Spring!

I'm ready! I'm tired of rain and sleet and wind and cold and clouds. I want flowers and branches tipped with pale green and warm sun and a gentle breeze. I don't want to buy any more kleenex or chicken noodle soup or Nyquil. I want to buy lemonade and asparagus and strawberries.

I want Spring. Officially it starts tonight although I find it odd how human beings want to pinpoint the change of seasons not just to the day but to the exact hour and minute. It's coming. I know it is. The lambs running in the pastures tell me so. The patches of blue sky tell me so. I'm ready. Life is good.

Choir Practice

Last Tuesday our choir practice was at the Junction City nursing home. The photo to the left above is choir member Karen with Louise. Below that is a photo of Linda, our choir director, at the piano. The photo above shows us being treated to a special song performed by the pastor's brother and his wife.

More Projects

Carol and I are organizing our church's annual quilt show. It will be May 18 and 19 (the week-end after Mother's Day). We can't have it the first week-end of May because that's when the elementary school has their huge fund-raiser and later in the month we're getting into people's summer plans. I'm working Saturday afternoon but I'll be able to help set up on Friday afternoon and work in the kitchen Saturday morning. This is our fourth show so we've got a pretty good handle on it.

Yesterday a member of our church decided we should have an all-you-can-eat spaghetti fund-raiser to be held the Saturday after Easter. Yes, that's right. In four weeks. Ten of us met after church today to plan it. Mind you, ten people is about a third of the members of our church. We agreed that Doug is making the sauces (one with meat, one without, and no mushrooms because Stephanie hates mushrooms but there will be some sauteed ones on the side), that Karen is doing publicity and will secure the necessary permits, that Stacey will find some Parmesan cheese shakers (we decided on one for the kitchen and one for each table), that we'll use real plates and silverware (we'll sign up volunteers for dish washing), that I will provide the Parmesan cheese and noodles, that Rosalie will take care of the garlic bread, that someone (I've forgotten who now) will provide the salad and fixings, that we'll use the blue and white checkered tablecloths, that we're charging $6 for adults, $4 for children under 12, and free for those under 4 and dinner will be all-you-can-eat spaghetti and sauce, salad, garlic bread, drink and dessert.

We'll pass around a sign-up sheet next Sunday for people to donate desserts. We're hoping Jeri will make some of her famous brownies and that Juanita will contribute some pies. I'll probably make a pie or two and maybe a couple of fruit crisps. So, we're off. We're planning on at least 100 people. All of this was decided in about twenty minutes. We're good. We do this all the time. We'll probably run into glitches but we'll overcome them, we'll make a little money, and best of all, we'll have fun!

Daylight Savings Time

Yes, I know. That was last week. I'm late. As usual.

I've spent the last week complaining and whining, bleary-eyed, tired and grumpy, muttering not nice things about the idiots who decided that, not only was DST a great idea, we should start the semi-annual change of the clocks even earlier in the year than usual. I hate it. It's confusing. It's not necessary. It's just plain dumb.

And I don't want to hear that it will "give us an extra hour of light in the evening". No it won't. We have exactly the same amount of sunlight as before (well, maybe a bit more, but not much and certainly not an hour). It's just an illusion, a mind trick, and I for one am not impressed. No one ever talks about how it's still dark when we get up in the morning. I had enjoyed hearing the birds singing shortly before I had to get up before the changing of the clocks and now, of course, the birds are still snoozing when it's time for me to get up. Smart birds! We should be more like them!

St. Patrick's Day

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This is for you, Aimee! I hope you and Emil enjoy your corned beef and cabbage dinner. And I don't know why, but this photograph makes me think of Ireland in the spring.

Chickens

I miss having chickens. We had a flock of them for many years when we lived out in the country. When the boys were small I'd go out after dinner to feed them and I'd often stand and watch them. I'd pull weeds from the garden to give them as extra treats and listen to their gentle clucking. It was as if they were singing or humming softly. It was a wonderful end to the day.

The Moon Turns Red

The silvery moon turned red in yesterday's first total lunar eclipse in three years. The change in color was caused by the refraction of the sun's rays through the Earth's atmosphere.

Lunar eclipses, which occur when the Earth passes between the sun and the moon, are relatively uncommon events because the moon spends most of its time either above or below the plane of Earth's orbit but you won't have to wait long if you missed this one. There will be another one August 28th.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!

Happy Saint David's Day! Today, March 1st, is the day the Welsh celebrate the feast day of their patron saint. We celebrate it in our family because of John's Welsh heritage. It's a day for daffodils, leek soup, and music.

You can read about Saint David's day here and here .