests are arriving!"

Mom and I had made plans to get up early and watch together.  But I admit that I was surprised when -- shortly after my text -- Mom did make her way over to my side of the house.

Her first words to me were, "Whose idea was this?"

But soon we were busy watching all of the people on TV.  The crowds lining the streets were quite impressive.  Suzy wrote on Facebook that she was "sitting between Big Ben and Westminster Abbey waiting for the William and Kate!"  I didn't expect to see Suzy on TV, but I looked for her anyway.

Mom and I got more than just a few chuckles over the hats.  Many of the hats seemed to defy gravity.  The most intriguing was that worn by Princess Beatrice.  (I just now read that her hat is being "mocked endlessly" online.)  I am not a fashion expert, but I understand her hat was one of 36 designed for the Royal Wedding by Philip Treacy.  It consisted of a vertical bow, "knotted" at the top of a vertical hollow oval, connected to a solid oval, which was attached to her head.  There were even curlicues coming down on the sides of the vertical oval.  I would post a picture of her taupe hat on my blog, but I don't wish to violate any Royal Wedding etiquette.

I've been trying to come up with something profound to say about the wedding itself.  I'm not having any luck, and what can I really say anyway?  The ceremony was simple and elegant.  The bride was stunning.  I watched right up to the balcony kiss (two kisses!) and the fly-overs.

Am I glad that I got up at 4:00 (yawn) a.m.?

You betcha!

Tornado Season

We Mainers are pretty blessed with our weather patterns.

Sure, it snows a lot in the winter.  We get some pretty nasty thunderstorms.  And occasionally, the latest hurricane will make an appearance.  But since I moved back home to Maine in 1996, I can think of only two separate times that a tornado has ever touched down here.  In fact I blogged about it in a post last July.

While ellipticalizing this morning, I watched some of the news coverage on the tornadoes that the Southern U.S. just experienced.  I couldn't believe the video footage.  The devastation was so sad to see.  And tragically, many lives were lost and some people were still missing.  My thoughts and prayers go out to those folks who have lost loved ones or lost their homes.

I was listening to a thunderstorm here within the last hour.  And it's still a little windy outside.  So it's not the greatest day weather-wise.

But, all in all, it's not so bad either.

Dad: Unedited XLII

(Well I, for one, am planning on getting up at 4:00 a.m. on Friday for the festivities.  I will be wearing my PJ's with the pastel-colored polka-dots.  Enjoy Dad's post!  --  Tracy)

Derf Here!  From an "Almost Spring" Northeast!  Please, let us have some sun!  I have no complaints about our weather as I watch the storms and devastation that are taking place throughout the rest of the country.  Prayers and concerns go out to the residents of those areas.  May the storms subside!! Peace, be still!

I received a phone call last evening from Josh as he was on his way home from baseball practice.  He just found out that he had made the school's seventh grade team and has a game today at 3:30 p.m.  We plan to be there (if it isn't raining).

Wanting to further my knowledge of how this happened, I phoned Deb this morning to learn the particulars.  It seems that the team is made up of 14 out of 32 tryouts.  Those who didn't make the squad will get to play on the developmental team.

Congratulations, Josh -- See you at the games!

I'm sure I'll keep you posted on the baseball season, be it good or bad.

As I sit here watching the T.V. screen I'm getting tired of all the hoopla about the upcoming wedding of "William the Prince" and his bride-to-be "Kate."  I am with Bill O'Reilly on this issue.  I care not what is happening within the "Royal Family."  They have no claim to fame in my opinion, except for being born into wealth.  History, I am told, tells us their wealth might not have been gained through legal measures.  Now, it seems, they are a burden on their country as supporting their lifestyle is quite costly.  I WILL NOT BE WATCHING THE CEREMONY!!  I'm sure I'll be unsuccessful as scenes will appear on all news shows.  I'll do my best to miss as much as possible.  Count me as a "fairy-tale hater."  Enough said!!

Sister Jean had a birthday a couple days ago.  I wish her a "Happy Belated Birthday."  I did call her for a chat on the correct day.  I'll make no mention of age or date of birth.  This should make her happy.  If you read "Mainely Tracy" about the birth of two new boys, you read about one of them being born into our family.  Sister Jean is a great-grandmother to Garrett and he is her third great-grandchild.  Congratulations to the family members involved.  At last check Missy and Garrett are well and Grandpa Robert and Grandma Carrie are handling the duties.  A "shout out" to all!

I rambled enough for this post, so until next time:

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Celebrating Life

Yesterday, two new little boys came into the world!

My cousin Robert's daughter, Missy, gave birth to Garrett.

And my friend Ruth gave birth to Daniel.

Lew and I had been praying for several days.  We were aware that both deliveries were going to be via C-section, so we were praying that mothers and babies would be happy and healthy when all was finished.

Last night we thanked God for these two little lives, for their parents, and for all of His goodness.

Welcome, Garrett and Daniel!  We pray that you will grow into men that love and serve Jesus.  Happy day after your birth!

"I'M IN" 113 Day Challenge

Our pastor presented a "Challenge to Change" once again this year.  It started on the first Sunday of January and ended yesterday on Easter Sunday.

Last year I shared my own progress.  This year I'm going to share a combined total for how Lew and I did, as that's how we submitted our data.  :)

-- 439 chapters of the Bible read.
-- 42.5 hours spent together in prayer.  (So, 85 hours turned in.)
-- 3 pounds lost.  (All by Lew!)
-- 400 miles walked or ran.  (Mostly elliptical machine miles.)
-- 78 people invited to attend church.  (Especially to the Easter program!)
-- We have a basic personal emergency fund (of at least $1,000) in place.
-- We tithe to our church.

Now that the challenge is over, we won't be tracking our progress as closely.

But, we're still "IN," of course!

Happy Easter!

Christ the Lord is risen today!  Hallelujah!

Yes!  He is risen.

He is risen indeed.

A celebration is in order, so have a glorious Easter!

One Down, One To Go

Despite the rain we had here today, we had a very nice turnout for our Easter presentation this afternoon.  It was a good opportunity for people that attend other churches to see our program, as most will go to their own churches on Easter morning.

We went out to eat with Matt, Emily, Dick, and Carole afterward.  Steak.  Yum.

Tomorrow morning we celebrate His resurrection!  One more time presenting our musical....

Have a Blessed Easter!

"Bought With the Precious Blood of Christ"

Tomorrow at 2:00 p.m., Lew and I will join the rest of our church choir in presenting our Easter Musical, "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross."

Then on Easter Sunday at 10:00 a.m., we will present it again.

We had nine songs to memorize.  We got the music in January, so we've had a lot of time to learn it -- although the older I get, the harder it is to commit things to memory!  But I think I'm ready.

I will end this Good Friday post with a verse from one of the songs, In Christ Alone.

"In Christ alone, who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless Babe.
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save.
Till on that Cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied.
For ev'ry sin on Him was laid,
Here in the death of Christ I live."

Easy, Shmeasy

A couple weeks ago, Lew and I picked up a device from our cell phone carrier that will strengthen the cell signal in our home.

The sales representative that waited on us said that he would associate the device with our account.  We stood around while he did this.

Then he told us how to activate it once we got it home.  And once it was activated, he said that we could plug it into an electrical outlet anywhere in our house -- no other cables necessary.  "Easy," he said.

I followed his instructions.

It did not work.

I read the user manual and followed the troubleshooting instructions.

It did not work.

I then left it (and its box) sitting under our keyboard in the living room.  After several days of seeing it there, I decided that today would be the day.

While trying to follow the original instructions, I took extreme measures to get it working

It did not work.

Then it occurred to me that perhaps I should go online and see if this device was actually attached to our account.  It was NOT!  I'm not sure what the guy at the store did, but it certainly wasn't what he led us to believe that he did.

Shortly afterward, it worked!  Hooray!

I then tried to plug it into a different electrical outlet in our house -- no other cables necessary, right?!

It no longer worked.

As I refused to call our cell phone carrier's help desk, I re-read the user manual and did some Internet research.

My research led me to believe that the "other cable" was indeed necessary.  So I hooked it back up, but in a different spot that would work for the "other cable."

It works!  Hooray!

And in case you're wondering, the device was FREE.  Otherwise, I would have probably returned it before today!

Dad: Unedited XLI

(I recall my first ride on the back of my father's Honda 200.  I was holding on to Dad so hard, I'm surprised that I didn't crack a couple of his ribs.  I don't believe I rode much with him after that, if at all!  Enjoy his post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the snowless coast of Southern Maine!  However, the weatherman is predicting some snow up North tomorrow.  Just rain here!  Thanks!

Doodle Bug, Whizzer, Cushman Scooter, Czechs and Hondas are the subject for today.  All are self-propelled two-wheel vehicles.  They were all used by me while growing up (except Hondas -- these were part of my adult life).

As a kid growing up, Dad had two motorcycles from Czechoslovakia (1948 & 1949).  We called them "Czechs."  Cousin Alvah ended up with the 1949 and Dad kept the 1948.  It was a great mode of transportation for me.  More about that later as I had no license!  All cycles were properly licensed!

Also available to me during the "pre-license Czech" days were various other motorized rides.  The Doodle Bug was a very small vehicle.  It was not much larger than a circus clown cycle.  It was fun to ride but was not very powerful.  The Whizzer was nothing more than a bicycle with a motor on it.  One could even help the engine out by peddling.  I recently went to an auction and bid on a Whizzer that sold for $1700.  It was worth the money but not to me.

I had a couple crashes with the Cushman Scooter.  The scooter had a sidecar.  After trying to drive the scooter with sidecar, I have great respect for those riders I see on the highways with sidecars.  One day I was in the store's backyard and was practicing turning to the right while lifting the sidecar off the ground.  I was fooling around.  This resulted in a smashed headlight.  As I brought the sidecar back to earth, I was late and ran into the back of Dad's old dump truck.  Headlight smashed!  Also one day I decided to give a cousin (Malcolm Holland) a ride.  As we went down Pleasant Avenue I wanted to turn a little left, but with the extra weight in the sidecar I couldn't do it.  I ran the side car right into the telephone pole.  Speed was not a factor so no injuries occurred.  All I had to do was turn left but I wanted to lean left as I do on cycles.  I did have some fun on the scooter but never "mastered" the sidecar.  Hence the respect for riders with sidecars.

Between the ages of 12-15 I rode the Czech quite a bit until one day.  I was 14 at the time and was riding down Main Street towards the store.  In my mirror I saw a blue license plate of a State Trooper.  Needless to say, I reacted.  I properly signalled for a right turn and proceeded down State Street.  No cop following so I relaxed a bit.  I continued riding a bit but was more selective where I rode.  Then one day a local cop told me they were aware of my activities and were on the lookout for me cycling around.  The cop lived close to the store (three blocks away).  I took Officer Bob Rae's advice and stopped riding as I would be license-eligible in about one month.  I got my license 10 days after I turned 15 and went to the stock car races at Sanford Speedway that evening (in my Model A pickup).  No more worries of driving without a license.  Didn't need a special motorcycle license back then.  At times I wonder why Dad let me ride without a license.  Well, it really doesn't matter now.

Dad also had a 1928 Harley at the time.  It was way too big for me and had two seats with a handle to hang onto for the rear seat.  Alvah rode it once.  The clutch slipped out and he went over a stone wall.  He never tried it again.  He stayed with the Czech.

Around 1970 Dad picked up a used Honda 150.  I think he got it from one of his tenants.  I got it from Dad and traded it in for a brand new Honda 200.  By now one needed a motorcycle license.  I took the test and still have my cycle license.  I don't know if I'll ever use it, but if necessary, I have it.  I didn't ride that much and I sold the bike around 1978.  This ended my motorcycle career to this day.  Who knows what the future holds?  Only "the Shadow knows."

Until next time;

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

P.S.  There are two large cycles in our garage now.  Lew and Glen own the bikes, and Glen's will be gone shortly for the summer months.  So, both local sons-in-law have bikes, so why not me???  I doubt it!

A Chilly Morning

On cold days, we set our thermostat to 72 degrees.  This will usually warm the house up to 70 degrees.  Before heading upstairs to bed each night, one of us checks that the thermostat is lowered to 68.

This morning when I came downstairs I thought that it was unusually cold in the house.  When I went to look at the thermostat, I saw that it had been set to 65, not 68.  The temperature reading was 62!  Brrrr....

Who could have done such a thing?

And for once, I am not picking on my husband....I admit that I was the culprit.  :(

But if the warm weather would actually STAY, then it would not have been an issue.  But pretty soon.... pretty soon....

The Backs of My Eyelids

How long must a person stare at the computer screen before she realizes that she is too tired to come up with a good blog post?

I just sat for probably at least a minute with my hands resting on the keyboard while my eyes -- although open -- were not really functioning!  A little glazed over....

And I just heard Lew yawning upstairs.  He's already in bed, reading the recent issue of WORLD Magazine.

So, I think I'll turn my laptop off, head upstairs, put my PJ's on, and crawl under the covers.  And no matter how tired I am, I always need to read a bit before I can fall asleep.  But it won't take long tonight!

Thanks for reading "Mainely Tracy."

G'night!

Long, Long Day....

Today was quite a busy day for me.

Lew and I sang a duet for special music in both church services this morning (in addition to singing in the choir).

Then we both had a 12:30 meeting at church.

After the 12:30 meeting, Lew went to visit his mother, while I stayed at church for another meeting.

I ended up getting home sometime after 4:30.  I don't remember the exact time, but I do know that the Red Sox game was already over.  (They won again.  Hooray!)

The evening was spent doing all of the things that I normally do during the afternoon.  This blog post is my last "to-do" item....
....other than giving Pepper her "nite-nite" goodies!

The Trifecta

Dad just came over to mention three things that made this a wonderful day.  Lew and I were both in agreement.  In fact, I was planning on making it the subject of my blog post!  Here goes:

1)  The Red Sox won!  They are only 3-10, but that's better than 2-11.

2)  Lew made spaghetti.

3)  Dad, Lew, and I had our first ice cream of the season from the Dairy Corner.  Dad had a Score Nor'Easter (with Chocolate ice cream).  Lew had a Banana Fruit Sundae (with Butter Pecan ice cream).  And I had a medium-sized dish of Extreme Chocolate ice cream.

Try and top that!

Oooh! Can I Drive??!!

I heard some noise out in front of my house around noon-ish today.  When I looked outside, I thought that perhaps one of the Transformers (from the movie) had lost its little sidekick!

The guy driving this little buggy was backing into our driveway to turn around.  The thing was bobbing every which way as it changed directions.  It reminded me of how an old robot might move.  (Not that I have ever seen an old robot.)

This funny little vehicle was being used to sweep the sidewalks.  Upon further inspection, I saw that it said "S150" on the side.  It also said "Bobcat."  I had to google it, of course.

I learned that the Bobcat S150 is a Skid-Steer Loader.  According to the Bobcat website, "The S150 is a great entry-level skid-steer loader. Its compact size gets into tight areas."

I saw several of them for sale online, but I think I'll pass on purchasing one.

It sure looked fun, though!

Good Intentions

For the first time this Spring, I sat out on our porch for a while today.  The sun was shining, and it wasn't windy.  I was plenty warm enough with my jacket on.

I wanted to do some reading while on the porch.

I was so comfortable.

I did very little reading.

It is hard to read with your eyes closed!

Dad: Unedited XL

(From a Tom Lehrer song:  "I think the loveliest time of the year is the spring!"  Enjoy Dad's post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the almost 'snowless' Northeast!  The snow is gone from most properties in our area.  We can, however, see some snow cover as we gaze out our windows and look at "Ken's Place" (a local eatery) as they had large snowbanks before opening a couple weeks ago.  The snow will be gone in a couple more days.

Spring has sprung!  Yippeeee!  However, the snow will still be available for skiing through Easter weekend.  A full six months of skiing for two years in a row.  Remarkable!  This is up in the Northern part of our state.

Josh's team played its last baseball game and won 11-3.  They ended the year undefeated.  Josh pitched a scoreless inning and had a couple hits.  An enjoyable time was had by all.  Now we await outdoor baseball and lacrosse for Zachary.  This all starts in a couple weeks.  We're ready for it to begin.

Lew has his motorcycle out and polished up.  He has taken his first ride (not very far, but enough to get the old enthusiasm working).

It was early evening a couple days ago and out in our yard it sounded like a motorcycle gang was approaching.  Looking out the window we saw a group of four questionable individuals riding their cycles in our yard.  Upon further examination we noticed the riders were not part of a notorious gang but were friendly.  It was family friend Lonny Martin along with Lew & Tracy's pastor, his wife and their son Norman.

We all took the time to go look over the cycles and the leathered gang.  They had been on a short ride and were making visitation rounds.

I'm sure the above group will be out again soon and by then Lew will join them on his cycle.  Also, Glen will be removing his cycle from our garage and will be joining the crew.  A wonderful way to spend some time touring the countryside!

Seeing these cycles and their riders reminded of my times on the two-wheeled motor driven machines.  I never had a large machine but grew up with several cycles, the last of which I sold in the mid-1980s.

My next post will be about a 'doodle-bug,' a 'Cushman,' a 'whizzer,' a 'Czech,' and a 'Honda.'  All of the above are two-wheeled vehicles that I have had experience (good and bad) with while operation of said vehicles.

Tune in next week to enjoy my revelations.

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Front Page News

Lew and I subscribe to The Portland Press Herald, our local daily newspaper.

We both enjoy reading the comics.  I like to do the puzzles.  We read the obituaries.

I find the rest of the newspaper to be quite tedious.  I scan the headlines and read only the articles that I am interested in.

There were five stories on the front page of today's paper.  Here are the headlines and my musings on each one:

A GROWTH INDUSTRY:  Marijuana State University
Medicinal marijuana is now legal in Maine.  This article is about a guy who illegally grew it for almost 30 years.  Now he's getting paid to teach others how to do it.  (Hmmm...maybe my new career can be to grow high-quality marijuana.  Now there's a thought....)

Maine's AG:  LePage had right to take down mural
In case MuralGate didn't make the national news, this is referring to our current governor's decision to remove a "labor-themed" mural from the state Department of Labor's headquarters.  The mural had a communist/socialist feel to it.  And in my opinion, it was quite ugly.  But from the uproar, you would think that Gov. LePage had ordered that the Mona Lisa be removed.  This is a classic case of making a mountain out of a mole hill.  And I'm sick of hearing about it.

Bills to loosen gun laws have opponents fired up
So, I didn't really read this article.  But I'm always amazed that people think that tougher gun laws will cut down on crime.  Ummm... isn't that what criminals do?  Break the law?  Looser gun laws will help law-abiding citizens defend themselves.  Again, my opinion.  (In the interest of full disclosure:  I am not a member of the NRA, but my husband is!)

LIVING A DREAM:  "Real World" Mainer says he's bounced back from mistakes
This article is about a guy from Maine who's currently on "The Real World," which is an MTV reality show.  Didn't read it.  Don't care.

No distress call made by pilot in Biddeford crash
Sadly, the pilot died.  But fortunately, the pilot was the only casualty -- other than the house that the plane plunged into.  The owners of the home were thankfully not home at the time.

And thus ends my summary of Page A1.

Fascinating.

Organize-athon Update

I am now 11 days into the Organize-athon that I am taking part in for the month of April.

So far, I am doing quite well.  But I must admit that over half of the tasks have been quite easy for me.  I guess that I am pretty organized already!  Still, it's been a good experience.  (And I even found a potato masher, as you may recall from an earlier post.)

My Aunt Jean told me that she also signed up for the Organize-athon after reading my original post about it.  I recently asked her how she was doing.  Her response:

"By the time I get my trash bag out and opened most of my 5 minutes are gone, and then throwing away things which some call clutter but I don't makes the rest of the minutes left disappear."

I have determined that the key to my aunt's difficulty lies in the phrase "things which some call clutter but I don't."

Lest my aunt think that I am picking on her... I'm not!  I think this is a problem for almost everybody.  You see something and you remember, "Oh, so-and-so gave that to me," or it reminds you of a fun trip that you took.  Or you've had it for so long that you're afraid to get rid of it because it might be worth something but you have no idea how much but you still don't dare get rid of it just because it might be worth something....

And sometimes the reason might be merely the following:  You like it.  And that's OK, in my opinion!

So, I really have no good advice for my aunt.  Except to go back and re-read my post about the potato masher.  Sometimes less is more!

It's a Small World

After church today, we celebrated a lovely couple's 50th wedding anniversary.  Their children had planned this surprise party.  Friends and family of the couple, as well as the entire church family, were invited to attend.

While walking toward the "card basket" (to drop in our card), I saw two people that I have known since I was a kid.  The interesting thing about this encounter is that this couple does not go to our church, nor do they live nearby.  So I was very surprised to see them!

I know Sis and Roy because they are long-time friends of my Aunt Debbie.  It turns out that they were in the wedding party of the marriage that we were celebrating today!

Lew and I also saw another couple that we knew from a church that we previously attended.  They were in the wedding party, too.  And Roy is a cousin to one of them!

Another interesting tidbit is that Lew used to work with Roy's brother.

Did you get all that??!!

It really was a "small world" day!

Another Sign of Spring

Lew went on his first motorcycle ride of the season today!

He didn't go for very long a ride.  In fact, when he got home he lamented its brevity.  I told him, "Then go back out."  But he didn't, because he was hungry.

My advice to Lew for his next ride:
Eat lunch first!

A Worthy Goal

If I had to pick the highlight of my day, well... I just couldn't.  There are too many things to choose from.  Here are just a few....

The weather is really getting much nicer.  I enjoyed a fine walk with my friend Ellen this morning.  It was wonderful to be outdoors!

There is a new Chinese food restaurant up at the corner.  Mom and I went and picked up some lunch there today.  Yummy!

The Red Sox finally won a game!  They beat the Yankees, 9-6.  (Phew.  I was starting to wonder if they were going to go 0-162 for the season.)

The Dairy Corner (up at the corner of our road) opened today.  Although we didn't buy anything there yet, it's still another sign that the area is coming back to life after the long winter.

And... drum roll, please... Lew and I got Pier Fries tonight!  This is where the title of this post comes in.  When buying our box of Pier Fries, we also got a "Frequent Fryer" card -- buy 9 boxes, and get the 10th box free.  So, one down, eight to go before we earn that 10th box.  Lew told me that this is "a worthy goal."

Ah, spring....  :)

Chocolate Chip Cheesecake

I am not known for my domesticity, but today I am sharing a recipe with you.  It is a recipe that my mother claims she got from my Aunt Debbie's friend Carolyn.

I have actually made this dessert quite a bit -- often enough that my friend Kimmee remembered it and recently asked me for the recipe.

Kimmee's church just had a pie auction as a fundraiser for Japan earthquake relief.  She made two pie plates of this, and I hear that it went for big bucks!

Here's the recipe, just as I got it from my mother over 25 years ago.  And it is yummy!

CHOCOLATE CHIP CHEESECAKE
325 degrees for 40 minutes

Ingredients:
2 pkgs. Pillsbury Chocolate Chip Cookie mix rolls
1 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese
1 3-oz. pkg. cream cheese
2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

Step 1: Flatten 1 pkg. cookie mix in 9 in x 13 in pan. (May want to keep a bowl of water nearby . . . Steps 1 & 4 are easier if you keep your hands wet!)

Step 2: Add to top of cookie mix the following mixture:
cream cheese
eggs
sugar & vanilla (Mix well until smooth -- may need to beat. Cream cheese should be soft.)

Step 3: Flatten 2nd roll cookie mix in palm of hands and put on top of cheese mixture, filling it up in patches.

Step 4: Bake. Chill.

Dad: Unedited XXXIX

(I explained to Dad that the four losses still count in the standings.  He knew that, of course.  Enjoy his post!  -- Tracy)

Derf Here!  From the 'cool' Northeast.  I still look out and see snow -- but it is disappearing.  Great!

Portland area received about 6 inches of snow on April 1st.  Other places in the state received up to 15 inches.  A really great April Fools Day prank by our 'mother' (AKA Nature).

Here are some snow stats I'll share with you.  Our normal snow to-date is 63.3 inches.  This year we've had over 80 inches.  Last year at this time we had only 37 inches.  So one might say this winter has been slightly more miserable than last year.

Today it is sunny and about 44 degrees.  However, the wind makes it feel a lot cooler.  Please, Spring, come to Maine!!  We are ready.

The professional baseball season is upon us and our beloved Red Sox have started in the hole by going 0-4.  I'm not worried as the season doesn't begin in my mind until the home opener on Friday.  Of course it will be a game with the 'evil' New York Yankees.  I still say the BoSox will win it all this year.  There is not a chance for failure.  So there!  I said it!  I have been wrong several times.

Spent a lot of time watching the 'final fours' (both men & women).  I was torn between UConn and Butler so I can live with UConn as I like Jim Calhoun (Coach).  Texas A&M won the women's championship and Baylor can say they beat the national champion 3 (three) times during the year.  If Notre Dame had won, UConn could have said they beat the champion 3 (three) times during the season.  Incredible as it sounds, women's basketball has a champion that lost 3 (three) times to the same team during the season.  This will never happen again.  It might; I don't know.

Pepper just crossed over me to look out the window to watch our squirrel eat some delicious walnuts and peanuts.  Seems to be enjoying them.  I just banged the window to chase off the crows.  They left and the squirrel is back and finishing off the food.

I must stop this rambling now to have my much-anticipated lovely salad for lunch before using the elliptical machine for today's workout.  My weight is now in the mid 250's.  Remember I started at 300.  Still looking to lose enough to gain my 'greek god' status.  I hope I make it.

Until next time;

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

An Avoided Subject

Last Friday I wrote with great excitement about the beginning of the baseball season.

As of this moment, my beloved Red Sox have a record of 0-3.

After the second loss, one of our friends from church wrote the following on Facebook:  "just remind yourself there are 160 of these left.....lol."  Was that supposed to be of comfort?

After the third loss, I replied:  "I'm reminding myself that there are 159 of these left."

I have deliberately not mentioned the Red Sox on my blog for the past few days.  Too painful.

After a day off yesterday, the team is back on the field tonight.

Hopefully they will finally have something other than a "0" in the "Win" column.

So... dare I say it???  Go Sox!!

(Postscript:  I just leafed through the most recent Sports Illustrated magazine.  They are picking the Red Sox to win the World Series this year.  Is that the kiss of death?  Oh, but I do hope S.I. turns out to be right!)

Tale As Old As Time

Lew and I went on a date after church yesterday.  We went to "the theater."

The Scarborough Middle School performed a junior version of the musical Beauty and the Beast.  The Disney movie is one of my all-time favorites, so I was really interested in seeing this particular show.  And a major plus was that a couple of the kids from our church were in it!

It was not quite an hour and a half long, and there was no intermission.  So, it was just like going to a movie -- but without the popcorn, as Lew pointed out.

We both really enjoyed the production.  It's a wonderful story, and the kids did a great job with it.

I feel very "cultured" today!

Didn't Know We Had One

Lew and I cleaned out the kitchen utensil drawers today.  We have three of these drawers:  a complete drawer in the kitchen, the front section of our silverware drawer, and a complete drawer in the buffet table in the dining room.

As we were emptying the over-crowded drawer in the buffet table, I pulled out something that I was surprised to see.

A potato masher.

When Emily was coordinating the preparation of our Thanksgiving Dinner last fall, she asked if we had a potato masher.  I didn't think we did.  Lew thought, "Maybe," but he couldn't find it.

Sometimes "less" is "more," and we definitely learned that today!

(Postscript:  Sorry, Em!)

Lew Makes a Yummy Dinner

Today I would just like to write how much I appreciate my sweet husband.

He is not only my "best-est" of friends, but he makes a pretty mean spaghetti dinner!

He made spaghetti tonight, feeding the two of us and my parents.

He even cleaned up the kitchen afterward.

I am SO spoiled!

Play (Snow) Ball!

The hype about the winter storm expected for today actually turned out to be true.  I awoke to hearing school cancellations on my radio.

It looks like there is still a light snowfall at the moment, but for the most part the storm is over.

So, after my busy week, it sure turned out to be a good day to stay home and lie low.

I am posting a bit earlier than normal.  I am anxiously awaiting the time of 4:05 p.m.  That is when the Red Sox play their first official game of the 2011 season.

The Red Sox website has a countdown to game time.  I'm waiting....

I can hardly stand it.

Go Sox!

(Postscript:  The baseball game is in Arlington, Texas.  Hopefully it's not snowing there!)