spring

Spring has sprung and I find myself too busy and tired to post to this blog. Monday, I mowed the lawn for the first time this year and it looks like it could be mowed again today. I planted a couple of Clematis plants at the front gate arbor. I finally hung the sliding mirror doors on Dorothy's closet (photos soon). I've been busy with my book business. Whew! I'm tired. I thought retirement would be more leisurely than this. I usually quit working in the early afternoon so I can catch up on my reading before beginning dinner, but I fall asleep in the recliner and don't get any reading done.

I'm doing well on my diet. I've lost 13 lbs. (photos eventually). Dorothy and I are using a diabetic diet that we've adapted to suit ourselves and it seems to be working. We simply eat smaller meals with snacks in between, paying particular attention to carbohydrates and avoiding sugar and fast food like the plague. Not that we don't indulge our craving for a quarter pounder once in a while, but essentially, we're sticking to it.

And I feel better! I'm finally getting over my surgery (it's been almost a year), and I have more energy. I can't help but think that if I feel so much better after losing 13 lbs, how will it be after losing fifty?

quote of the day

"A high station in life is earned by the gallantry with which appalling experiences are survived with grace."
--Tennessee Williams

quote of the day

"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
--Margaret Atwood

quote of the day

"There's nothing constant in the world,
All ebb and flow, and every shape that's born
Bears in its womb the seeds of change."
--Ovid, 8 A.D.

spring morning

I was outside this morning and saw these daffodils with the just rising sun shining on them and grabbed my camera to capture it. Don't you love spring? New life erupting from the ground; the crisp morning air, the moist fertile soil. Oh, the fecundity of it all! ... ... Pardon me, I got carried away for a moment.

quote of the day

"In framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place oblige it to control itself."
--James Madison

planting potatoes

Marley, Jenna, and Hunter came down this morning to help me plant potatoes. Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day, the normal day for planting potatoes, but we decided to do it today. St. Patrick won't mind.

I put a hat on Jenna to protect her from the sun, but, as you can see, she wasn't in the mood for wearing hats.

Now, she's happy. She has her spoon so let's get digging.

first day of the week

I slept late this morning. I was still up by eight, but it seemed like the day was half over. I worked on my income taxes most of the day. I think I could have done them in an hour or two by just filling out the forms but I used a tax program so, for me that just prolongs the process.

Can you tell the grand kids were here this weekend?

notes

Yesterday was a full day for me:

• I went to Tahlequah to buy some onion plants. On the way a bald eagle swept down in front of my truck and then up into the top of a dead tree. I don't see those eagles often, but when I do it's always a thrill. I never have my camera with me when I need it.
• While in Tahlequah I met Dorothy at the El Zarape restaurant for lunch. If you ever travel through that town be sure to eat there. It's the best Mexican food.
• I worked on Dorothy's closet. It's almost done. It's taken a long time. I'll have photos of the finished job in a few days.
• I planted onions and cabbage
• For dinner I made Steak Diane. The recipe calls for brandy which is supposed to be ignited. So I ignited. 3 ft high flames! The recipe says "let the flame die down". I was within seconds of calling the fire department when they finally subsided. Whew! That was a close one.

first day of planting

I started planting my garden today.

Here are nine cabbage plants that went into the ground at the end of a row of onions.

I planted 156 onion plants. 1/3 white, 1/3 yellow/ and 1/3 red. I can just taste them now with beans and cornbread, salads, and salsa.

ANDREAS HELGSTRAND - WEG2006 Freestyle Final

My friend Pat Emery sent me the link to this video. Wait til you see this horse perform.

quote of the day

Chronic remorse, as all the moralists are agreed, is a most undesirable sentiment. If you have behaved badly, repent, make what amends you can and address yourself to the task of behaving better next time. On no account brood over your wrongdoing. Rolling in the muck is not the best way of getting clean.
--Aldous Huxley, Brave New World

birthdays and eclipses

Friday was Jenna's first birthday and Saturday was Dorothy's (?) birthday, so we celebrated both on Saturday. There must be some auspice connected to having a lunar eclipse coincide with your birthday. But no life-changing event occurred; we didn't win the lottery, no good news from afar. It was Dorothy's birthday and an eclipse occurred. Pretty mundane stuff.

Jenna shows off her birthday hat.

Jenna wears her birthday tutu. Hey, what's she doing in Grandma's purse?

Jenna eats her own cake.

Dorothy gets plenty of help blowing out her candles.

Look at Marley's face. She's probably thinking, "How long can this go on? How many candles are there, anyway?" The Fire Dept. is close by so we notified them to ignore the smoke coming from Kelly's house. It's just Dorothy's cake.

Sam holds Jenna