They Came, They Saw, They

Ate a lot of food!
 
Not really, but it sounded funny.  The Dundee Dicksons came east, swinging by Washington on their way up to New Jersey.   Not a lot of excitement, but a lot of chatting - reliving the wedding, piling on AIG, talking sports (and trash), a lot of walking along the length of the mall.  Claire was on the mend from a bad cold, and Danny was, well, being Danny.  Fun, that is. Check out the video.
 
Jeffrey and Melodie joined us for dinner on Sunday night, along with Joe, Margaret and Annie, and Margaret's new dog, DeAngelo.  I bet it is the first time a dog has ever been named DeAngelo. Speaking of pets, there's a photo here of David and Paula's new kitty, and we heard lots of stories about Andrew and Lur's new dog. 
 
Please don't tell Claire that her air mattress filled up with air this morning as we were folding it up. 
 
Margaret does have a long story to tell about her dog adoption experience, and hopefully it won't be told in court.  It involves a sick dog and an outlay of a lot of money for medical bills, immediately, and an adoption agency which has washed its hands of the affair.  The good news is the dog is much better, after one very worrisome night.   
 
Annie stayed with Margaret and Dee to help out.  She goes back to school tomorrow after a pretty uneventful spring break. 
 
Nice to see Jeffrey and Melodie and they are off for a short break to New Orleans; Joe knows a few people down there, they should stay away from.
 
Other news- Mary started playing the guitar, and signed up for some classes.  We tried to fix up one of the old cheap Mexican guitars but to no avail.  After one class, she is about to release her new "best of" cd, with covers of "Skip to My Lou" and "Hokey, Pokey" and Itsy Bitsy Spider."  Look for the video next.
 
Not much else to report - working our way through another season the Wire, through biographies of Andrew Jackson and Walt Whitman and through a lenten season with no sweets and desserts.  Spring is trying to sneak in, and it is Cherry Blossom weekend here, but is is cold, rainy and raw.
 
Finally, Andrew, you snuck out of here without taking the slides!  Come back!
 
Love from down here

March Madness

Lots to report, but first, our thoughts are with Paula, David and family during this time of loss.  We align ourselves with Janet's very thoughtful message below.
 
We are also thinking of Sarah, whose surgery to remove a couiple of growths appears to have been successful.  Grandma reports that the doctors were optimistic and Sarah should be home with Uncle Jim and Aunt Georgia in Florida and recovering.
 
And Annie was also sick, with bronchitis, so sick she thought she would have to miss a trip to Boston.  She got on antibiotics and is better, and is now on her way to Boston.  After a job interview on Tuesday, she will head back home for the remainder of the month.
 
Also heading home yesterday was Joe, from Yemen.  Joe had traveled there for about ten days for work.  He has had Yemen on his mind for some time now, so it will be interesting to hear his impressions.
 
And as they head home, Margaret is leaving home. Today is moving day, as she has found a group home in Washington, and with the good advice of Jeffrey has settled in the Eastern Market area, not too far from Jeff and Melodie.   Moving is terrible, but she has a nice, new place.
 
We haven't written since the first of March when we got our first snowfall since our arrival in the DC area.  The government was on delayed opening and unscheduled leave, so John took advantage of both!  Here with us to enjoy that day was our friend Valerie from Seattle.  She was here to promote her self-published memoire of her daughter titled Maria, who died after a car crash when she was in her early 20s.  A sad story.
 
Mary also got the day off, and a delayed opening the next day.  We have been sending all the good news of the awards her school has been receiving, but yesterday they got an even bigger one: a national award, one of the top ten urban schools in the country.  Is there a connection between these awards and her arrival back there last year?  You bet!  Here's the story:  http://www.ncust.org/dnn/Portals/0/Excellence_Awards/2009WinnersPR.pdf
 
It's been a busy time at work for John.  His office is moving into the Facebook and Twitter and other stuff age.  He is finding himself in more and more meetings where he is by decades the oldest person in the room, watching a good show - but not contributing much.  Life is moving on.
 
So, back to packing; at least it's warm again.  Flowering trees and crocuses are out.  Lucky.  Love from down here

For Paula

Our hearts break for you, dear Paula.  This must be such a difficult time.  Know that we are all thinking of you, are with you in spirit, and pray for all of you.  You were a terrific sister, and we know that your incredible devotion and care for Sally during her illness made a big difference.  Because that's the person you are.  You make us all feel better just by your being there.

Be well.  Take care of you and know that we all love you.

Janet 

It was just like Chicago, and Rochester