What a Difference...

It's a new day...and now that we're parked, we're sitting next to GREEN grass!!
Same state...just a little further south. The outdoor temps appear to be in the mid-sixties, and the sun has been shining all day. We met some folks from Maine who are parked next to us. They spent the winter in Georgia, so they're heading into the chilly weather.
Oh, well, it'll soon be nice all over. Just glad we got another taste of it today.
Yesterday was gray and cold.

Moving Right Along

Well, we toodled all the way to Pennsylvania today. We saw snow in the air, but we ran out of it. The temperature is still in the low 40's, but that's what March is in these "Middle States". Saturday's temperatures were up to the high 60's, and we really appreciated them. We have parked for the night, and we have Wi Fi, so what else do we need?

Peripatetic Blog

And....away we go......! We spent the weekend with our daughter and son-in-law and their dogs. It was an agility trial way up on top of hill in the general vicinity of Albany, NY. It was fun seeing the different breeds of dogs and their specific characteristics. Border collies and Australian shepherds are sooo fast. They seem to fly around the course. Then there are the golden retrievers and the labs...they have such happy attitudes, they really don't care if they succeed. They just want to have fun! Now we're getting ready to actually leave New York (tomorrow) and head south. We'll try to keep you posted as we toodle along.

Anticipation

Sometimes we dream things.
Sometimes we actually do things.
Here, we are on the verge of heading out into the unknown in a new vehicle and with very sketchy plans for the next 3 months.
While this is uncomfortable in the thinking, I believe it will be enjoyable in the actuality.
With no deadlines or schedules, we shouldn't have the stress of being early or late for the parade...we don't even need to go to the parade, if we so choose.

What is that Sound?

Ok, I'll give you a clue...it sounds like "My Favorite Things"...and "Sixteen, going on Seventeen"...and "Edelweiss"...and many more.
Yes, Saturday evening we attended the final performance of the local school's "The Sound of Music". The students out-performed themselves, as they frequently do under the leadership of K. Taylor. She seems to get music from the shyest and the loneliest, as well as the out-goingest.
The evening was a sweet finale to our Maple Day.

MAPLE!

Today is "Maple Weekend" in NNY.
We went to three sugar houses and indulged in maple sugar candy, maple syrup, maple cookies....even maple cotton candy! Boy, are the calories adding up!
We also learned that maple syrup can be an ingredient in soap, hand lotion, lip balm, and lip gloss. (The body lotion actually smells like maple, so probably the rest of the stuff does, too.)
We enjoyed learning about "reverse osmosis", "tapping trees", and the fact that a vacuum is used to suck the sap out of the maple tree. No more waiting for Mother Nature!
The pancake "breakfast" was enjoyed at noon, and involved 2 large pancakes, maple syrup, 3 sausages, butter, and our choice of coffee, milk, or juice. What a day well-spent!
(Tune in tomorrow for the report on our evening.)

Basketball

Our area is all a-dither about the Syracuse game tomorrow and the Hammond Central girls' varsity game Saturday.
If they win Saturday, they go to the New York State Finals. They have won this contest at least twice before within recent history.
I will be cheering from afar.
I do remember the days when my son and my daughter were playing. We always cheered from the bleachers, wherever they happened to be.
Go Orange!
Go Red Devils!

LIFE goes on...

"And, they, since they were not the one dead, turned to their affairs."
From Robert Frost's poem about the boy who lost his arm--and his life--cutting wood.

My 76-year-old neighbor was coming back from his bike ride...up the last hill...when he dropped dead of a massive heart attack. This kind of information always puts a period, or exclamation mark, at the end of whatever sentence we were living in. No more time to chat or sing or have fellowship with him.

I'm beginning to look more and more toward Glory....when we never have to say "goodbye".

The Madness of March

Well, Syracuse got into the NCAA tournament, after 4 games, 3 wins, and 7 overtimes. Their next game is Friday, so we have plenty of time to incite the local fans into a frenzy.
It's gotta sell a lotta pizza and soda, not to mention Tshirts.

Never Before

...and probably Never Again....will I go shopping the clothing sales for a Whole Day!

We left at 10 am and returned home at 8:30pm, with only short stops (and blessed sit-down time) for lunch at Panera Bread and snack/dinner at Taco Bell in the mall.

My friend's philosophy, to which I ascribed yesterday, was...

• throw anything into the cart that Might be a possibility
• take the whole pile to the the fitting room
• try everything on, sorting as you go into "Yes" or "No" piles
• discard the "No" pile
• buy the "Yes" pile
• take it home. Possession is 9 points of the law, right?
• live with it. See what other possibilities it creates in your wardrobe.
• think about it. Do you really need 6 athletic sets?....but "they're so pretty"...
• wear it. Keep the tags, of course, in case you decide against it.
• try to find space for it in your already crowded closets. Zounds! That means cleaning them.
• take back anything that you decide really doesn't work for you. If they don't give cash, you will get a store card for "later". Will I Ever Need to go Shopping Again??

Symbolism

The long wait is over.

Winter has passed.

Spring is here.

How do I know?

I just picked some pussywillows!

And before that, I saw a robin!

All in Northern New York!

(Yes, I know there will be more snow.

There is fierce wind now.

Rain will buffet.

Floods will prevail.)

But....like the poem says,

"Say I'm weary, say I'm sad,

Say that health and wealth have missed me.

Say I'm growing old, but add

Jenny kissed me!"

And, I picked pussywillows.

:-)

Reaching Out

Ok, so I just spent a mite less than 2 hours on Facebook!
So I could have been sweeping the floor and making supper.
But...I couldn't have put a girl in TX in contact with my NY computer guy.
And, I couldn't have connected with a girl who was in my Released Time class 20 years ago.
And, I wouldn't have learned that another friend's mother-in-law is still bowling and going dancing at age 84.
I think it was not a waste of time.
Others may disagree.
But, it was fun.
:-)

Friends

Facebook is fun, meeting up with old friends.
It's amazing that young folks choose to be friends with old folks.
(Well, at least I find it somewhat amazing.)
Of course, we do have some past history.
And "friends in common".
Anyway, I guess this is a grateful day.
(Even if we did lose an hour this morning.)

Do

Do say yes if someone asks for help.
Do go the extra mile (or 10) to keep projects working.
Do make turkey soup if the lady who was going to make soup calls in sick.
Do deliver it and make sure someone is going to be there to serve it.
Do catch up with friends online.
Do learn new computer tricks.
Do take virus warnings seriously.
Do get your required hours of sleep every night.

second thoughts

Sometimes we blow off steam before really thinking. So my post today is "don't". I really don't need to making assumptions based on my limited knowledge and publicly spewing them. There are enough whiners and gripers around without my adding to their number. Suffice it to say that my aol "Welcome" page is now in ENGLISH! And, all is right with the world.

Another....

Is there life after blogs?
Well, of course.
There's Facebook.
I can see where life could easily revolve around the computer.
Of course, there ARE people in the background....somewhere.
Greetings to all my old and new and young friends!