Monkey ball

As you know if you read this blog, I took up racquetball in early March.  I've lost my heart to the game and lost many pounds of unneeded weight to it as well (20 as of this writing!).

I see a little progress every time I play, whether it is against someone or a practice on my own.  Very encouraging, I must admit.

This morning I enthusiastically showed up at the gym at 7:00 so I could get in a 45 minute practice before work. I like to practice at that hour -- no one is there and no one bothers to watch me.

Because this gym I'm forced to use right now has THE only racquetball court in Park City (where I work every summer). 

That's the only court.

Singular. 

In the whole town.

One court.

With a lovely clear glass wall between the players and those who patronize the gym for other reasons.

As if the glass weren't enough, the court is located on the main hallway that leads from the entrance to EVERYTHING else in the gym.  Funnily enough, it also leads FROM everything else in the gym back to the entrance. And for those who need to wait for someone or stop to get their stuff together before they exit the building, there is a very convenient bench. 

Located right across from the glass wall of the racquetball court.

It's enough to make me feel like a monkey in a cage.

So different from my gym at home, which has five lovely courts, three of which are tucked away at the back of the building. No glass walls.

Mercifully.

Because when I do those exceedingly awkward graceful futile lunges at the ball ballet leaps in pursuit of a great shot, well  . . . I wouldn't want to show off after all.

Anyway, there I was this morning, practicing fiercely and making some good shots, and feelin' so very fly! I hit eight great and tough shots in a row and I thought to myself "Ah ha! Terrific progress!"

And then the next shot went completely awry. Laughably awry. Pitifully awry. It didn't even make it to the wall before it died on the floor.

And there were many more like it before I was done this morning.

It's enough to bring a girl straight back to earth.

The only consolation is that there was no one outside the glass wall at 7:20 in the a.m. to see the monkey in the cage.

- Catherine

A Golden Day

Tim is grieving the sudden loss of his much-loved uncle on Friday (June 18). I was grieving my mother that same day because it is her birthday.

June 18, 2010, wasn't one of our happiest days, as you can imagine.

On Saturday we took our sorrow out into nature, to the High Uintas mountain range of Utah. The beauty of God's creation was truly balm to our souls. We were accompanied by #4 and ftb, and it was ftb's first time up in the mountains of the American west. 

Packing a picnic lunch of cheese, apples and baked chicken, we drove up to Bald Mountain -- one of our favorite hikes in the Uintas.  With a summit of some 12,000 feet, Bald Mountain boasts some of the most wonderful views I've ever seen.  The steep, switchback trail can be tough at times, but the climb is worth it.

Alas, the hike was not possible this year.  Here's why:

Yep, that's a lot of snow for mid-June, even in the High Uintas. And even if the weather turns hot for the next month, it will remain pretty snowy on Bald Mountain. It will be a long while before a hike there is possible, if at all this summer.

So, we headed back down Mirror Lake Highway and stopped at the Provo River Falls. I'd been there briefly in 2001 with Tim, but there wasn't much time to explore on that occasion. This time we took our picnic and found a nice place to relax by the river.

Here we are just at the time we arrived.

See those falls? Magnificent!  And that ain't the half of it! We climbed up the hill by the falls, stopping on a nice big rock for our meal.

And then wandering farther upstream to see more of the falls.

 An farther still for even more falls:

The scenery was breathtaking and the sun was warm.  We had a grand afternoon together, wandering along the falls.

Here is my favorite picture of the day:

I'll be printing this one out and framing it -- a golden memory of our Golden Day.

- Catherine

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Today my mother would have been 80 years old -- which is an age she never wanted to attain, really.  She'd seen so many of her friends and family members suffer from ill health in those years -- she didn't want that for herself. And she certainly didn't get it.

I used to remind her that she shares her birthday with Paul McCartney (I share mine with Donald Trump). When I was a kid we always celebrated our birthdays together, being that they are four days apart.  I remember the telegram that she kept in her jewelry box for many, many years.  It was from her father, and it said "Congratulations on your 2nd and your 28th" -- he meant second child and 28th birthday.

I've thought about her on and off all day.  At this moment, after a fun evening outing with #4 and ftb, with the sun setting outside our condo and the wind finally stilled, I miss her so much I can taste it.

- Catherine

Summer is starting and I've only got random stuff to report

Summer has officially started for us.  We are in Park City getting prepped for the Summer Institute that I manage each year.  The load-in of equipment (audio, video, blackboards, computers, whiteboards, supplies, etc) begins on Monday.  (No, our house in Idaho isn't empty while we're gone.)

I am experimenting with WebEx as a means of meeting virtually with others across the nation. My colleagues and I are working on a big funding proposal and it's good to be able to talk once in a while through that process.  If WebEx works well for us, I will be one happy camper.

Got a message from my niece, Mandee -- at whose home Hank Williams Jr stays while we are away for our summer work.  We call it "Puppy Summer Camp" because he has many more animals and kids to interact with while there.  Seems Hank has a hankering (ha!) for dry cat food and likes to sneak a few mouthfuls out of the bowls in Mandee's kitchen. She caught him at it yesterday and merely cocked an eyebrow at him, at which point he lowered his ears and slunk out of the kitchen.

I love that dog!

And now, it's time for my WebEx meeting!

- Catherine

52

Happy Birthday to me!  Today is my birthday and I say that not so everyone will chime in with greetings (although I'd certainly love it if you did).  I say that because we had a killer party at our house on Saturday night -- for my birthday -- and I didn't get one. stinking. picture.

52 years old and the mind is definitely going.

But I had an awesome, awesome time, and I'd say my husband went a very long way toward making up for the debacle of my 50th birthday party two years ago.  That's the party where I cooked (and I mean COOKED) all the food, etc. for what was to have been a home-coming party for my daughter.  And then, when my husband was about to give thanks for the meal that I had prepared, I found out that he decided to piggy back this as a surprise birthday party . . . for me.  I looked at my husband right then and there, with my apron still on, and told him I was putting up my feet for the remainder of the day and he could see to the rest of the party, especially the clean-up.

Said in the nicest way possible, of course.

So, this year, he again tagged my party on with another celebration, but this time he also set it up so that I wouldn't be cooking. Friends came over and took over my kitchen, and my brother-in-law (a meat cutter and caterer) provided some mouth-watering prime rib.

Yum!

About 60 of our closest friends and family came, and it was lovely, lovely, lovely.

It rained, though, and we have a small-ish house, so I wondered how we were going to handle it if the rain didn't stop in time for the party.  Tim joked that we'd be sending everyone home with a to-go box.

Funny.

BUT, man of the hour that he is, Tim went to the hardware store an hour before the party was to start, picked up a humongous tarp and then proceeded to string it across the yard.  We placed fire pits and tables underneath, built up roaring fires for warmth, and were quite comfortable hanging out in the yard for the party.

I loved every minute of it and am so thankful to everyone who came to celebrate with me!

And I'm thankful to my wonderful Tim, who has now redeemed about 65% of the Great 50th Birthday Debacle.

I think he's too young for senior moments.

Last night I cooked a tri-tip roast on the grill.

Yum.

I'd hoped for leftovers for tonight's dinner.

But that was not to be.

As I was putting the precious leftovers into the refrigerator after dinner, Number 7 appeared in the kitchen. He was hungry. He wanted the last of the meat. I'm a sucker for hungry children.  So I told him ok.

A few minutes later, I began hunting around for the container that the meat had briefly lived in before Number 7 rescued it from chilled captivity.

I couldn't find the container anywhere on the counter, even though I knew that the meat no longer had a home in the fridge.  I looked all over the kitchen.

No dice.

Finally I looked inside the fridge.

And there was the empty container, carefully put away by Number 7.  Aged 14.

Sounds like something I would have done.

Isn't he cute?

- Catherine

Rain, rain go away

It's raining. Again.

We had one awesome day of sunshine (spread out over two days) and now we are back to rain.

Normally I like rain, but we have a new fire pit and haven't been able to use it since the night we purchased it -- because it's been raining. Argh!  Plus #4 is coming home with fiance-to-be this week.  As it is ftb's first time in the Western section of the U.S., I think a little of our usually glorious sunshine is in order for that occasion.

Last night we had our church's annual BBQ picnic. It was hot and sunny when we arrived at 5:00, cold and pouring rain by 6:00. Eventually the rain went away and a beautiful rainbow came out.

But . . .

Sheesh.  Everything is a sodden mess.

Random segue: today #6 heads out on his first trucker job. He will be driving with someone more experienced, but, well, it's a bit of a pull for Dad and me to see him go for six weeks.

- Catherine

A Big Loser

I've been playing racquetball for three months now. After the disastrous fall resulting in eight stitches from my second outing to the court, I'm happy to report that I have remained injury free.  And I've discovered, through the development of tennis elbow in my right arm, that I am a stronger and better player with my left arm. I'm officially a "lefty" when it comes to racquetball and my skill is improving with every game.

I've endured many losses to my friend and teacher, Rhonda, of course.  She plays a LOT better than I. We spend the first ten minutes of each session warming up with random rallying and then we start the first of two to four games, depending on how much time we have. 

In order for Rhonda to improve, though, she has to do more than just teach me and play to my level.

So, there is usually at least one game where she practices her serve -- I always lose those games.

Then there is usually one game where she serves easy but plays the rest of her shots hard -- I lose those games too.

It's good practice for me to try to return those tough serves and shots, and the exercise of moving across the court is good, so I'm philosophical about the inevitable losses.

BUT . . .

. . . the most significant loss of all in these last three months is the happiest: I've lost twenty pounds. TWENTY!!!

I'm down an entire size in clothing. The jeans and shorts I purchased a month ago are falling off of me. I'm back into sun dresses that I haven't worn in years. And my weight is lower than it's been in several years too.

In all of this, I've hardly changed my diet. I still have a glass of wine with dinner.  I try to keep my chocolate intake to just the good quality dark stuff. I don't deprive myself unless I know it's a substance, like deep fried food, that will kick my butt (read: gall bladder) later on. Oh, and I eat two big spoonfuls of vanilla yogurt every day (not the low-fat kind but the regular, full-fat, organic yogurt). I add a tablespoon of granola and, if I have it, some fresh fruit.  That's become my mid-morning snack. Other than that, I eat as much as I always have, I think.

Twenty pounds. I wish my mom were here to applaud me because I know she'd be very pleased.

- Catherine

Flowers and Flippers

Well, we had a lovely Memorial Day. We spent time planting our annual geranium display (all over the yard) plus our deck planters. In the evening we had an impromptu barbecue of tri-tip roast on the grill.  Friends came over to join us, and we capped the evening by going to Home Depot and picking up the slate-surround fire pit that I've had my eye on for quite a while.

Well, my friend and I went to Home Depot.

My husband and another friend stayed home to clean the kitchen.  Love that!

Relaxing by the fire was the perfect end to the day.  I love the ebb and flow of conversation around a fire, while watching the flames dance.

Here are the pictures of the deck this year:

 Martha Washington Geranium

 Peach Harmony Daisy

 The fire pit

Number 7 has appointed himself the reining grill master at our house, so he was in charge of the tri-tip roast once I had prepared it for the grill. Right after he took the meat outside, he came bounding back in saying that he needed "the flipper."  1960s child that I am, I immediately began to sing him the theme song to that iconic TV show "Flipper."  (Anyone remember all the words?)

Number 7 looked at me like I had three heads, picked up the BBQ spatula from the dish drainer, and exited the kitchen without another word.

The tri-tip was excellent.

- Catherine

A junk post. Sorry!

I'm watching a Celtic Woman DVD and wishing I could sing with them.

I'm wishing I could visit Ireland and trace more of my family's heritage there. 

And that's all I have to blog about this evening.

Sad.  But, it does give you, dear reader, a break. 

Enjoy!

- Catherine

Memorial Day

Another Memorial Day comes around and we are busy with the barbecues, the plants, the yard work -- all the usual activities of a three-day weekend coupled with nice weather.

On Memorial Day we remember the lives that we've lost in defense of our country. I also think of the toll that war takes on the men and women who manage to come home.

Thank you, all, for the sacrifices you have made -- sacrifices of life and of health, so that the liberty of the United States would not have to be sacrificed instead.

- Catherine

Basketball and meat.

I was going to blog yesterday. I was going to blog today. I really was.

Instead I've handled urgent matters that cropped up at work and attended #7's Memorial Day Weekend basketball tournament.

The basketball tournament was the first I think I've ever attended. I've watched single games here and there, but never a tournament of game after game.  #7 is, officially, a freshman in high school and will play for the freshman team this winter.  He will spend some time training this summer (as he will for freshman football), and this weekend's tournament was part of that training.

I raised a daughter, so the "boy thing" still seems so very different at times. The male rituals of back slapping, fist bumping, low fives (high fives must be out at the moment), etc. is sometimes amusing and still a little foreign.  The coach would gather the team in a huddle (is that what it's called in basketball??) to give them advice and direction, and at the end of that little session, the team would touch fists together and shout a pep cheer.

Which sounded strangely like "Go Meat!"

I'm sure that's not what they said.

But all I could think of was the silly Hillshire Farms commercials of all those men at their backyard barbecue grills.

The tournament is over and we are hoping for a Sabbath of rest and relaxation tomorrow.

Unless the weather's nice, and then I'll be out planting our flower beds and containers.

That's okay, too.  I'll post pics when I'm done.

- Catherine

Random Dozen - the Wednesday meme

Okay, folks, it's Random Dozen Wednesday.  If you want to play along, you can link your own answers over at Lid's 2nd Cup of Coffee (click on the image above).

1. Would you rather host party or simply attend a party?  I love to host parties!

2. Tell us about the most memorable party you've been to.  Oh my. That's impossible to pinpoint. We have killer parties! I can think of one that was memorable for the amount of unpleasantness that took place, but I prefer not to focus on that.  So, let me just say that all of our parties are memorable for one reason or another. And my favorite parties always involve lots and lots of family members!  I blogged about our latest party just the other day.

3. What is one thing you hope for in the after-life?   Eternal chocolate. Okay, I'm just kidding.  I long for the opportunity to learn the truth about things that have puzzled me in this life.

4. What do you enjoy most about sunshine?  The way it sparkles and plays on water -- ocean, bays, rivers, water falls, running streams  -- it lifts the spirits and dazzles the eyes! 

5. When you attend a bridal/baby shower, do you prefer to bring your own gift or chip in with others to buy a larger gift?  Bring my own. I like to go to places like TJ Maxx or Tuesday Morning and find unusual, high-quality items.

6. Would you rather have a FREE week of having your house cleaned or all of your meals cooked for you and your family?  Cleaning. Hands down. I hate to clean and love to cook.

7. What song describes your mood today? I've recently become a big fan of Celtic Woman and have been listening to their songs most of the time.  "Caledonia" has been running through my head most of today, and the longing for home in the song seems to be speaking to me at the moment.

8. What is something you received for your own bridal shower/wedding that you still own or use? (If you are not married, feel free to sub a gift you received a long time ago.) At my bridal shower I received a green bathrobe that I still pull out and wear on cold winter mornings and evenings.  It's voluminous and incredibly warm . . . and faded, and stained, and rather un-presentable to the world at large. But I can't part with it.

9. Your favorite flavor of ice cream is?  Chocolate. What else????  I also like Moose Tracks.

10. When was the last time you felt "tested?"  This past weekend when I became frustrated once again with the way Satan exploits human frailty for his own evil purposes.

11. "[Fill in the blank] is a food that once I start eating I find really hard to stop."  Oreo cookies. I literally cannot have them in the house because I not only eat that entire package, but I become instantly addicted and will go on eating them for months. They're like crack cookies to me. Truthfully, it's rather scary to find myself enslaved so completely from just one cookie. So I don't eat Oreos and I never buy them to have in the house for any reason.

12. "-----" is the best motivation.  The Holy Spirit is the best motivation. I'm not saying that in a bid to be super spiritual here -- heck, my track record of response to God's leading isn't all that great. But I say He is the best motivation because those things that He calls us to do always turn out to be huge blessings in so many ways -- not the least being the spiritual growth we receive in the process.

Thanks, Lid, for hosting the weekly meme!

- Catherine

Another trip around the sun.

Today is #4's birthday -- she's 26 years old!

In case you didn't know, #4 is adopted from Korea. Her dad (my former husband) and I took her home in our arms when she was just three months old.  I remember falling hopelessly in love with the little toothless grin on her face when she was handed over to us at the airport.  I remember that there was no way -- NO WAY -- she was going to sit in another car seat after spending all those hours on planes (her travel time, with flights and layovers, was about 24 hours in all). She screamed. She arched her little back and pushed with her feet as best she could.  I got the message.  I held her in my arms in the back seat all the way home, entreating her dad to be careful on the notorious NJ Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway. Fortunately it was something liked 2:00 in the morning, which is about the only time of day that those highways aren't busy.

From a chunky baby with cowlicks in her dark hair, she has grown to be a lovely young woman on the verge of a new life.

Mama and Abbi in 2007.

The whole blended family in 2009!





Abbi and Rich in 2008.

Happy Birthday, Abbi!

Love, Mama

Ah, the weekend . . .

We had a weekend of ups and downs.  Really Dark Valleys and really High Mountaintops, that is.  I'm choosing to focus on the Mountaintops.

Except to say that we had snow on Saturday.  Not exactly a Dark Valley, but annoying as all get out since it's well toward the end of May now.  Hmph!

Okay, on to the High Mountaintops.

A family party was planned to celebrate #6's completion of his truck driving course, receiving his Commercial Drivers License complete with hazmat endorsement.  He's certified to drive anything now.  It was #6's moment in the sun and we were so proud of him.  Dad made a little speech, everyone applauded, and stepmom cried. There it is.

Lots of good food and fun company for the afternoon -- that's the order of the day for all our family parties.  Most of the kids came over early to help with food preparation, for which I was truly thankful.  We all piled into the kitchen, cutting fruit and cheese, making salad, putting out dips, crackers and chips, and on and on.  No one got cut with a sharp knife and there was minimal bumping into each other, despite the fact that there were seven or eight of us working in there.

#7 outdid himself in food preparation, seasoning meat, cutting fruit, making salad -- even making a batch of gluten-free brownies for his Dad to eat.

Later that evening, when everyone had gone home, Tim and I put our feet up and vegged out on the couch in the family room. As we mindlessly watched TV, Tim's phone rang.

A family member.

One with whom both of us had had a difficult relationship for several years.

We began to talk.

To our utter astonishment, in less than 20 minutes, God had answered our prayers with a miracle of reconciliation!  I know we shouldn't be astonished, but this really took our breath away. Tim and I just looked at each other when the phone call was over, marveling at how thoroughly God heals the things that are broken and how good He truly is.

Mountaintops. 

Really, really, really High Mountaintops.

- Catherine

Morning encounter

Hank Williams Jr. and I met up with a couple of neighborhood kids this morning.  Hank and I were out for our morning walk. The kids were making their way to the local elementary school. A girl and her younger brother - she about 10 years old, he about 7. She pushed herself along on her scooter while he walked beside her.

It was inevitable that we would meet since they were heading for the same corner, coming at a right angle to our route. Hank was eager to greet them and strained against the leash as we walked up the block.

At the corner, Hank stopped. The boy turned to me and I said, "he's friendly." Immediately the boy made to pet Hank's head, at which point Hank decided he was afraid of the boy and began to jump around and bark.  I quieted Hank and instructed the boy to simply put his hand out to Hank's nose for the customary introductory sniffing ritual. Eventually the boy graduated to patting Hank's head, receiving a friendly lick in return.

The boy mentioned to me as an aside, "we have three black labs at home."

"Wow!" I replied, "that's a lot!"

"Yes, and four cats," he said.

"You have a zoo of your own," I observed.

He nodded in agreement. His older sister had been silently watching the encounter from a short distance away. She piped up at that moment, not wanting to miss a sisterly, though friendly, swipe, "Three dogs, four cats, and my brother."

We all laughed, and then the kids turned to continue their way toward school.  But first, the boy said goodbye to Hank and then turned to me to bid me a quiet goodbye as well.

We went our separate ways, but I went with a warmer heart on this cold Spring morning.

Hope your weekend is warm and wonderful!

- Catherine

The prayer on page 89

About 20 or 25 years ago, I purchased a very tiny, pocket-sized book entitled Thoughts in Solitude by Thomas Merton. Of all places, I purchased it from a rack near the cashier's stand at one of the Smithsonian's gift shops (cannot remember which museum, though). I purchased it for one reason -- this prayer that I found on page 89 as I thumbed through the book.

"My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.  I hope that I will never do anything apart from that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore I will trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone."

This is, without doubt, THE prayer that has touched me most profoundly over the years. It speaks of absolute trust in God, even when we cannot see where we are going or why we are on that particular road. It speaks of a plan for each of us that is much bigger than our little individual worlds.

The little book where I found this prayer keeps getting lost in the house (in fact, the book has gotten lost in every house I've lived in since I purchased it), but it ALWAYS turns up again without my looking too hard for it. And it falls open to page 89.

- Catherine

Random Dozen - the Wednesday meme

1. What is one really fast, know-by-heart "go-to" meal to fix in a pinch? Baked tilapia (the frozen fillets from Costco cook in 30 minutes) with rice and whatever veg or salad is handy.

2. What is one item you won't leave home without. (Purse and license do not count.)  Tissues, because I sneeze a lot.


3. Where is one place you never tire of visiting?  England


4. Share one factoid of your family's history.   Just one!?  Eeek!  I got a million of'em because I've done a lot of family history research.  Okay, here's one: on my mother's side, my great-great grandfather was Jewish, born in Poland, and came to the U.S. to escape the pogroms of Tsarist Russia. (All four of his kids married outside the faith, so that was the end of our Jewish lineage.)


5. Complete this sentence: "Once upon a time I ...."  was slender.


6. If you could win a one year's supply of anything, what would it be?  Really good dark chocolate (why would you want a year's supply of anything else?)


7. "One quirky thing you may not know about me is ...."  I like garden gnomes, although I'm fussy about how their facial features look -- not just any old garden gnome will do.

8. You have one dollar in your pocket. What will you buy?  A bar of chocolate. What else???

9. "One thing that always makes me laugh is ...."   My dog suddenly taking it into his head that it's time to go out and play -- without any prompting from me, he grabs his toy and prances to the door while looking at me expectantly.  Gets me every time!

10. What is one thing you could do today to help yourself reach a personal goal?  Get away from my computer and clean the house.

11. What is one thing you could do today to bless someone else?  Call a friend.

12. What is one thing you're looking forward to soon? Celebrating #6's completion of a truck driving course that will set him up with a solid career. School never came easy to #6 and we are thrilled at how well he did in the course. We're having a family picnic on Sunday to celebrate his accomplishment!

Random Stuff on a cloudy Tuesday afternoon

It's Tuesday afternoon. In about 10 minutes, some 200 check requests will be put on my desk, each one of which requires my handwritten signature (electronic not allowed).

Shoot me.

So, while I wait, I will take a few moments to blog.

In NJ recently, I was very careful NOT to use my cell phone while driving -- because it is totally and completely and absolutely against State law to be on your cell phone while driving.  I had to wonder, though, at the signs on the Interstate highways that flashed the following message: "Traffic Info: Dial 511"

Huh?

While in NJ, I visited with an elderly aunt. The difficult one. Notorious in the family for picking fights, misconstruing information, and generally being about as narcissistic and bitter a person as I've ever met. She's 83 and hasn't mellowed one bit since her childhood (going by my mother's stories).  I've kept my distance over the years because the stress of it is more than I can handle. But she's 83 and it was time for me to see her.  We had a perfectly lovely visit, including lunch, and it was all going swimmingly . . . until the end, when she informed me that she had written me out of her will.

Well, all righty then.

I figure she can leave her money to anyone she wishes. But taking the time to include a whole paragraph in her will that specifically writes me out of her will?

I feel so . . . infamous.


- Catherine

Slackest among slackers

Slacker. Slaaaaaa-cker. That's what I've been all week.

To be fair, I was on the run for most of the eight days that I was in New Jersey. I saw my elderly aunts and uncle. I visited with my stepmother and family. I visited with my brother.

I took my camera but felt disinclined to take pictures.  Refer to title.

Oh, and lest we forget the real reason for my trip to Jersey, I worked.

I met.

I dined.

I made small talk.

I defended my budget.

I asked for new software.

And I am very happy to be home.

I landed at 6:00 Thursday night and my hubby was there to meet me. Ahhhhhh. There is nothing quite as nice  as coming home to someone waiting for you in the airport (and nothing quite as bad as coming home to your solitary and cold car parked in long-term parking).

We then had a whirlwind weekend, working all day Saturday at my parents-in-law's home, doing their Spring yard cleanup and planting. I could hardly get out of bed this morning, my muscles were so sore from the unaccustomed movement. 

I wish I'd taken pictures, but please refer, once again, to the title.

Today -- my Sabbath -- I made roasted lemon chicken, picked up a garden gnome at Costco (I have a thing for garden gnomes), did laundry, and am now in the middle of making bread. At 9:30 p.m.  Oh well.

I'm glad to be home and a little overwhelmed at trying to get caught up again.

Oh, and my kid -- #4 -- was accepted to the graduate program at the University of Alberta. Go Abbi!!!

Okay, that's it for this Sunday night. Talk to you soon -- I promise!!

- Catherine