You can't golf without a driver

The full set of vintage Patty Berg steel shafts
got a vigorous workout today.

The wind was gusting, but it was warm enough today to get tuned up for tomorrow's grudge match against the Mankato Rolfsruds, slated for late afternoon at the prestigious Creeksbend Golf Course in beautiful rural New Prague. Today Katie took the wheel of one of their brand new gas-powered golf carts, advising Stan on his club selection and strategizing for tomorrow's round against two hard-working establishment authority figures: a judge and a principal. We'll  trust the retired newspaper guy to report an accurate score and get the story straight.

Making a joyful noise. . .

Father Cassidy led the parade of creatures, followed by the choir. He set two alarm clocks for 4:45 this morning so he wouldn't miss the first edition. Got up in the dark and heard a hoot owl. Might have written the homily then too.

A 20-year partnership
celebrated in sawdust.

If you wanted a seat at the St. Joan of Arc Easter mass this morning, you needed to grab one immediately after the packed 9 a.m. session let out. By 11:15 the joint was thumping and rocking yet again, wall-to-wall worshippers clapping their hands, swaying and generally feeling good just being there. Among the favorites getting a workout were "Oh Happy Day," "What a Wonderful World," "Eagles' Wings," "Alleluia," and many others, accompanied by a six-piece orchestra, full choir, fabulous soloist, and an old white trumpeter who could sing just like Louis Armstrong.

Displayed beside the pathway into the "gym mass," a colorful sawdust mural (above) linked the congregation to its sister church in Guatamala. On the way out, to the tune of "When the Saints Go Marching," the mural was trashed by an enthusiastic procession of very odd-looking beasts led by the holy-man-in-charge, whose earlier explanation of the tradition and meaning of this arcane ritual has since been forgotten by your faithful reporter.

Church mice? Rocky Raccoon? 

Mom, 93 Easters old, didn't make it to these services this morning, but she did sing us a bit of "Oh Happy Day," in a clear Easter morning voice:
Oh, Happy Day
(Oh, Happy Day)
When Jesus washed
(When Jesus washed)
Oh, when he washed …...
He washed my sins away!

Oh Happy Day!

Little keychain with a peek of the past

In the spring of 1982, the Valleyfair Amusement Park in Shakopee threw a big party to celebrate the opening of its Pepsi IMAX theater. This "larger-than-life screen gives a whole new dimension to movie watching," the management boasted.
Guests were treated to dinner, a preview of the new rides, and watched a thrilling movie shot from a variety of angles that exploited the huge movie screen.
On the way out, guests were photographed and given this little keepsake trinket to remember the event. When you hold it up to the light and squint through the peephole, you can see the picture mounted inside the plastic light box.

This little keychain keepsake went into a drawer. It came out today and provided some amusement when we discovered our digital camera could capture the little tiny image locked inside.
The hard part was dating it. Kathleen always goes by her wardrobe, Stan judges time by the amount of hair he has left.

Oh No

Our guardian goose quietly reflects on the snowfall and freeze that put a thin skin on part of the pond last night. Eggs are hidden and warm nearby, incubated by the spouse goose. No baby chick delivery expected in time for Easter Sunday though -- these parents don't trust the forecasts either. Our latest snow helping will be gone by late afternoon (Up North they got a foot or more) and forecasters promise that this time next week it will be in the sunny 70s. We're not impressed, nor is the ground-feeding Mourning Dove at right, whose breakfast seeds have been frosted over yet again.
Now that's something to mourn about.

The eggs are stashed in the lower right corner. You can see the Canada Goose minding them from the pond.

Iris, not hail, in Dallas

Photo by Lorlee Bartos

Lorlee saw the hail picture below and writes: Where was that? Here in Dallas, the sun is shining, the rose bushes have buds and the iris (above) are blooming. We did have a cold snap last night down to 35 but back in the 60’s today and the rest of the week.

Hail in Texas

Ok. There's a bit of hail. But look at the trees and the lovely green grass.

Our friend Laurie took a few days off with friends in Texas. . . and got hailed on this morning for her trouble. She sent along this photo to Hai.
"So much for sunny Texas," wrote Lauire. "What the Hail!" quipped Hai.

Fighting back the tears. . .

Our long-legged seven-year-old departing Mazatlan

They're home again safe and sound. Missy and Emily are sleeping it off today after a fun-filled week with their adopted family in Mazatlan. It was hard saying goodbye, here Emily fights back the tears while Mom takes just one more vacation picture.
Back to school and work tomorrow.
Below is the family, enjoying a dip in Missy's time share pool.

We'll watch the Masters this weekend

When we get past the slobbering of announcers overwhelmed by the majesty of the event, watching the Masters Golf Tournament remains a favorite pastime in this household every spring.
Yesterday's cuts left many of our elderly favorites (Els, Mickelson, Sergio, O'Meara, Watson) on the sidelines with the ailing Tiger, there's still plenty of good contenders to follow today and tomorrow. Bubba has a small lead, but he's emotional and won't maintain it. Will Scott repeat? Rory? Whatever happens, we'll be pulling for old-timers Couples and Furyk who are still in the hunt. We like their chances.

How does this one look, Mom?

Her mother loves to spend an afternoon with Marcy in the shops at Southdale. Yesterday's mission was to explore for a bridesmaid's dress for Marcy to wear at the wedding of a friend, the perfect excuse to try on everything the malls have to offer. Mom says everything looks good on a willing Marcy's figure, so it was great fun for the pair, topped off with a mother-daughter luncheon. Mom brought home a phone full of photos, no dress. No decisions have been made about anything, but a good time was had by all.