Birds and Politics

We drove to Small Town Ohio on Sunday by way of the Ohio Turnpike. We always enjoy seeing the hawks in the trees along the side of the highway. I really like the birds of prey, even when they come in our backyard and terrorize the song birds at the bird feeders. Seeing the feathers fly from one of their victims has not deterred me from my admiration of them. They are so powerful, independent, and self reliant. I am sure if they could belong to a political party, they would be republicans, (But I like them just the same.) Sparrows, goldfinches, and of course pigeons are democrats.

Sofie

Yesterday we went to small town Ohio and saw Sofie. Well we saw her Mom and Dad too but Sofie is the star of the show. I am sure she is the most beautiful baby ever with the clearest big blue eyes and she smiles all the time. I held her every minute I could while I was there.( finally giving Grandpa a chance to hold her.) She was especially cute when she was naked as she almost laughed out loud, kicking and enjoying her freedom. In one of the pictures that her Mom gave me I noticed she is outgrowing her pink sweater so I had better get busy.

Fire!!

Yesterday, I was sewing in my craft room when I heard a loud bang. It sounded like a gunshot or a car backfire. I looked out the window and saw two cars in the street stopped as if the drivers were talking to each other. Later I heard more popping sounds which I assumed were firecrackers. Then I noticed there were lots of cars on our street stopping and I heard the fire engine. I went outside and saw a wall of flame in the garage about 4 houses away. The fire truck got here awfully fast. A neighbor, one of the cars I saw in the street, said she was driving by, heard the noise, saw the flames, and a young boy running out of the garage and trying to drag the garden hose. She told him to forget the hose and get his sisters out of the house. I don't know what the boy had been doing in the garage, it does seem a little suspicious. The parents were not home. The garage was destroyed as well as that part of the house above the garage. It seems it only takes a moment to change our loves. Thank God none of the children were hurt.

Molly

Hubby and I spent 5 days in Brooklyn, N.Y. visiting Molly for the first time. It was wonderful. She is a real cutie and pretty good besides. Of course, Grandma doesn't get up in the middle of the night and I haven't figured out those fancy O Katie diapers, but I did feed her a bottle and burp her and just cuddle her a lot. We took walks every day around the neighborhood. It was a bit cooler there than in Detroit and I kept putting the flap up on her car seat. My Mom always used to say babies can swallow air if it is a little windy and then they are fussy later. Gretel looked at me like I was nuts.

A New York Cabbie

We spent a long weekend in New York visiting Molly. We took a yellow cab from JFK to the house. The driver was probably Arabian and he was so polite and very nice. When we left we had a different cab and driver. This driver spoke little English and was probably Russian. He was very heavy and very rude. He drove the cab without wearing a seat belt in a typical Mo-Town lean even though I am relatively sure he has never been to Mo-Town. He drove a Lincoln town car and changed lanes frequently and honked his horn a great deal. It was hard not to laugh at him.

A Spring Walk Around the Yard

It is a beautiful day here. Hubby and I walked around the yard to check on what is coming up. We had to wade across the yard to get to the hill. The crocus are blooming and so are the Lenten roses and sweet myrtle. There are several plants that are sticking their buds through the ground, like the peonies, bleeding hearts and Russell lupines. There are several plants that are coming up but I can't remember what it was that I planted. Soon Hubby has to trim the roses and cut off the dead sedum which gave us lovely winter interest but are ready for a new season. We took the fuscia outside for the week because it will be so warm, in case an early hummingbird comes through. I had wintered them and my geraniums and shamrocks in the basement, so I took them all outside for a breath of fresh air. I know it is only March but this weather really makes you eager for the growing season.

The Gathering Place

Last weekend I went on a quilting retreat. It was wonderful. We were at an old farmhouse in White Lake, Michigan. The house was decorated in a lot of froo-froo pink with lace curtains and crafty stuff all over. We had 8 really nice women to quilt with. The work room had 8 big tables for us plus another for cutting and an ironing board. The meals were to die for. The owner had a collection of M & M figurines which dispensed M & M's sprinkled liberally through the house. There were 5 bedrooms equipped with twin beds, so we each had our own bed. It was a fun weekend that went by all too fast.

Mulligatawny

Hubby retired 6 months before me and so he decided to do the cooking because I was still working, Since I hate cooking I just never took the job back. I am spoiled beyond the imagination. Hubby does all the cooking. He even makes my coffee in the morning. The kids say it is a great improvement in the cuisine around this house. Tonight he made mulligatawny for dinner. It was wonderful. Life is really good.