Happy St Patricks Day!

Ken's home!  He came home last night.  His break started after classes ended yesterday.  He thought he had class today, but he didn't.  It's always good to see my boy!  Michelle came home to find Ken at the table and said, "What are you doing here?"  Ken said, "I decided to drop out of college and come home."  "Oh"  was all she said.  My kids.  Will they ever get along?

I'll post later after I see the doctor and go out to lunch with my lunch bunch.

I checked this out as an audio-book and listened to Mary tell her lifes story.  I really enjoyed it!

Pictures of pretty flowers, as promised.

They had a flower show and this won a whole bunch of awards.  I didn't do it justice with this photo.

On to other fun stuff.

This was one of the first gardens we looked at.  It is so colorful and cheerful!

"Days of Wine and Hoses"  Cindy and I both thought that was cute.

This was a rather austere Japanese garden.  How'd you like a bamboo curtain like that?

This was from a huge display of new plants for 2006.  When can I go shopping?

I thought these were just too cool.  I wonder if they'll find a place in my yard?  In a container perhaps?

Blue and white hyacinths.  Can you smell them?

There were lots more cool things but I was on overload.  Good thing I didn't have to drive the two hours back home.  I had a headache that lasted into the wee hours.  I didn't sleep well, even though I was exhausted, probably because Barney didn't come home last night and because, between my head and my thumb, I was in pain.  No sign of the cat this morning before I headed off to sub, but he was inside when I got home this afternoon.  No one was home to tell me when he came back and he wasn't saying.  I'm very relieved.  Stupid cat.

I visit the hand specialist tomorrow with my film.  He should have received the report from the MRI office, so I'm really hopeful they will be able to heal whatever is wrong.  It isn't going away.  It's been two months.  It's annoying and painful!

Enough gripping.  I finished an interesting book about the other Indian who accompanied Lewis and Clark on their famous cross-country expedition.  Really worth your while if you enjoy that sort of book.

And Sam and Michelle are still trying to work things out.  O Lord, please continue to guide and direct Dave and me through this morass!  Amen.

Busy week.  Sorry for not updating sooner.

I subbed today.  Yesterday I had book club in the morning, then did my tutoring job at noon so that I could accompany Michelle to a childbirth class from 1:30 until 5.  That was interesting.  They showed a few videos of births - it's really amazing that I've managed to forget just how painful and prolonged labor is.  Selective memory strikes again.  I'm sure that Michelle will be an awful patient!

But guess who showed up at the class?  Yup.  Sam.  Seems he's serious about trying to make this work.  Yup.  Of course he is.  He has some major persuading to do here.  But I'm glad he's trying and am praying that he's for real.  But I'm dubious.  Hopeful, but scared.  Dave had quite a talk with him about his intentions and change of heart.  I was so glad that he did that.  I love it when he does the dad role so well!

Tomorrow I'm going to Navy Pier in Chicago for the annual Chicagoland garden show.  Fernwood, the closest botanical garden to here, is having a chartered bus and I bought my ticket a long time ago.  I'm pumped!  I promise to take lots of pictures and post them.  I went a few years back and it was terrific. 

I hope that you are all doing well.  I've tried to check in on all of you, but if I missed anybody, I'm sorry about that!

Here's a fun site to check out.  It's really amazing!

http://www.worldschoolphotographs.com/

In the continuing saga of Michelle, we spent some time in the ER last night.  She came home from work early due to pain, cramping and a tearing sensation.  So she called the doctor when she got home and was sent to maternity triage.  It was so busy there that they had to clean out a room while we waited.  Everything is OK.  She is probably experiencing the pain of the ligaments stretching out.  She sees the doctor today. 

I had my MRI yesterday.  I have the film in my car.  But I can't read it.  I see the hand doctor on St Pat's day.  Seemed like they took 20 pictures at 3 minutes each.  I know I was there 1 1/2 hours!

We made a bunch of invites in design A and are also coming up with other designs.  This is a little bit addictive!  I also did up a couple of thank you notes.  I needed to send one to one of my ND friends who gave us a hardly used car seat and some clothes!  That was so nice and so unexpected.  I think it would still be nice if Michelle had one of those new-born car seats that you can carry around with you.  That's on her wish list.   She is already getting a lot of supplies.  I bought a bunch at incredible savings from Marshall Fields in their close-out sale.

Dave's back home.  Yippee!  He had spent the week first in Albany, NY, then in London, Ontario, Canada.  I'm also so happy when he comes home from one of these trips.  I'm glad he doesn't travel all the time!

Barney decided to try out the $10 stroller that we got last month at Goodwill:

No sub job today.  I worked the last two days.  One in pre-calc, the other in freshmen biology.

I had fun last night while waiting for Michelle to return home after she meet Sam after her class at Ivy Tech.  So I played around with my new stamps and created some invitations for the party next month.  Here goes.  Please vote for your favorite.

A:

B:

C:

D:

So I ought to finish the teaser.  Seems that Sam is now talking about marriage.  Don't hold your breath.  If they decide that, you won't need xanga to hear the news!

Today I put in some Master Gardener hours, sitting at a table at one of the local nurseries annual winter garden show.  So I took some pictures of their ponds, for all of us to enjoy.

There is something so peaceful about a pond.

Until you try to build it.  Which I have yet to do.  I'm not sure I really want to.  I'm afraid of what might happen to it!

The most asked question at these kind of events is "How do I get rid of the moles in my yard.?"  There is a new trap out that is easy to install and kills the mole when it enters the trap.  But some people want a humane trap.  That is more difficult.  The problem around here is that the moles are overpopulated.  So far, I don't have any in my lawn, but I hate to say that too loudly.

I was reading the weather forecast in the local paper and saw that it's supposed to be 60 here by Thursday.  Good grief.  That's at least a month too early.  Crazy weather.  It's not that I mind the 60 degree temps, I'm just afraid that we'll get warm again and BOOM!  It'll turn 10 again.  BRRRR.  Dave thinks it indicates global warming.  That's really scary.

Hope you have a great weekend and are able to get out and worship at your local church.

We plan to go out for lunch after church with my aunt and uncle.  He wasn't feeling so hot earlier in the week so here's hoping they can come!

I finished the last book in Adriana Trigiani's trilogy.  I highly recommend this charming series.  The life of an Italian Catholic in the mountains of Western Virginia.  It's really well done.

No worries.

This is Barney's box.  It was left on the floor, waiting to be put outside and recycled when Barney claimed it as his.  Now it sits next to the windows leading to the sunroom and Barney goes there when he's tired.  Dave puts his toys in it when he finds them.  It's looking a little ratty, but Barney doesn't care.

Today is March 1.  This means that February is over.  Maybe we'll all be done with SAD soon?  I just feel like I've been in a mild depression since after the holidays.  I get this way every winter.  I really need to be able to get outside to walk, to garden, to feel alive again!

Yesterday Michelle and I had brunch at IHOP, where they were celebrating National Pancake day with free shortstacks.  I made a donation to the reading foundation, so they weren't really free, but I thought it was a nice gesture on their part.

Before that I saw the hand doctor.  He has no idea what's wrong with my thumb, but he doesn't think it's arthritis either.  See, I already like the man.  So I'm going to have an MRI next Thursday.  He basically said that if it's anything serious they'll find it that way.  If it's not serious, then we'll just hope it goes away on it's own.  He could tell there was something going on with it because of the swelling.  Sigh.

I just finished a total escape novel.  "Skinny Dip".  A little raunchy, but the story was clever and moved quickly.  One of those guilty pleasures.  I know I shouldn't really read, but every once in a while I do.  One of the bad characters did meet a good Christian lady and turned over a new leaf.  Totally platonic mother figure.  And there was a bit about the way the everglades are being destroyed by pesticides.  So there.  I've convinced myself it had some redeeming qualities!

I'm in love.  With the music this man creates.  Do you know who he is?  Meet Sir James Galway.  We went to his concert last night.  This would be why I wanted to move to a university town.  Premier concerts.  He's visiting a lot of college towns - including Penn State!  That's for the benefit of my niece.

http://www.thegalwaynetwork.com/

Two nights out in one weekend.  Can I handle it?  He did four encores!  It was fabulous!

I don't sub until this afternoon.  I have some calls to make this morning.  Tomorrow morning I finally see the hand specialist.  Hopefully he can fix whatever is wrong with my thumb!

I love Donna Andrews mysteries.  She has two series.  This one is about a sentient computer.  Absolutely fascinating.  Start with the first in the series so you know what is going on.

Pictures.  I have pictures of what we did at the Stampin up party yesterday.

Easter card.  First mine, then Michelle's.

The demonstrator gave Michelle the chocolate bar holder in the baby theme.  Her Easter Card is a little different that mine, so I thought I'd show you both versions.

This the the notebook that the demonstrator gave me for hosting the party.

It was a fun time.  I got some baby stamps so that Michelle and I can have fun with those for the invites and announcements.

Tonight we are going to a concert at Notre Dame.  We'll get to see and hear Sir James Galloway and his golden flute.  Not that his flute is made of gold, but the tones coming out of it are golden.  I am so fired!  The advantage of living in a university town....

Yesterday I had a board meeting in the morning so I got home just before the demonstrator arrived.  Then Dave and I went to the cheap theater and saw the latest Harry Potter movie.  I thought it was well done.  Just too much to try to put into a two hour movie.

Since my mother josaju has featured this on her site, and since this is happening in my home town, I'd thought I'd post a link here so you all can see what is happening at the hottest church in town.

Fox News

This is a link that should take you to an interview with the senior pastor of the biggest church in town.  They are currently running a series on "My Lame Sex Life".  This church was the first one we visited when we moved here.  We've gone a few times, but found it too big.  Otherwise, I really think this church is on fire for Jesus and is preaching the gospel and reaching souls for the Kingdom.  I personally think it is great they they are preaching on topics that people care about, and preaching in a way that is biblical, Godly and relevant.

In other news, I gave a talk today on perennials in the garden.  I made a power point presentation and used a library laptop and projection system to show it.  It went really well until some of my pictures started showing up with an X instead of the picture and went really downhill when the battery died on the laptop!  Other than that, I got great feedback and everyone said they'd learned something.  Except for one formidable woman, but there seems to be one in every garden club!  We just consider the source.  I think I figured out what the problem with the X's was:  after a while of downloading pictures, I discovered the yahoo copy icon and that made it incredibly easy to cut and paste.  Unfortunately, it didn't bring the picture with it to the power point, just the link, which was fine as long as I was on my home computer.  Now that I know what to fix, I will improve that before my next talk.  Which will be soon if I can get some leads!