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