Everything nice . . .

http://theresahoneywell.com/home.html Please take a look at this hand knit motorcycle cozy. Cool beansies!

And time is running . . .

Can't believe that it's almost time to go back North. Always at home here in LA with son, his wife and puppy. We'll have filet mignon and rib eyes on the grill tonight with baked potatoes, salad and wine. My puzzle is finally complete because daughter-in-law felt sorry for me and helped me out last night. Good thing. I had messed up some sky pieces and she had to struggle to clean up the mess. I also had "lost" 7 pieces but found them in the bag in the box. Gee, I'd better be more careful when I empty out the pieces and make sure I have all 1,000 and not 993! Bummer! I need the Kiddo to keep me on the straight and narrow. Tomorrow Miss M and I will head out to the book store and lunch before we end the day at a crawfish boil. Very relaxing days in the South.

Another gracefully southern day . . .

Went for a nice long ride with two of the three men in my life! We drove on Lake Ponchartrain going from North to South and stopped in Metarie, LA for lunch at Corky's Ribs & BBQ. So neat riding across a lake for about 20 miles and eating dry ribs, BBQ Pork Jumbo Sandwich, and a Catfish Dinner to top it off. Very cool. Have to try to finish my puzzle soon so I don't have to break it up without completing it. That would be devastating!

Of woodpeckers, bull frogs, beautiful evenings . . .

This is a great beginning to the day. I am Lordess of the Manor! All and sundry are out working or playing and I get to be home with puppy and the beautiful clear, dry, sunny day . . . at least until about noon! Then we'll go to Chris' to pick up dinner for tonight. I expect we'll get a couple of boned, stuffed chickens and a southern side but have no clue what we'll choose. It's always fun to go to the meat market because they have so much that we don't get at home: smothered corn, crawfish pie, crawfish & corn soup, stuffed rabbit, whole stuffed quail, tur-duck-en, stuffed rib eyes, boudin balls, stuffed pork chops with shrimp, stuffed deboned chicken with crawfish dressing, bell peppers with shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, crawfish etouffee, shrimp and crab fettuccini et cetera. It's always a double "Wow!" trip.

Puppy's Pop and son flew one of the smaller planes last evening and when they weren't going round and down in significant patterns one could hear the woodpeckers knocking and the bull frogs croaking. Did have a bit of a bug problem but if you use a lot of Off you can keep them under control!

Grampa and I went to visit two plantation homes. One was just OK and the other was magnificently restored. The first was The Myrtles. "Long recognized as America's most haunted house both by parapsychologists and the media, The Myrtles is a twenty-eight-room Louisiana bed-and-breakfast once owned by Frances Kermeen. . . . Frances tells the story of how she was drawn to this former plantation mansion, its bone-chilling history, and the incredible encounters of the ghostly kind she had that forever changed her beliefs about the supernatural," We were only allowed to tour about 10 rooms, all on the first floor and although the guide was a nice young woman I thought the tour was a bit of a boor. But she had her stories to tell and I bought the book written by a former owner. It does have a very varied and interesting history and was used as a hospital for the Confederates during the Civil War. Then, as we were passing by the entrance to Rosedown on our way back to Slaughter, Grampa thought we should take it in. I am so glad that we did. The main house was constructed in 1834-1835. The most surprising thing is that most of the furnishings purchased by the Turnbulls remained with the house and are still on display. It was amazing to be allowed to go into each room and look at everything without being cordoned off. The Park Ranger who showed us around, just the two of us, played the piano for us in the music room. Most startling is that the Turnbull family members sold the old plantation in 1956 to Catherine Underwood a very oil rich woman and amateur horticulturalist. She did an eight-year, over $10,000,000, historic restoration of the house and formal gardens. I believe that it was in 2000 that Louisiana bought the gardens, 13 buildings and 371 acres that remained of the Rosedown Plantation. The clothes, bedding, writings and furniture are in wonderful condition because the last Turnbull to live there died in 1955 and proper records were kept of everything. Truly worth visiting again. The gardens cover about 28 acres and using Martha Turnbull's garden diaries the gardens were returned to their original state.

Perhaps tomorrow we'll take a ride on Lake Pontchartrain!

Lots done . . .

Had a get ready for pool weather day! All and sundry helped as we prepared the back yard for summer in April! That's a "Wow!" for sure. The place looks so nice and Puppy's Pop and son still have the old stumps burning off so the mowing will be easier. Had a pizza delivery night because no one was in a cooking mood. Don't get to do that at home so this is a sweet break!

Puppy has had a bladder infection and decided she wasn't going to drink, again! I did my Pavlov imitation this morning while all others are off at work or flying. I had Puppy come outside on the front porch with me and a tennis ball. We played fetch for quite a bit. While she did the fetching the cardinals were singing to her, " Good girl, good girl!" I brought her in and took the ball away. She wasn't very happy about that but . . . I wouldn't give it back to her until she drank from the fresh and iced water. It worked! It took her a bit to figure out what I wanted but it worked. Smart puppy!

Have to look up where I want to go tomorrow with Grampa. Maybe a Civil War memorial . . not sure yet. There are still many plantations we haven't visited, one that's haunted! I'll have to get working on my plans!

A southern day . . .

Went for about a two mile walk in the neighborhood the other evening and met some small, but ugly dogs. Two of them followed us on our rounds, one a hairless something or other. There are so many dogs in the area that there was barking everywhere we went and then a bull dog came out and chased the little guys back home! Most of the dogs are fenced in, thank goodness, because they are huge hunting animals. I really thought that if one of the blood hounds had made it over his fence he could have snapped me up as a small morsel for a bedtime snack! But he would probably only have sniffed around and told his handler I wasn't worth a damn!

Before leaving for the Lia Sophia Jewelry Party daughter-in-law and I were out on the front porch watching the lightening strikes and listening to the immediate booming thunder. She told me that we were going to the Party at the home of a couple who had had a lightening strike in their backyard just last week! I was almost tempted to back out of the party! When we arrived at Kirsten home her husband showed us the tree that had been struck and the ditch the lightening had made as it went underground and ended up at their gas line! They don't use gas in their home and that's a good thing or it might have exploded. Kirsten was home when it struck and it knocked everything off of the wall on that side of the house besides melting some of the siding and breaking the windshield on her car. She said the crash was so loud that she fell to the floor and was absolutely petrified! Impressive and that wasn't considered much of a hit!

I was pleasantly surprised by the party itself. We were only about 6 people but with a few outside sales included they sold about $1000 worth. The jewelry was strikingly exciting, interesting and handsome. I didn't buy at the party because I'm going to get a couple of pieces through our daughter-in-law so she can make the profit from the sales. I did win a pair of silver earrings! Pretty neat!

Went to breakfast in East Baton Rouge at Frank's where everyone had stopped in after church! What a crowd but they got us in and out in no time flat. Good food, good company and as their logo states, "It's all good!"

Time to read the Sunday Advocate while Puppy's Pop and son are burning off some tree stumps. It's amazing what you can do down here and no one bothers you. I love it!

Mississippi mud . . . superior!

Yes, yes, yes. I did it. I got a chance to play in the Mississippi mud today. Puppy's Pop, son and myself went for a ride in the rental car up around St. Francisville and the Tunica Hills. We ended up on some very curvy dirt roads that parallel the Great River. I was so impressed. The River must be about a mile across and serene on the banks but rushing down the middle. We walked down to the river which was just a bit out of its banks and I put my hands in the Muddy Mississippi. Sounds crazy but it was enthralling to touch such a powerful force. Earth is such a grand place to live. How can you not be happy with the beauty and power that surrounds you? Tried to dig up what may have been a couple of clams but they must have been way down under the mud. No success. On the way back we drove by vast areas of wild flowers, live oaks and pines, bridges only wide enough for one car, cattle, horses (one horse's tail was swishing on the side of the road, thought it might actually clean some of the dust off of the car!) The poor little car looks like an ad for Subaru where the car is caked with mud and people are marveling as it comes by in the parade. Puppy's Pop and son have gone to a new flying field so they can test one of the planes that we leave here in case of emergencies such as a need to fly! This evening we'll go out to dinner in Baton Rouge to celebrate daughter-in-law's Associate Degree in Business. She's already started on her BS. What a lot of work! She's doing a great job.

Soon . . .

Puppy's Pop has already caught two trout since fishing season opened Saturday but I'm grateful that he returned them to the river. I'll eat trout but it's not my favorite meal. This way he has fun fishing and I have fun not cooking. It works! Have our bags just about packed and our boarding passes printed. I'm excited to be on our way quite soon.

Dropped off the keys to Puppy's Pop's younger brother and wife this morning. Had a nice visit and then went to the Dog Track to walk. I was able to walk quite well today. I hope that lasts. Grampa walked a couple of rounds with me because it was really too windy for flying. He just got in one flight as it was rough going. We'll be leaving the asparagus, chives and rhubarb behind but well cared for and eaten. The lawn is newly mowed and looks great.

Quote: One's age should be tranquil, as childhood should be playful. __Hard work at either extremity of life seems out of place. __At mid-day the sun may burn, and men labor under it; but the morning and evening should be alike calm and cheerful. __Arnold

Breezy day . . .

Just strolling along. Have to share the road in Denali with the wild life!

Decided to walk inside today. It's so windy. Can't wait get where it will be warm and sunny without the gale winds! Grampa is watching the postponed races and I'm just straightening things out. Was almost ready to leave for my Doctor's appointment this morning when the office called and canceled! They don't know when they'll reschedule. That seems rather odd. I'm hoping the Doctor's not sick. Since I had expected to see younger brother and his wife I made the trip to Norwich and visited with them and their two beautiful grand children. It was a very pleasant visit. I'll call older brother in a bit because he and his wife will be leaving for Turkey soon and then they'll go to Texas for a few weeks. Won't be seeing them for a couple of months so I want to say "Bon Voyage!"

Quote: Poetry is the music of thought, conveyed to us in the music of language. __Chatfield

Success . . . and . . . great sadness

Fire weed.

This has been a most incredible day. Middle child's husband absolutely thoroughly enjoyed Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale. I was so happy that they had a great time. It was the first time that son-in-law has ever been to the theatre and so this was a great experience for him. He was so enthusiastic when they got back to Groton. I was tickled pink.

But . . . I've just received an email from a good friend in Costa Rica. Carol Rose, Grampa's cousin James' wife died yesterday in South Carolina. I'm completely blown away by this. Carol and I taught at KHS together for many, many years; their daughter, a former French student, works at one of the Doctor's offices I go to in Norwich and James is one of my Facebook buddies. They can't be more than 2 years older that Grampa and I. The last I knew Carol and James were going to be in a dragon boat race near Murrells Inlet, SC. Something must have gone terribly wrong.

So, this is a "Phew day."

Quote: Cueillz des aujourd'hui les roses de la vie. __Pierre de Ronsard

Once before in Paris . . .

This one will still be used when the rangers stay at the cabin.

Weather was not very good yesterday or today but we did manage to spend most of Friday out of doors. Kiddo insisted that Grampa and I go for a walk to the cemetery on Grove Street. And so off we went. Kiddo walked on the lower wall as we strolled along and all was well with the world. Then the unthinkable . . . a bird crapped on me! Right down the arm of my just washed old LLBean barn jacket. (Perhaps that's why it's called a barn jacket? Birds nest in barns and then crap on barn jackets? Gee, I just bought a brand new one! Poops. {Pun intended}) The last, and I had hoped only, time that a bird shat on me was as I sat on a bench in front of La Cathedrale de Nore Dame de Paris. I was told it meant good luck. It was a mess then and it was a mess yesterday. Disgusting birds. I hope a third time isn't "a charm!" Oh what I don't do for that kid. He and Grampa thought nothing of it. I alone had to suffer the indignity. On top of that they decided we had to walk all the way up to the top of the hill, come down and then do it all over again. Gee, that was fun! Grampa also caddied for the golf game, got beat at street hockey, 20 -19, and we also managed to get to the playground at the Little League Field before the rains sent us in doors painting, making puzzles and playing card games. I'm still pooped today!

I'll go to Groton tomorrow because I gave middle child the tickets to see Chazz Palminteri in A Bronx Tale. She and hubby will go and I'll be with the kids. I think we'll spend our day reading and playing the Wii. I do hope the play is good. I don't think that son-in-law has been to the theatre before and this is a one man show, not too easy to see as a first timer! Keeping my fingers crossed. The Providence Journal gave it a very good write up.

Quote: Friendship is the shadow of the evening, which strengthens with the setting sun of life. __La Fontaine

In Kiddo World . . .

What's left of an old dog house, if I remember correctly.

Middle child was so happy to see me yesterday. She said, " Take him, take him now and be gone!" Had to laugh. Still so much fun. We went to Toys R'us to get a new Bakugan for me because, naturellement je ne suis qu'une memere, and I don't know how to pick them out! While there I also bought Kiddo a set of golf clubs, all metal not plastic and sized just right and of course we needed new balls to play street hockey when we're in Moosup. Then spent a good part of the day at the beautiful Groton playground where there were so many kids, parents, grandparents and nannies that we had to park on the grass! He had a ball just playing around with other kids but not interacting too much. He's not bold or pushy but surprisingly nice with others. I say surprisingly because many kids just push past others or shove kids aside. He's not that way one single bit. When we got home we unpacked the new clubs and headed for the big field behind the old school near his house. He now knows the names of his clubs and when to use them. I'm only the caddy! He starts out with his driver using a tee, naturally, then switches to his 5 iron before he's close enough to the pin when he switches to the 9 iron and finally his putter. He pretends that whatever he is finally close to is the cup! Keeps me in stitches. For supper he wasn't hungry but I was so I told him I was going to get something from Pizza Today which is right near his school. He explained that the best pizza comes from Pizza Palace. When I asked if he'd eat Pizza Palace pizza he said, "It's the best memere. I'll eat it." What to do? I ordered it; we picked it up and the little stinker ate at least 4 slices during the evening. Big brother and I had some too so that by 8:30 there was nothing left of the large plain pizza. He's right; it is excellent pizza!

OK That's it for now. I have to be off to see what Kiddo World holds for us today.

Quote: Sweet, silent rhetoric of persuading eyes. __Davenant

Amazing Moosup . . .

Keeps the bears out!

Found a jelly bean aficionado. The best waitress at Lizzy B's is waiting for me to bring her some promised buttered pop corn jellies! That's good because I really shouldn't eat them all myself. I have 24 little bags of them. One bean is only 4 calories so if you're careful and only eat 4 a day that's pretty negligible.

Grampa stopped to gas up the Saturn at Bestway in downtown Moosup and I waited in the car. It was before 9 o'clock but I was still amazed at the tons of traffic rolling through town. Yikes! We've become a metropolis! (Maybe because we have so many gas stations!) Big Y has a new way to use their gold and silver coins. You can go to the Sunoco station right across from Wood's old place and get .05 off per gallon on 20 gallons with a silver coin or .20 off per gallon with a gold coin. It won't make much difference for my car because I always get .04 off at Bestway but it'll be great for the Dodge Ram when Grampa uses the gold coin. Since Big Y no longer has any other colors for their coins I get gold coins quite often. Good deal!

Puppy's Pop is off to the transfer station with all of the junk he bagged yesterday from the Dog Track. He's even stopping at the neighbor's house to pick up his junk. Pretty nice guy! Speaking of houses the little one across the street from us, built on a postage stamp piece of land, is for sale for $160,000. That is ludicrous. There is no land and just a tiny house, although the house seems to be in fairly good shape.

Off to Groton soon and probably the playground. Kiddo has this week off and he spent Monday and Tuesday helping out at the Lounge! He loves to be there with his Mom and really does help her.

Quote: (Found this in the book I'm reading, The Picture of Dorian Gray. Interesting and I believe quite true.) "Children begin by loving their parents; as they grow older they judge them; sometimes they forgive them." --Oscar Wilde

Lots of little stuff . . .

Off to a good start today! Haircut at 9am and my lady was a bit late so had a short walk on Maple Street. As I was leaving, after she cut my hair nice and short, she gave me a very pretty bouquet of Spring flowers. That was really nice of her. I had lent her husband my book Sciatica Relief and he kept it for a few months so she was really saying "Thank you!" I was glad to get the book back because Grampa and I have been having some attacks lately! Norma's husband is going to give me a copy of the exercises his specialist gave him. Perhaps that'll help!

Puppy's Pop filled the back of the Dodge with junk he picked up at the Dog Track. It's incredible how nasty people are. They can bring their garbage to the Transfer Station on Route 12 in Plainfield for free. We all get 18 free loads and yet they take the time to dump it at the Track. What was funny is that some kids took an old, soaking wet couch and got it up to the top of the rubble pile! Now they have a nice, comfy place to drink beer and throw rocks! Nifty!

Grampa had the old grill in the back of the Dodge when he went for coffee at Lizzy B's this morning because he was going to bring it to the dump. He never had to go to the dump. One of the men there asked if he could have it. It seems that he collects scrap metal. All sorts of ways to get rid of your junk!

Well, back to house cleaning I go! Joy.

Quote: Responsibility educates. __Wendell Phillips

Yes indeedy . . .

Got a couple more reasons for 2Dogs to add to his list of "Why women shouldn't take men shopping!" But . . . I'll keep them to myself for the sake of "true love." Wow, Grampa can be irascible. Suffice it to say that we went to New Hampshire because they don't have a sales tax and if Puppy's Pop can get away with not paying taxes in Connecticut, no matter the cost, he's had a good day! Day started out good and ended well so all it all it was OK. We won't go into the little matter of a somewhat beat up new grill! I did get a chance to try out the iPad and I'm so excited about it. It is super cool but the model I want won't be out until May, I think. They don't have a firm date yet. It really is cool, for me. Since I don't have a fancy phone or laptop it's like "Wow!" It'll cost about $15 a month so I can use it anywhere. I don't think that's too bad. There are a lot of free apps but I'm sure that I'll have to buy some "stuff." It makes me smile and that's good!

Grampa will cook some knockwurst for supper on the new, somewhat banged up, grill and I'll be as sweet as pie! It's amazing how good I can be!

Quote: Men are but childdren, too, though they have gray hairs; they are only of a larger size. --Seneca

Kiddo's Easter . . .

They're lucky that our youngest is working for them now . . .

Britain Investigating 800,000 Organ Donor List Errors - Health News | Current Health News | Medical News - FOXNews.com

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Too much . . .

"This backcountry cabin, and others like it, have been used for decades by rangers conducting winter park patrols. In summer, it serves as a living history site - a place where visitors can travel back in time and hear the words of early park advocates, staff, and settlers. The cabin also sits near the park's 'designated wilderness' boundary. Beyond that boundary, land is managed to remain wild and intact." We're still on our way to Primrose Ridge and a view of Denali.

Phew, I'm still pooped even though I didn't get up until 8 this morning! Kiddo's school called Wednesday and asked me to be a paraprofessional for their Kindergarten class because the regular para was leaving two days early for Spring Vacation and Kiddo's teacher legally needs to have another person to help her out with the 26, yep 26, five year olds. Great fun but very busy. Kiddo kept telling me I was doing a good job so I guess I really did OK. I know that his teacher was bragging about me all over the school! Made me feel pretty good. I'm so impressed by how much work gets done in a Kindergarten class. Kiddo is doing a good job in Math and Reading along with the rest of the kids. They are terrific and their teacher is an ace. She's been in Kindergarten at Sacred Heart for 16 years and loves those kids to pieces. You can feel it and see it in the classroom. I enjoyed being with them for two days but I slept like a baby for the last two nights. All the bending over to work with the children hasn't helped the sciatica but "Que sera sera!" Hopefully Grampa and I will be sciatica free in a couple of weeks. He's also been having problems with the leg and butt pains. What a pair we make! He's probably going to see his Doctor at the VA soon.

Got some horrible news yesterday. Our dentist, a wounded Vietnam vet and former Marine had to have his leg amputated a few inches above the ankle. We knew that he was at the VA in Albany and was very sick and on a ventilator for quite a while but had no clue about the amputation. He's already been there for over a month and will probably have to remain there at least another month and then hopefully be able to come to the Providence VA after he heals from the operation. His wife just had hip surgery and is going in for the second hip in May. They are really having a terrible time. We'll write to him. I'm not sure what we can do to help but he and Puppy's Pop always have a lot to talk about at his dental appointments. Maybe he could use a visit? We'll have to figure it out.

Well the weather has cooperated a bit so Puppy''s Pop had to mow the lawn and we're already eating asparagus. That is so good and nice. It did rain all day yesterday but the sun's out now and it's very windy. I'm going to try to catch up on house work and relaxing. Grandson didn't feel too well this morning so I brought him home early. Maybe just a stomach bug.

Quote: Educate men without religion, and you make them but clever devils. __Wellington

Louisiana morning . . .

There will be more views of braided rivers.

Before noon and already 80 degrees! Oh my, we're skipping Spring again and going into Summer! OK, that's too drastic because it's going to be back in the 50's by Saturday but it really felt like an early morning in Louisiana when we left for breakfast at Zip's. It was just perfect.

Did a small shopping at Big Y after walking at the Dog Track and then cleaned the inside of the Saturn. It was pretty dusty and sandy from the winter messes. Now Grampa has taken it to Lowe's to get a better hose for the garage vac. Yep, I had to use the old beat up thing to clean my car and now that it's clean he's getting me a new hose! Gotta love it. It's really as good as getting me my neat dumping wagon! I love this man. I still don't have him figured out after 46 years of knowing him! We met at King's in Moosup 1964 and I wouldn't go on the back of his Harley because I had on a white dress (soda jerk uniform in the 60's) so he walked me home and pushed the bike all the way. I did change when I got home and went for a ride to Oneco. Haven't been the same since!

How about those UCONN women. They scared me in the first half but they're such troopers and pulled it off. That was fun.

Quote: Adversity is the diamond dust Heaven polishes its jewels with. __Leighton

Decision and popcorn jelly beans . . .

"About the best thing I can suggest is don't let the weaknesses of the people in the church drive you from your faith. There is always an available direct line to Him." So, taking our son's advice I've ripped up my letter to the Bishop. Felt better as I did so!

Had a wonderful day with my younger sister. We went out to lunch and almost ate a whole medium pizza! Took a ride around Granby. It's a very beautiful part of the state. I was impressed by the enormous farms. It felt good to be with R. We always have so much to talk about. We laugh and cry just like old times!

Finished reading Smoke by Ivan Turgenev. I've been digging out Ma's old classics and wondering why I've never read them before. They are so well written, even in translation. At present I'm reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. It's like reading a painting. I wish I had kept more of Ma's books. When I read, "Niggardly stick-in-the-mud," in Smoke I smiled because we were often called "old stick-in-the-mud" when we were kids. Too cool.

On the way back from East Granby I stopped at Munson's to buy some dark chocolates: 4 chocolate covered ginger; 2 raspberry creams; 3 pecan turtles and jelly beans. Only had one problem; I had to buy mixed jelly beans because I couldn't get just the popcorn jelly beans. Bummer. Since I had to watch the road driving on Route 6 I had to eat them one at a time, not looking at the colors and those popcorn beans were few and far between. I'll see if I can order a bag of popcorn jellies on line. Oh, they are so good.

Time to get the supper warmed up.

Quote: Tears are the safety-valves of the heart when too much pressure is laid on it. __Albert Smith

I won . . .

On our way in a special bus to try to get a " dramatic view" of Denali from Primrose Ridge. Double click on letter to be able to read it!

Grampa came back from Lizzy B's this morning and told me that I had won the free monthly raffle but . . . he forgot to bring back my goodies! So off we went to claim my prize. What fun! Once I get my nice little waterfall running and the scented candles unsealed I may even put a photo on my blog! Cool beansies.

I've been irritated just a smidgen by a letter I received from the Bishop of the Diocese of Norwich. I had suggested to him, through his minions, that he read the article in the American Spectator about the Catholic Church giving money to ACORN. I had already received an email from the Diocese and now I have a letter to boot. I'm in the process of writing him a letter because I just can't let the pervasive ignorance of a church leader go unrebuked! How's that for a cool word? I shall post his letter here and when I'm certain of what I want to say I'll also post my reply. I do hope I hear from him again. This could be somewhat interesting. I don't care for him. He is arrogant and it pains me that he has a good French Canadian name, Cote! Oh pooh.

Having some trouble walking the last few days. Sciatica is no fun whatsoever. But it has calmed down a bit and I did make it around the Dog Track twice with Puppy's Pop. It was too windy to fly today so I really appreciated his walking with me. The other day I could only walk the diameter of the track because I was afraid to get stuck too far from the truck!

Making beef soup for supper tonight. Not much by way of leftovers. That's a good thing.

Quote: Man, proud man! dressed in a little brief authority, plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven as make the angels weep. __Shakespeare

Happy Easter

Beautiful . . .

From the Chalet.

Just about ready for Easter Dinner. I've got the table open, the neat Munson's chocolate baskets and jelly beans, chocolate cake from Greg's (more on that in a moment), Prime Rib, horseradish, Caesar Salad, potatoes, broccoli, wines, coffees and vanilla ice cream. Naturally I've broken down and have chicken from Riverview for Kiddo. Grampa had a really hard time picking up the cake in North Kingston, RI because Route 102 was closed, washed out, I believe. When he finally managed to detour down Route 3 it was still a very circuitous route and he came back by Harkney Hill Road and Route 3. Grampa said that it looked as if Harkney Hill Road had been under water from Route 3 to the golf course! That's an amazing feat. That must mean about 2 miles or so. Boy, were we ever lucky.

Had a blast yesterday. It was so beautiful we were out all day. Grampa took us to the Dog Track to shoot off rockets and Kiddo was able to use his razor scooter to go pick up the nose cone and parachute. After we came home he picked up sticks in the yard just so he could use my new dumping wagon. Way to get some work done around here! Grampa and he also raced around the driveway, Kiddo on his scooter and Grampa chasing him or racing him with the remote control truck. Too funny. Took a walk to see the river damage and then up to the top of the cemetery hill just for a look around. When I'd pretty much had it we had to go out at 9pm to see Orion and the Big Dipper. I got heck because I couldn't find the Pleiades or as Kiddo says, the seven sisters that the Giant is chasing. We all slept well.

Quote: To dispense with ceremony is the most delicate mode of conferring a compliment. __Bulwer

Enfin . . . le soleil!

The garage jonquils survived the flood of 2010.

To get a look at Kaman's parking lots check out Perry's Toys. Just click on it on my front page. It's astounding. I've never seen the Moosup River this high. About 120 years ago, if my history is right, there were photos of people in a canoe rowing by the Moosup Journal building on Prospect Street. That's even before my parents' time! Our best waitress at Lizzy B's lives on Deerfield Shores in Oneco. The bridge from her home out to Route 14 is still under water today. She has to get to work by driving through the woods on an old quasi roadway which was put in as a fire break in the 1950's. No one knows when the bridge will be repaired because it was put up by the neighborhood! The town road that goes as far as the bridge has been washed out. Thank goodness the sun is out. Wow, that feels so good.

Have spent the last two days in Groton having some good times. I'm as sore as heck because Kiddo thought that we should play Wii Active yesterday and he gave me his Mom's regimen. He absolutely killed me so, being the nice guy that he is, he imputed my statistics and finally got me something I could kinda do! What fun! Today after spending an hour on the playground with a bunch of friends we played Wii tennis and baseball. I'm starting to get the knack of it. Just a bit. He laughs at my shenanigans! I never win anything!

I'll go pick him up tomorrow after I make one more doctor's visit. These check ups can get to be time consuming but I'm not going to complain. Life and the doctors have been good to me.

Quote: The flowers are nature's jewels, with whose wealth she decks her summer beauty. __Croly