Halfway through winter, or at least that's what mid-February says to me. Last month was one of the coldest ever but at least this month we've seen temps above freezing, every now and then. That doesn't help the driveway much since the snow melts and the water freezes overnight, so it's a bit slippery out there. Not enough salt or sand for the whole driveway. Makes for an adventurous, stressful trash day.
We headed down to Washington to check in on Simon, and Margaret and Andrew. Super fun. We did a little babysitting while the parents went out to an intellectual movie (Jackass) and enjoyed some nice dinners together. This time when we ordered DoorDash, we had the food sent to the right address, not Joe's old home. Simon was a little under the weather, but still a lot of fun.
Department of Coincidences or Paranormal Activity, While in DC, Mary and I went shopping, and Mary told me to grab something to read. So, I picked up an old edition of Sun Magazine, and we headed to Montgomery Mall. While waiting for Mary, I grabbed a coffee and started reading a section in that magazine where readers can send in short pieces. There was one from a prison in Texas, and I thought I recognized the name of the author. Sure enough, it was Aunt Janie's grandson. When I sent her a photo of the article, she wrote back right away, and said it was the young man's birthday. That day. Hmmm.
Department of Bragging. Each year, Mary's swim team does an hour swim where they see how many laps they can accumulate in a continuous one hour swim. Mary came in first in New England for her age group. And she did it without performance enhancing substances. Who needs the Olympics?
Did someone say Super Bowl? Or was it Superb Owl? I've been able to weather many lean years as a Cincinnati fan, with many abundant years as a Patriot (and Tom Brady) fan;, I hasten to admit, though, that when the two teams played each other, my gut was pulling for the tiger stripes. To no avail, as I don't think they beat New England once in that stretch. So, it was super-fun to see the Ben-GALS in the post-season and eke out a few wins. Even if they lost the big one, they sure gave me a lot of enjoyable moments. And, we had our weekly hiking group over to watch with us, though I must say, they were not nearly as upset at the outcome as they ought to have been.
Super Bowl came on the heels of a birthday celebration here and an international zoom call. Charlie and Annie and their son were here as well, for dinner and a hike through the frozen woods. Mary outdid herself with a grand cheesecake that she should have sent to the Russian army as it feeds at least 100,000 people. By the time the weekend was over, Mary had collapsed into the Berenstein Bears "Too Much Birthday" chair.
We headed down to Washington to check in on Simon, and Margaret and Andrew. Super fun. We did a little babysitting while the parents went out to an intellectual movie (Jackass) and enjoyed some nice dinners together. This time when we ordered DoorDash, we had the food sent to the right address, not Joe's old home. Simon was a little under the weather, but still a lot of fun.
Department of Coincidences or Paranormal Activity, While in DC, Mary and I went shopping, and Mary told me to grab something to read. So, I picked up an old edition of Sun Magazine, and we headed to Montgomery Mall. While waiting for Mary, I grabbed a coffee and started reading a section in that magazine where readers can send in short pieces. There was one from a prison in Texas, and I thought I recognized the name of the author. Sure enough, it was Aunt Janie's grandson. When I sent her a photo of the article, she wrote back right away, and said it was the young man's birthday. That day. Hmmm.
Out in Illinois, Lur and her family had a short graveside ceremony for her mother this past week, short because it was so cold. Claire and Daniel came home for the farewell, and Billy and Jen were also in attendance. Daniel, I am told, did not wear his delivery outfit.
Illness seemed to dominate our clan down in Brazil, with Covid sweeping through the household. What an ordeal for them. Leonor's brother had come for an extended visit and was a big help as Leonor got sick, following Joao and then Thomas. Pretty scary stuff. But as Lenor said, they should be through with illness by the time the baby arrives. Positive attitude.
Speaking of babies, Janet told me that the due date for the happy couple in Maryland is February 21. We're thinking of you guys.
Department of Bragging. Each year, Mary's swim team does an hour swim where they see how many laps they can accumulate in a continuous one hour swim. Mary came in first in New England for her age group. And she did it without performance enhancing substances. Who needs the Olympics?
Did someone say Super Bowl? Or was it Superb Owl? I've been able to weather many lean years as a Cincinnati fan, with many abundant years as a Patriot (and Tom Brady) fan;, I hasten to admit, though, that when the two teams played each other, my gut was pulling for the tiger stripes. To no avail, as I don't think they beat New England once in that stretch. So, it was super-fun to see the Ben-GALS in the post-season and eke out a few wins. Even if they lost the big one, they sure gave me a lot of enjoyable moments. And, we had our weekly hiking group over to watch with us, though I must say, they were not nearly as upset at the outcome as they ought to have been.
Super Bowl came on the heels of a birthday celebration here and an international zoom call. Charlie and Annie and their son were here as well, for dinner and a hike through the frozen woods. Mary outdid herself with a grand cheesecake that she should have sent to the Russian army as it feeds at least 100,000 people. By the time the weekend was over, Mary had collapsed into the Berenstein Bears "Too Much Birthday" chair.
In a few days time, we'll be waking up in Annie and Sankar's apartment out in Oakland, with the temperature a balmy 60 degrees, we hope. I can't say we're ready, but we are looking forward to the trip. Home by March 7, after a week in Mexico.
Love from up here. And speaking of love, happy belated Valentines Day!
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