Wild Weekend

Sometimes the fun never quits. We started with a big storm that promised to hang out over several days. We always get at least one dramatic weather incident in the month of March, even though I try to convince myself that spring is in the air. For heavens sake, there are robins outside--in flocks, no less, picking away at whatever is in the lawn, and the little pokey things are coming up through the dirt--some are even budded. The temperatures are sticking solidly to the high 40's, and the air feels soft, not bitey, so at least it won't be snow.

Friday isn't great, with gloom and rain, but the weather men are offering up Saturday for the big show. We didn't have much to do, except get some appetizers ready and spruce up our fiddle/piano duo for a little entertainment at Garden Fairy's St. Patty's party.

Saturday WAS a big show. The rain came down, the gales blew, taking out trees and power lines all over Long Island, and plenty of other places as well. Our power flicked a couple of times, but never actually went out, so the food got prepared, and we had a fine time at the party. Cycle in "Spring Forward" on the old clock, and all is well. Choir in the morning, so don't hang out too late. We came in at 12:30, plus our one hour time loss, so call it 1:30.

Our clock radio does it's thing at 7:30, and at 7:38 there is a phone call from our church organist that he and his wife and baby are all sick, and can I play the morning worship services (first service 9 am). Well. That wasn't how I was expecting to begin my morning...

We had concert tickets for this afternoon in Manhattan, and the trains on our line were running, so we got there only a little late--missed the first piece. At least all that was required was to sit in a seat and do my best to stay awake. We caught some dinner in a restaurant next to the concert hall, and were back home by 7 pm--or is it 8 pm--or 6 pm? I guess it will take me a day to get it all straight in my head--which is still whirling a bit...

Wednesday Night Routine

Every year now, for many years I have played the mid-week Lenten service at the church founded back in the 1920's by my grandparents. I do not attend this church, but I have family ties there, so I go there whenever I can, and it gives me great pleasure to be able to play services for them, even though they have a miserable organ. The stained glass windows are nice...

I now attend Weight Watcher meetings on Wednesdays, and it works out that I go from there to the church service, and eat a late dinner when I get home. The pastor has made his sermons into a series each year for the weeks of Lent, which number six. The themes have varied from year to year--and this year he is preaching on the Seven Last Words of Christ. My attention sometimes varies, depending on how hungry I am, and what is going on in my life at the time, but I have been able to tune in this year pretty well.

At the end of the service the pastor announced that next week they would be serving corned beef and cabbage in honor of St. Patrick's Day downstairs in the church hall, and that his sermon would be based on the sixth word "I thirst!" On my way out, I confess that I couldn't resist asking him if there was any coincidence with the sermon topic and the date, and I did get a hearty laugh. I'm wondering what he'll do with the sermon....

Getting Implants!

Yeah, well it's not what you think...

Last spring, I was given the bad news from my dentist that I had to have a tooth pulled. It was a six-year molar, and I was mortified. I have good teeth. No way anything like that was going to happen to my good teeth. I sought a second opinion, with exactly the same verdict--it has to come out. Despair...Well, they weren't taking off a toe, or a hand--just a tooth. "We can do a bridge--since the two teeth beside the offender have fillings." Not on your life! Don't touch my two teeth. Do an implant.

So. Three months to heal, more time for the implant. More time to heal. Then the cap. $$$$$. July for the extraction. September for the implant. December for the cap. Extra time for the lab for the cap for the remake, since the first one didn't fit. Cap finally goes on Feb. 25th. Feb. 26th six-year molar on the other side breaks off well below the gum line. Yeah, I know the drill. Just take the thing out, and get the process started all over again. What the heck was I doing when I was six, and those teeth were supposed to be in formation for the rest of my life?

Well, you wouldn't want me to be unbalanced with an implant only on one side, would you? Think about it--how that would look?

Stalling....Again....

I am in my "don't want to get back to my real life" mode. I confess this always happens whenever we come back from a trip. This time it feels like we were gone for a month, instead of only eight days. We started with an overnight babysit in Connecticut, flew out to Las Vegas for a few days, then went over to San Diego for a few more days. We came back on the red-eye, which was a great flight, but I found it very disorienting. I understand losing a day or part of a day when you cross time zones, but it was so strange losing the night instead.

So, yesterday I vegged on the couch with my book and my down quilt. Today I am doing laundry, because it requires no brain power, and yet is a worthy use of one's time, because it needs to be accomplished, especially after a trip. I am hanging on the computer, because it requires no brain power, but it really is not a worthy use of one's time--just an excellent way of stalling. Maybe by tomorrow I will be ready to get my brain into gear and come up with a prioritized to-do list.

Our trip was great--caught up with some fine family, and got thoroughly sensory overloaded in LV. Saw some good art at the Getty in LA, and ate entirely too much all around SD. I'll be paying for that later this afternoon at Weight Watchers... Come on brain--defuzz, so that I can get back on track!

Calligraphy Issues or How I Spent My Last Three Days

I confess that I have always enjoyed beautiful pen and ink work. I got the pen--actually the first one that I had was an old one that came out of an attic, the old style holder with removable points. I fooled with a bottle of India ink--you had to dip the pen each time you wrote. Then I moved up to a set that worked like a fountain pen that filled with a little squishy thing inside, and it wasn't necessary to deal with the ink bottle every few letters. There was also a third set that had cartridges. With all of the systems, I ended up with black fingers, ala Amadeus. Sadly, my small motor coordination is so poor that no amount of practice was going to allow the lovely, symmetrical lettering that showed in the workbook illustrations.

And yet, I persist. There were wedding invitations to be addressed, and I stepped up and volunteered to do the writing. I pulled down the boxes with the pens and ink bottles, and tried out a bunch of points before making my selection. Then, there was the matter of lettering styles. I filled up a couple of sheets of copy paper before settling on what looked best. My fingers got black. I figured out how to rule off a sheet of card stock, so that I could slide it into the envelopes, and it would show through, and allow me to place the addresses in the center of the envelopes. So far so good. My writing is a little spidery, and the pen was crotchety until I changed ink, but I still like the look of hand addressed envelopes. I just wish I was a little better at. I would really enjoy doing more if I thought I could do it really well. Oh well. The envelopes are finished, ready for their stamps. Best wishes, bride and groom!

Wait, wait!! Where's spring?

Christmas is over, January is cold and done with, and then it is supposed to be spring, right? They are selling tulips in the grocery store--that means it's spring. Grrrrr! Or I should say Brrrr!

Every winter I do this to myself, thinking spring will be arriving, and wishing winter-be-gone. As we were walking along the other day, daffodils were poking out of the dirt about an inch high. I convince myself that this year winter will be short, and February doesn't exist. Part of the reason that I disliked living upstate was that March was still winter, and April, unlike the zephyr filled month of poets, was the worst slush/slop/mud scene I ever saw. I WANT MY SPRING!

Not gonna happen. We're digging out again this morning. The sun is shining, and the snow is still pristine, so it is all very pretty. But, in a little while the breeze will come up, and it will all start sliding off the trees in clumps, and the snow plow will come through throwing up the sludge from street level, making big dirty patches along the curbs. Yesterday there was already a large amount of water underneath the whole thing, so that there were big puddles that had to be negotiated if you wanted to cross the street. Up on Main Street, the snow plow barreled towards me--too fast for me to react, and splatted my lovely winter coat with big grey blobs. I also found out that my boots leak...

We do have an escape plan though. We are supposed to fly to the west coast to visit the doctor and his wife, and the 10-day forecast looks pretty decent. Here's hoping we get to fly out between the snow flakes!

Plenty Going On

We've been so busy that I haven't thought of anything to write. All my brain cells are being used to keep track of the details of our travel plans. We went to St. Louis to be with friends over New Year's. Then we flew to Florida to be with my folks while my mother had her hip replacement surgery. Next week we go out to Las Vegas for a few days, then fly over to Los Angeles to visit down in San Diego. In March we go to Hawaii to celebrate friends' 40th Anniversary--they really know how to celebrate! Then comes the surprise wedding of the decade, another quick trip to Florida, followed by the reception for the wedding couple. Next, a cruise to Bermuda, leaving out of New York. I think that's the big finish.

I have spent many hours on the computer working out plane tickets, and car rentals, and you really have to pay attention to what your are doing. We got caught a couple of times with night flights that were listed mixed right in with the daytime flights--only the little am/pm to differentiate. We have developed a system with a folder to keep track of the itineraries and reservations, especially with all the things that are prepaid. The best part is that you can actually do all this, and pick your own travel times, and that you have such great access to scheduling and pricing.

We've gotten really good at packing, and managing the luggage. You can check the forecasts ahead so that you have the right clothes when you get there, and we haven't made many mistakes--we both have good lists, and I just leave all my toiletries in the case, so that I don't even have to bother getting it all together each time. I just refill my little bottles, and I'm good to go. I guess we are having the best retirement ever!