Started out well . . .

Started the day at Frank's on Airline. Never realized you could eat French Toast without syrup. These were just perfect with butter and I ate the whole stack! Then we went to Independance Park so Puppy's Pop could get in a flight at the nicest control line site we've seen. It actually has a paved circular runway and is kept up by Baton Rouge Parks and Rec. I watched a softball game while the guys were flying. There's a curvy sidewalk throughout the park and they will soon be opening a monster Water Park. I've never seen a water park with so many large slides in many different configurations. Kiddo would love it. It's brand spanking new and naturellement purple and gold! Returned home to a cloudy day. Have no idea what the weather has in store for us but we've certainly been spoiled on this trip. Son and daughter-in-law's middle child is flying in from California late this afternoon with Lily her Maltipoo who will be staying here in Louisiana as B will soon be off to South Korea for a year and then to Biloxi, Mississippi which is only about a three hour drive from home. So B will get to see some of the world before returning to her southern roots.

Quelle bonne journée . . .

Busy, dry, good, sunny day in Red Stick. First: pecan waffle, crisp bacon and coffee. Second: drive through LSU campus to Tiger Stadium where we bought some Geaux Tigers memorabilia for Sue G. She's never seen Go spelled Geaux so I have to bring home the proof! Third: drive to the New Balance store in Baton Rouge so Puppy's Pop can buy made in USA shoes. Big sale going on. Busy store but we ended up buying made in China shoes for the Mr. and made in China sandals for moi. Fourth: Easily found Hobby Towne after a beautiful ride down Hammond Ave and bought plane parts. Fifth: stopped at Frank's for lunch, a muffaletta that was so good they gave us hot wipes after we shared half! Brought the rest home for supper. Sixth: stopped at LeBlancs in Zachary for fittings for the kitchen faucet, milk and the Advocate.
Seventh: Came back to Slaughter to empty the Dodge and left for Bayou Park where I walked, scared the birds again, and Puppy's Pop got in three flights. We're back home and have opened the windows because it is 70 degrees, dry and breezy. Nice way to spend the day. We're starting to find our way around pretty well.

Difficult birding . . .

Wow, it's hard to find exactly what kind of bird I aggravated at Bayou Park but I think it was in the sandpiper family. Too many sandpipers to narrow it down to the exact bird. May have been a male taking care of two babies while his female companion was off caring for the other two babies. Could have been a snipe too as they are in the same family, I think!

Early thunderstorm . . . now glorious day . . .

Got up early to wind, rains, thunder, lightning and headed out to my Waffle House! Pecan (pronounced à la Lousiane) Waffle, side of super crisp bacon, coffee and I was set for the day. The glorious sun came out; the wind dried up the land and we moseyed to Bayou Park in East Baton Rouge Parrish. Puppy's Pop was able to get three flights completed as I walked around the park. It was very windy and I feel certain that Grampa would be the only pilot brave enough to fly today. Not too many tricks because of the conditions and the fact that he had just put this plane together yesterday. He had mailed it down to Slaughter a while back and had to assemble it. What a tenacious character. The walk was so enjoyable because on each go round I walked right by my favorite Louisiana home which is located across from the main gate. To top it off there was another lady also walking, we had greeted each other in passing and at the end she crossed the road to walk into my comfortable bayou style home. What a pleasant place to live. I've got to look up the birds of Baton Rouge to find out which specie attempted to attack me on my third round. It must have been about 8-10 inches in height, three yellowish rings around it's neck, whitish underbelly, long thin black beak and sleek gray on the back. I must have been too near its nest. It screeched at me every time I went by and finally took a mad run at me. Pretty neat.

Batting 100% . . .

Yep, doesn't matter if I leave home I still manage to screw up now and again! B picked us up in Baton Rouge and then Puppy's Pop and I headed out for a beer and wine run. M brought Buck's pizza home for supper. (Pizza fabuleux!) As I was trying to help open the huge pizza boxes so we could all reach in I knocked over an unopened magnum of Cabernet Sauvignon. Puppy's Pop and I grappled for it; it hit on the floor on it's bouchon; looked like it bounced and miraculously wouldn't break but woe was me and everyone including Puppy, it smashed into smithereens and wine sloshed over the dining and living room floors. Three bath towels later ( Southern daughter says old bath towels) we had the mess under control and went back to eating Buck's pizza. Now if this were the end of the tale it would be horrendous it its own right but after losing to the one armed bandit son uses as a piggy bank and a good night's sleep I received an early morning phone call from a distressed middle child. "Ma, where are Kiddo's school ties?" Say I, "On his bureau? The answer was "No" to each of my proffered possibilities. Finally came the dawn. " I believe I put them on top of his big money jar which is on the bureau. Maybe they fell off. " Says daughter, "Got'em!" And so I continue to wreak havoc where 'ere I go. I must remember that the road to hell is paved with good intentions and henceforth I shall plan no good deeds! Of course I don't actually plan these events. They happen around me; some kind of Sweet Pea magnetism.

Not quite cool . . .

Have a maintenance delay. At least the weather is looking good. Oh, we're boarding now. Hopefully we'll be leaving by 12:30

Super cool . . .

Can't believe how neat it is to be able to use the iPad here in Atlanta. Puppy's Pop has gone to get us a snack and after eating a bite I can go back to reading on this thing-a-ma-jiggy! I'm getting used to reading on it and it's almost better than a book because the print is so easy to get used to. Only problem is that if I want to lend someone a book I really like I guess I'd have to lend them the iPad and it's starting to become a part of me. I don't think that's a good thing but what the heck. I love it! Have to get daughter-in-law to show me how to get my photos on the blog without resorting to the eMachine and I'll be all set.

Joyeuses Pâques . . .

Truly miraculous . . . Day started out so somber and dreary. It is now almost 11am; the sun is shining brightly; Puppy's Pop has already gotten in a flight and is now pitching horseshoes while I woman the kitchen and the roast beast is at 108 degrees much too early. It is so nice to be consistent. Puppy's Pop will help park the cars so no one blocks the basketball net and all is well with the world. I felt drab and funky when I went to Mass early this morning in the thick fog. But now with the sun I feel that we're on the way to a wonderful Easter Thanksgiving.

Quote: The question is not whether a doctrine is beautiful but whether it is true. __When we wish to go to a place, we do not ask whether the road leads through a pretty country, but whether it is the right road. __Hare

Shoulda borrowed some flies . . .

I borrowed this picture somewhere on line!

Between all the cold, gray and rainy days Kiddo finally had a good day for outside fun yesterday. Got started a little late but Grampa took us fishing at Porter Pond. We got skunked but wish I had had the video running to catch all of the trout jumping up out of the water to eat the midges and bugs that were swarming everywhere. Kiddo lost a lot of worms but was sure that the fish had eaten them up! He's pretty patient for a kid. He and Grampa thought it was funny when he got his line hooked up on the old cement structure a ways from shore and I had to take off my shoes and socks, roll up my jeans and wade out to help Grampa free the hook. 'Twas mighty cold and I'm glad that all I had to do was wade into not quite knee deep clear clean water. Later as I was sitting on the old wall trying to dry my feet and legs on my jeans a girl who was also fishing there with her Mom brought me a towel. That was pretty nice of them and it did help a lot. They also left with out a single bite. Grampa is now working on making himself a fly fishing pole. He even said he'd never seen fish jumping out of the water like that. We must have seen dozens of jumpers. Pretty darned cool. Kiddo also got a chance to climb the dogwood, swing himself dizzy, go crazy on his scooter, fall down the hill to his heart's delight, practice casting in the driveway under Grampa's watchful eye, play basketball and badminton. Brought him to Groton today in the cold pouring rain then picked up the Prime Rib while Puppy's Pop went to Greg's for the world famous chocolate cake. The house is pretty much all set up for Easter Dinner although I didn't get any special flowers since we'll be gone for a while. The lawn will be a wild green expanse when we return. It's supposed to rain for about a week. Yuck. I'll go to 7:30 Mass tomorrow and then get the bread started. If I'm lucky the meal should be ready for 12:30 and not 11am!

Quote: Natural objects themselves, even when they make no claim to beauty, excite the feelings, and occupy the imagination. Nature pleases, attracts, delights, merely because it is nature. We recognize in it an Infinite Power. ___W. Humboldt

Not too bad . . .

The poor daffys I so rudely dug up out of the garden six years ago and threw into a ditch on the hill have finally blossomed. I was afraid I had really ruined them. But here they are in all their glory. Geaux Daffys!

It's about six thirty in the evening and the sun has finally deigned to come out. We've been stringing quite a few gray, rainy days together and even though late it is nice to see 55 degrees and sunshine. Spent a good day with Kiddo. We straightened out a lot of his toys so we could dig out all of the Legos and put them in one special container instead of helter-skelter. As he says, "That was a lot of work, Mémé!" He also read a couple of Star Wars books for me and best of all played some basketball with his big brother. J. has done a good job teaching Kiddo how to shoot, dribble, guard and steal. It is fun to watch them. Very relaxing if I don't have to play too! Feel rather logy trying to get rid of this terrible cold thing but I seem to be improving. Just having trouble when I lie down to sleep. But I have a clue that I will sleep well tonight. I was sitting in my rocker with a tall stem glass of Cabernet Sauvignon and I started to doze. My glass actually woke me up as it started to tip onto my other hand. I was lucky it was almost empty. Nary a drop was lost! Depending on what the weather is tomorrow Kiddo and I may go bowling, have lunch and go for a walk at Avery Point.

Quote: The beauty seen, is partly in him who sees it. ____Bovee

Today's quest . . .

Time to set out on my gas saving walk to the Drugstore in search of cold/laryngitis cures. I have in mind: Nyquil for runny nose, sore throat and cough; Delsym for cough; Pseudoephedrine (I'll have to sign my life away to get it!) for sinus congestion. I shall get this mad cap cold/laryngitis thing under control now. I insist upon it. I can't take anymore. The fresh air will do me some good and since it is still very windy may hap it'll blow the germs away. Clever thought.

Spamalot was fun and Puppy's Pop deigned to laugh, clap and save money on gas at $3.81 a gallon. I have no more words for how outrageous it is for the citizens of the United States to be held hostage by our own government's policies. This has been years in the making and it is only getting worse. I'm not certain there are any government nonentities that can even conceive of the cure: Drill, Drill, Drill. Even that would take forever to work its way to fruition in my lifetime. Perhaps we have seen our halcyon days and we bequeath to our children a dyspeptic, diseased version of Candide's Eldorado. Perhaps they'll be able to pretend that it's great and the fat, ugly, ignorant, belching, double-talking, vomit inducing emperor is wearing sturdy jeans and an LLBean flannel shirt. Nothing says "we've got it made" like fantasy and reality shows. There really is no cure for stupidity. Education should work a magical spell but when the teachers believe the emperor is handsome and well dressed there is no cure. Gee, a bit of pessimism here. Must be the over medication!

I was so desperate for chocolate that I made a Black Coffee Cake. As usual it wouldn't just fall out of the pan easily but it is delicious just the same with gobs of Cool Whip. Today I've got to figure out how to use lots of odds and ends in the fridge before our visit South. It'll be an interesting supper.

Quote: Philosophy triumphs easily over past and over future evils, but present evils triumph over philosophy. ___La Rochefoucauld

Mama is silenced . . . poor Dad . . .

Went to Richoni's for dinner very early Friday with friends from Oneco who picked up Puppy's Pop and met me around 4:30 while Kiddo stayed home with his big brother. We had the best waitress in the house and excellent Prime Rib, Fish and Chips, Love Salad, French Onion Soup and Fried Pickles. After a little chatting we left to pick up Kiddo and headed home. By the time we got home I had laryngitis. I kid you not. I am a mess. On top of that middle child and I were supposed to go to see Spamalot at PPAC today and she can't make it. She has a day out with the Kiddo and that is just wonderful but you know who has been tapped to take her place! It should work out okay because I can't talk and Puppy's Pop has already figured out how to make the most of this trip. We'll be buying gas in RI and then coming home to make homemade pizza! The dough will be rising while we're gone and son-in-law has given me a pizza pan and instructions along with all of the ingredients. Should be a nice quiet day! We're already at 58 degrees and sunny. Hope the weather holds. Since the play is at one o'clock we should be home on time for any racing on TV. Speaking of racing, Barbara, who works in the kitchen at Kiddo's school goes to Loudon every July for the race and they sit in the same section but about 40 rows below us. It'll be fun to bump into her and her husband a former career sailor. Another note: The Day paper left us a message. They do not deliver in Moosup. So it was April Fool after all. And since they solicited us and I specifically asked if they were certain they delivered to our area I am really angry. I had already cancelled The Bulletin. This is only the third time I've cancelled The Damn Bulletin. They may wish to charge us more to put us back on the route! Think I'll send the bill to The Day. This must be a fool's paradise and I'm a part of it!

Quote: Thinking is the talking of the soul with itself. __Plato

How to beat the system . . .

Puppy's Pop and I have decided to have breakfast tomorrow at Shady Acres across the border on Route 6 in RI. He is friends with the owner, so that's cool and we can gas up the Pontiac with cheaper than CT gas! Now that will be just grand! Had a funny encounter with a curious squirrel before I left for Groton today. I was sitting in my Vermont Country Rocker reading when I heard something at the window. I looked up and there was a very fat puffy gray squirrel scratching at the screen. He looked in for a bit and decided I wasn't what he was looking for before he scampered onto the glider and off the porch. I've never seen that before. Made me laugh out loud. Brought home the best dinner ever from son-in-law. He gave us some pot roast and gravy that was absolutely the most tender, tasty beef I've ever eaten. Grampa thinks I should serve it for Easter Dinner but that wouldn't be fair since everyone looks forward to the Prime Rib. But if Richoni's offers me more of the pot roast for take home I'll be glad to take it. Found out that doing yard work, specifically raking leaves, picking up leaves and dumping leaves can cause bursitis! Wow, had no idea what the rather painful, hot, nasty red bump spreading over my left elbow was. Now I know. I managed to mess up the bursa. I was afraid I had some kind of poisonous bug bite. Nope, just a common problem. I'm thinking that I can no longer vacuum the house either. Now, that's a nifty idea!

Quote: He who lives without folly is not so wise as he imagines. ___La Rochefoucauld

News worthy . . .

Got a phone call last evening from The Day newspaper in New London asking us to subscribe. After making sure they knew we lived in far away Moosup I wholeheartedly agreed to a seven days a week subscription for $20.50 a month. The lady said the price would not change as long as we kept the subscription. This morning I called the circulation department to get our delivery box and I was also given a code so we can read the paper on line in the same format as the hard copy. Cool beansies. I then called The Bulletin and cancelled their paper as of Saturday. I felt badly because the lady seemed truly distressed. But it really is a horrible feint at a newspaper seemingly run for tweens by tweens. I hope this isn't a belated April Fool joke on the part of The Day! Suffering the start of another lachrymose day and I have to go to Groton for a dentist appointment. Hooey.

Quote: Newspapers should be news-carriers, not news-makers. --There is truth and entertainment enough to print without, fiction or falsehood, and to publish the latter is to betray the former. __C. Simmons

Hating housework . . .

It's pretty bad when you hate housework so much that you'll spend time searching for a $47 incongruity on your credit card. The transaction took place on January 3rd. I haven't completed the task yet but I shall get to the bottom of it. It's a good gray day to complete boring tasks. Yesterday's visit with old friends was a great success. It is truly amazing that even 60 years after our first meeting each other we're still comfortable together. Both Karen and Elise are talented artists. Elise has been designing interiors in a condominium complex on a bay in California for 30 years and is still at it. Karen's paintings have graced the covers of books and she quilts, makes temari balls (so beautiful, hand stitched, very colorful) and all in all relishes life. I will try to get Elise in touch with former high school friends and see if there will be a PCA reunion in 2011. They missed our 50th last year but what the heck. While I was out gallivanting Puppy's Pop made a delicious ham sandwich spread from the large baked ham we had on Saturday. Amazingly good sandwiches.

Quote: The time of life is short; to spend that shortness basely, 'twere too long. ___Shakespeare

Way before breakfast . . .

Up and out way before breakfast this morning! Four a.m. is still pitch black and below freezing, a stumbling around beginning to the day. We brought oldest child's oldest stepdaughter to Providence for her 6:30 flight to Baton Rouge by way of Chicago and Houston. I was amazed at how busy the airport was. The zigzag security line was about three quarters of the way back to the entrance. I had gone into the terminal to make sure B. wouldn't have a problem with her checked bag. But for $25 she was all set and I left her in the security line and found Puppy's Pop waiting out front in the drop off line. We decided to mosey our way back to Connecticut by way of Summit and Clayville, RI along Route 102 so we could catch an early six o'clock breakfast at Zip's. We haven't seen rosy fingered dawn in quite sometime and it was a beautiful ride.Zip's was loaded with people. Hadn't been expecting that but the service was impeccable. The Stafford Springs Swap Meet is today and that was the reason for the crowds at breakfast. Planning to go to late Mass and then to visit a very talented All Hallows friend this afternoon. Another All Hallows and PCA friend who lives and designs home interiors in California will be there also. It will be a pleasant visit even though I have to force myself. I'm not a very comfortable visitor. I am trying to remedy the situation by pushing myself to go out more. Miss my old buddy Angie who would drag me all over hell and damnation! Gee, it's 7:30 am and I'm getting tired!

Quote: They that will not be counselled, cannot be helped. If you do not hear reason she will rap you on the knuckles. ____Franklin

I confess . . .

Poor Puppy's Pop, he's always known that he married a somewhat compulsive cleaning bug who is always certain that she never makes any messes but I confess that I've made an egregious error. Years ago when I redid the floors in the two downstairs bedrooms I bought expensive braided rugs from Country Curtains in Warwick, RI. Six years ago when we had new floors and carpeting installed in all five rooms I moved the braided rugs to protect the kitchen floors, the largest in front of the sink. Soon Puppy's Pop accidentally dropped coffee grounds on it and what a spot it made. So I brought the rug to an expensive rug cleaner in Brooklyn and it looked pretty good for a while. Then the chemicals he used wore off and the spot was worst than ever so I tried to clean it myself. Finally got sick of the now huge spot, the turning around and over of the rug and put it downstairs in front of the new front loading washer. Then I chose the middle sized rug and put it in front of the sink. Perfect, beauteous, clean, spotless, light, comfortable rug until, yep, Puppy's Pop spilled a little something and I cleaned it up. Big, outlandish spot. Flipped the rug over, this time the spot hadn't leached through. Good for two days when I spilled a dab of coffee cream on the rug. I immediately took the wash cloth and using only water scrubbed the small spot vigorously. After it dried the dawn came. I am the culprit who has caused all of the spots over the years to grow into unsightly, catastrophic growths. You see; some of the colors on these wool rugs are reds and blues; they are not in the least bit color fast and my vigorous cleaning has made almost undetectable spots monstrously detectable even to the almost blind. How humiliating, how devastating, how insensitive, how maddening, that it took me so long to realize that I make as many messes as anyone else and huge ones at that. No longer perfect I must deal with my sins. Guess I'll try keeping my mouth shut before spouting off and blaming the innocent! See, confession is good for the soul. Well, not really. It's hard to admit you can be an imbécile! But I vow to grow in wisdom from this shattering experience.

Quote: The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none. ___Carlyle

Bits and pieces . . . (plagiarized!)

It's absolutely amazing how the food shopping experience is getting to be a horror show. Prices are soaring. Spent over $100 today for very little. Puppy's Pop is really cutting down on fats of all kinds and so we're both eating less beef but there doesn't seem to be much change in the Big Y bill! After I got back from Plainfield we went for a walk up the street because Puppy's Pop said it would be safe since no one can afford to drive their cars anymore. He was right. I'm not certain how many cars drove by but I don't think we saw more than five both ways. Pretty sad state of affairs when you can walk down the middle of the road and not worry about getting run over! It was cold and windy, yet sunny on the walk West but really nice and warm on the way back. We have a new neighbor across from the horseshoe pits. He may be working on the house for board! It'll take a lot of airing out and new lumber to clean that poor old house. The daffodils I tore out of my flower garden years ago and threw into a trench up on the hill have finally decided to blossom. Not too many; maybe a dozen. That'll be so nice as we do dishes and look out to see yellow blooms near the wall. I wonder if my irises will also attempt to flower this year? I rather doubt it but I'll just keep wishing it to be so. Finished my Ken Follett book last night. It was just palatable. Not sure what I'll read next. May have to go back to Ma's classics.

Quote: In jealousy there is more of self-love, than of love to another. ___La Rochefoucauld

Photo cache diminishing . . .

Finally getting somewhere with the old photos that were at Mémère and Pépère's and ended up at our house. Brothers two, their wives and I spent a good part of the day parceling out photos. Younger brother picked me up and we went to older brother's home where we immediately started to separate photos into piles for all five kids. It was interesting and fun. We all took a break at noon to go out to eat at the Thai Orchid in Southbridge. Food and company were great but I have to admit that as I write I am sucking on the tasty candies I scoffed up after lunch since all and sundry were being so nice about declining them. Not too shy,I pocketed three and a candy kiss. C graciously served a delicious desert, home made tart with apples and cranberries, when we returned from lunch to their home. Then we were back to the photos. A very pleasant rainy day spent in good company.

On a sad note gas prices are outrageous. On the way home we saw $3.99 for regular on Route 395 and in our village the cheapest is $3.79. It's a good thing younger brother filled his tank in Massachusetts where he still had to pay $3.54. I really expected them to get gas to $3.00 a gallon and call it quits. I am so naive it scares me. N sees $5 gas for the summer. May have to start walking to Big Y with my new garden cart!

UCONN men put on a great show last night and Puppy's Pop even stayed up to watch it with me. Three time National Champions, not too shabby.

Quote: A story should, to please, at least seem true, be apropos, well told, concise, and new; and whensoe'er it deviates from these rules, the wise will sleep, and leave applause to fools. ___Stillingfleet

Busy weekend . . .

Kiddo kept us company Friday and passed a math test on my iPad with 100%. So you know who had to take him out to McD's for breakfast and a visit to Target while Grampa was at the Horseshoe Tournament. He roamed around the toys like the connoisseur he is and decided he needed Yoda's light saber. He only has Luke Skywalker's and Darth Vader's and it's tough to play Star Wars with out the correct weaponry. After I brought him to Groton I picked up Mme G. in Killingly and we went to the Powder Mill Barn in Enfield for the Jam Français Party de sucre. An amazing number of people came and sang, played spoons ( I did buy a pair to Grampa's chagrin!), played fiddles, bass, guitars and brought their own booze. Wow, what a time was had. The people across from us were from Massachusetts and had home made wine that they shared with us. It was great. I've got to tell younger brother about it because they buy the juice in Canada and then make the wine at home. It was a Mezza Luna Red, smooth and delicious. Our meal consisted of pea soup (whole yellow peas, bien sûr), maple sugar baked ham, maple sugar cooked beans, meat pie, oven roasted patates, egg and ham sandwiches, and salad. The funniest thing was that they had 3oz cups on the buffet table with a little maple syrup. I took one and when I got to my place I figured that they just wanted us to get a taste of good Connecticut maple syrup. Mme G. saw me drink it up so she gave me hers which I also drank up. Come to find out I was supposed to put it on the ham! Oh well, c'était délicieux! For desert we had Gateau Ste. Catherine and Tarte au sucre. But the best part of the entire day was La Tire. They cooked up maple syrup until it was almost the consistency of molasses and poured it over snow (they had to bring a snow cone maker!) Then you take a stick, like a tongue depressor, and twist into the taffy like syrup until you get a nice bunch and eat it up! I only went out three times to get more than my share. Oh my, that is the best candy ever. I may have to make some next winter even before the Spring Cabane à sucre.

We listened to UCONN vs Kentucky on the way home and I was able to watch the second half before going to bed at midnight. Keeping my fingers crossed for Monday's game against Butler. We'll be watching the women play Notre Dame tonight in the final four.

After breakfast and Mass this morning younger brother's wife and I left for the Studio Theatre at UCONN. We went to see Strindberg's A Dream Play adapted and directed by Joseph Therrien, a former student and 1999 KHS graduate. He is completing his MFA degree in puppetry this year. He was also the puppet designer. He and the cast did a wonderful job presenting a difficult play. ". . . a piece of theatre that reveals the mind of a mad man, but a man ahead of his time." The play was written in 1901 and there have been many stage and movie versions. I believe that Joe's combination of puppetry and actors is a first and also first rate production. He may be bringing it to New York this summer. Sister-in-law and I stopped for lunch at Angelino's before heading back home on this beautiful sunny but windy day. Now I've got to get ready for my UCONN women's game. Geaux Huskies! I promised Mme G. I would get her some Geaux Tigers posters. She had never heard of Go spelled Geaux!

Quote: There is so much of the glare and grief of life connected with the stage, that it fills me with most solemn thoughts. ____Henry Giles