Fail

I spoke too soon. Spring is on hold for now. Maybe I'll get some good snow pictures this weekend.

***WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT UNTIL 7PM SATURDAY EVENING***

Sprung

Spring is here! We have a couple of sweet crocuses that popped up last week. I planted lots of bulbs last October. The daffodils barely popped up but I heard they may not make a full appearance till next year, and the tulips are on their way.

We've been threatened with a thunderstorm and I don't think we will get the full brunt of it. But we've got lots of wind and rain and big, beautiful clouds. This picture was taken from the parking lot at Home Depot where we had to special order a freaking toilet seat. Seriously. It started raining soon after. And we need rain...for the tulips.

I need to make a Houston post but that will be a nice, long one with lots of pictures, so no time now. And John wants the laptop to set up our new webcam so we can talk to Javier.

oh dear...

We came home from a wonderful, short trip to Houston and received some sad news. Our friend Javier is waiting for his green card application to be approved and apparently there is a long delay. The company he works for put in a request for a tourist visa--this would allow him to stay a little longer and wrap things up---but this was denied. So he is leaving for Costa Rica this weekend. We knew he'd have to leave soon to wait for news of his green card, but we thought we had a little more time.

I know everything will work out in the end...I know it will. Javier will be back soon. We will take him to the airport on Saturday, but I know we'll be picking him up soon. In a limo, with lots of music and laughter and champagne. John and Javier will drink Johnnie Walker Blue Label and all will be right with the world.

Now is the time for pictures of Javier...

Little of this, little of that

I am having that feeling again. The one where the idea of cooking makes me sick and I can't even imagine going to the grocery store. Seriously, the idea of buying food, cooking it and eating it makes me nauseous. But I'm still eating...it's just take-out. I have an idea where this feeling originates, so I need to deal with it...

The sun is shining and it is beautiful out. I'm not sure how long it will stay this way. I am getting the urge to spring clean and think I'll start this weekend. We are going to Houston next weekend and it's nice to come home to a clean house.
And part of me needs a fresh start, a new way to approach something...I think coming home after Houston will give me a starting point. I'm not sure if this even makes sense...

I'm looking forward to this spring and this summer. There are no big plans and I am trying not to build up high expectations. I want it to flow, I want a natural rhythm, I want lazy days at the lake and Saturday mornings at the farmer's market and there I go with the expectations...

My birthday is in the spring and I've always liked that, it's a wonderful time to have a birthday. I like it when it's near Easter, this year it's the day before. If I live to be 104, my birthday would have been on Easter Sunday a total of 5 times.
I've never beenreally fond of making a big to-do over my birthday. I like it to be a little secret, a quiet feeling inside. And I don't need a lot of people with me, a very small gathering will do...

My little brother

I love my brother. My one and only brother. After all these years, we are in the same town and are very good friends. Greg lived in New Orleans for quite a while and left the day after the levees broke in 2005. After a couple of starts in new places, I hope he is here to stay in Kansas.
Greg shares my love of movies and certain sitcoms like Andy Griffith and Seinfeld. He'll deny it, but his memory is better than mine and once we get started with quotes and reenactments...we'll laugh so much our mother has to tell us to stop being silly...and we'll laugh even more. I love that he's inherited our father's gift of storytelling and that we share some of the same wonderful memories of our childhood. He is witty and charming, knows more about sports than anyone I know and is an excellent golfer.

We went out to dinner Friday night with Greg and his girlfriend, our mother and our friend Javier. Dad is in Houston with his brother visiting old friends.
After dinner, we came back to our house for drinks and a game of Trivial Pursuit. It was a close game and so much fun!

Weekend

Last week was lousy and no good. And we were sickly. But it ended well. And we were happy.


A trip to Macy's to buy the pot I've wanted for a while now. Then dinner with friends and we didn't mind the wait for a table, we sat outside and caught up and told stories. Off to Javier's to teach Brenda how to play Texas Hold 'Em. John and I stopped at Wal-Mart to buy poker chips and I suggested we get deodorant and razor blades because everything really is cheaper at the evil Wal-Mart. We were full and giddy, laughing at our odd assortment of goods. "Poker makes us sweaty", we told ourselves and boy, we thought we were hilarious.






On Saturday, we were invited to a pancake breakfast at Robin and Scott's. Robin is from Liberal, where they race on Pancake Day against Olney, England.
http://www.pancakeday.net/

She fed us and several more people. They were delicious and we'll be back next year. Robin said we'll wear aprons and race in the backyard.


Sunday came and it was time to use the new pot! I made vegetable beef stew. Brenda and Javier came over and we looked through cds, adding music to our various mp3 players. Then we ate and drank and ate some more. We watched the Oscars and I found the bottle of white port we'd opened in December. John and Javier wrote down our votes and if your picks didn't win, you had to do ten jumping jacks. It was the most fun I've had watching the Oscars, I think, ever.

Just a good end to a lousy week. The kind of weekend where you fall asleep happy, not really minding that tomorrow is Monday.

Morning Walk

We've been fortunate and had a couple weeks of nice weather. Javier had us join him for a long walk one morning up by the governor's mansion.

It was so nice we did it again the next weekend with even more friends and a dog.

It was a little muddy but we soldiered through and came out in a field where we shuffled our feet through the dry grass to somewhat clean our shoes. I sat down and used a twig to clean mine. I thought about the days when muddy shoes didn't bother me. Days after a good rain when my friend Amy and I would walk up to Esplanade Street by the Missouri River and find our favorite swing set. There were big "valleys" under each swing that would fill up with water. We'd take off our shoes and swing, letting our toes dip in the muddy water. I'm pretty sure we'd do that for hours.

It's getting cold and dreary again. I'm trying to walk on the treadmill, but I'd much rather be outside.