Katie's List

Our neighbors, Mina and Joe, needed a handyman to hang some items around the house, so they consulted with Katie's List and found this semi-skilled carpenter's apprentice with time on his hands. After a half hour this morning, all the artwork had been hung and the Handyman had been paid off. Mina presented the workman with a serious bottle of Zinfandel, his favorite, as Mina and Joe admired their new arrangements.

Pent-up demand

It has been a full six months since the thermometer hit 70 degrees in Minnesota. It has been almost that long since a golf ball has been driven down a chilled fairway. That's all over now, golfers teed it up at Stonebrooke and throughout the metro today and swingers have been at the range since Monday morning.
There are still a few snow drifts here and there, but hardly noticed. They'll be gone tomorrow, highs will be in the mid-70s.

Classmates gather again in Maple Grove

These Alexandria High School Class of 1965 grads enjoyed hors de oeuvres and a chat tonight at Houlihan's in Maple Grove. Wallweeds Forever! Paula, Ramona, Stan, Kathy, Greg, Terrie, Kathy.

First report from Mazatlan

It's a day on the beach for Melissa and her daughter Emily, Melissa's namesake and her family.

At right, Emily and Melissa II.

Both girls are seven.

 (Emily will be eight on May 1, and she's been growing like a weed.)

On to Mazatlan!

Emily, Melissa and Cocoa

The reason it takes five suitcases for two ladies on vacation for one week is that two of the cases are stuffed with Emily's hand-me-downs and gifts intended for Melissa's "adopted" family in Mazatlan, Mexico. It's been four years since Melissa and Emily have seen the family, so the excitement and anticipation was at full throttle when they departed Hubert today on Sun Country. The Mexican family is so grateful for Melissa's generous and heartfelt involvement in their lives that they named a child after her. Little Melissa is now seven years old, and today there's a ton of stuff winging its way from her American "sister."
Melissa was up late last night with a friend, setting up a second-hand computer to leave with the family. .. loaded with Skype.
Before departing today, mother and daughter said goodbye to "Cocoa," who will be in the care of a neighbor for the next week.

There was time for a game with Grandma and Grandpa while Mom finished packing today.

She really got into it this time . . .

About 99 percent of the ground was covered with snow when we took our walk this afternoon, but Birdie found an exposed grassy area and sniffed around a lot. When we got back to the house it was discovered that she had found a nasty dried up burdock bush and had picked up a prickly mat of burrs from her paws, up her chest and on to her chin. She was now licking furiously to no avail. All this mess was accomplished in a matter of seconds, under guise of finding a nice place to whiz. Kathleen got out the scissors and the darn dog is finally back to normal, ready to go out again, this time with a wiser handler.

Snowbird

The final indignity was heaped on us this morning with over a half a foot of snow here by sunrise and more drifting down. It's not funny anymore. Our coconut bird feeder is sheltered under the eaves, but it still got a good dose anyway. The melt will come quickly, we're told, which is good because we've got a couple of ladies to deliver to the airport tomorrow. They're heading for sunnier climes. Timing is everything, of course, Hai skeddaddled Wednesday. He's in southern California at the moment, helping his Mom hang curtains in her new place.

Fort Hood buddy checks in

Fortenberry

Stan's partner at Fort Hood back in the 70s checked in with us tonight. Ken Fortenberry happened to be at Fort Hood last Sunday, reflecting on his Army service and the time he spent there with his old buddy. Tonight the two agreed that they're saddened that their old home has come to represent senseless, tragic, aberrant behavior in our society.
During their service, both Ken and Stan were involved in public information affairs at Fort Hood.
Fort Hood is the largest employer in Texas. The commanding general gave a good, straightforward news conference tonight in a difficult situation, the second deadly shooting at the post in five years.
When Ken and Stan served at Fort Hood in 1970, the military trial there of Vietnam Mai Lai massacre participants was the focus of public attention.

Maybe this year. . .

We don't always do window boxes. Sometimes we're too busy to put them up or the season is too short.  or the bottom is falling out of a wooden frame. We didn't do any flower boxes last year, not sure what our excuse was. Maybe not this year either, we'll see. Now would be the time to make plans. . . but not just yet. Six inches of snow will be here tonight, right about the time we sit down with the neighbors for our monthly dinner.