April 30, 2011. Galveston, Texas. Irene and Bill.

Last evening we ate dinner together and it was as if we had seen them yesterday.  In truth, we had not seen them since their son John's wedding fifteen years ago and other than Christmas cards had never even spoken, but once a friend always a friend, so we just talked and talked and talked, catching up on the lost years.

Ken was a Research Fellow in the Pulmonary lab. while Bill was in charge of Pulmonary for the hospital, so Bill was actually Ken's boss but Ken was researching some fancy chemical reaction in the lungs which was interesting to Bill, so they got along well together.

Irene graciously invited me over to her house when my first child Andrew was born.  Her first three children were girls, the youngest one two, and the others just steps in age older.  We drank tea and talked while the children played.  It was a haven of peace and elegance, visiting with her in her lovely home.   When David was born, when I was in the hospital, Irene looked after Andrew during the day.  In subsequent months, at least once a week, Irene invited me and the boys over for tea.   A good friend indeed.  As an experiences mother, she answered all my questions and saved my sanity.

It has been worth a visit to Galveston, just to spend time with Bill  and Irene.

April 29, 2011. Galveston, Texas. June 26, 1964.

We crossed the border on June 26, 1964, driving from Toronto and heading for Galveston, Texas.    Ken had major surgery after graduating from medical school, and the surgeon suggested that he take his Internal Medicine Residency in a warmer climate.   Ken completed his internship in Toronto at St. Michael's Hospital.  After exploring the options, we selected Texas and they selected him, so after the last day of teaching for me, we headed south immediately.  My Mother and Ken loaded our belongings into our car.  Our route took us west before heading south, because the deep south was full of violence due to the civil rights marchers.  We wanted no part of that.  We needed to get on with our careers.

Galveston has changed, but the streets and avenues are all the same.  The whole west end of the island is developed.  The seawall is the same.   The dock area is much bigger.  I am happy to visit here with my friends and poke around our old haunts, but I am pleased we moved on.

It is hard to believe  that we arrived in Galveston with just what we brought in the car, our brand new blue Ford Galaxie XL.  It was a wonderful car.  But we made one mistake when leaving Toronto.  I took my money out of the Toronto Teacher's Pension Fund, and spent it getting to Texas.  Today that money would be worth a lot.   We were young and foolish!!  But we loved the warm evenings of Galveston.

April 28, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. Moving On.

Now we are Texans.  We arrived residents of Maryland and we leave as Texans.  Today, the weather is beautiful.   No more ninety degrees in the shade and windy.  Today the sun is shining, there is no wind, the sky is bright blue and it is seventy degrees.  Perfect Spring weather.  But we are not going to enjoy it here at Canyon Lake.

Last evening we ate our last meal of the visit with David and Suzanne and the girls at their home in San Antonio.  They are all doing so well,  the girls growing up so nicely and David and Suzanne working so hard at their respective jobs to help the girls grow up productively.   Helping children grow up has never been easy and my hats are off to them for doing such a good job.

Today we leave Canyon Lake and begin poking along the 'roads less travelled', heading to Galveston.  In 1964 we moved to Galveston and lived there for six years.  It is fifteen years since we have been back  so we decided it was time to stay a week at a time share to visit our friends and check out the place.  I know it has changed.

When the temperature was so high here, Ken commented that it must be ready to head north, but today is so beautiful we will be sorry to leave.  But we always tell the girls that we will return.  And  we will.

April 27, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. Another Track Meet.

Nothing is so reassuring of our future than attending a middle school track meet.  The weather was horrible for the event;  over 90 degrees,  full sun, and strong winds.  Even spectators were uncomfortable.  But it was bliss watching the youthful athletes, at least for me.  At this point, it was all about natural abilities.  Nobody had much in the way of training.  I know every school had a coach, but the Coach of Abigail's school had never run track herself but had played on the volleyball team at Trinity University, so I assume all schools had a similar level of expertise.    What that coach brought to the table was enthusiasm and attitude, which you must admit is a wonderful tool to carry with you for life.

Those young people ran and jumped as if their life depended on it.  They tried  hard to get ahead and run fast.  Even if they were coming in last,  it was clear they were straining to run as fast as their legs would carry them.  This meet was the last of the season and was the regional final for the organization, which was the Greater San Antonio Christian School Athletic League.  I'm not sure how the Home School Sports Team got admitted into the League but perhaps the public schools would not allow them to compete as a single group.  As an aside, the home school kids clearly had been well trained.  They all wore racing shoes and their trainers called their time splits out to them as they ran around the oval.  And they clearly had more time to train.  Abigail did not even know what a split time was, let alone how fast she should be running.

Abigail's sixth grade class won the meet,  so they were undefeated for the year.  They were thrilled to win but they were more thrilled to run and compete.  I over heard the coach talk to the team right at the beginning of the meet.  She said, "I want no comments about the weather.  I want enthusiasm for the event.  I want your best effort of the season.  And I want a smile of gratitude at the end."  For my money, she may not know much about running track, but for middle school kids, she was a great coach.

Making a Path

Pedicure

April 26, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. Springtime.

It is rare for me to wish to be someplace else.   I don't long to be any place other than where I am right now.  But last evening when I talked with my friend Phyllis and she described the weeping cherry tree in full bloom in the yard at the farm, it did cross my mind that I am missing it.  She said that it was in full bloom and was beautiful.  Also she was astonished at the number of calves at the farm.  There were lots and lots of calves.   But I remind myself that we can not be everywhere and that right now, we are enjoying Texas.

Many times, people, even good friends,  will ask us what place we like the best.  Is it Nova Scotia?  The farm in Pennsylvania?  Texas?   Mississippi?  Mexico?   Our response is always the same.  We like the place best  where we are that very day.  I don't know why we have always lived for the moment, especially when we spend so much time planning for the future, but it is true.  We enjoy where we are with little thought about anyplace else.  Except when your good friend calls to tell you of the beauty of the blossoms.

April 25, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Pedicure.

It was quite a sight.  Four girls, one daddy, one mother and a grandmother, all lined up in a row having a pedicure.  The girls were thrilled with their Easter gift;  also Suzanne;  but David was the surprise.   As the girls had the day off school for Easter monday, David decided to take off work and join in the fun with a pedicure, his first ever.   The girls loved it but we were quite a sight.

Ken had his hair cut right next door but could not be convinced to join in the pedicure mania.  We had lunch at the sandwich shop just down the street, so as soon as two of the girls were finished,  David and Ken along with two girls got a heads up for lunch.  Then Suzanne and I and the two other girls joined them for lunch.  It was all very efficient.  We were finished by 12:30 and everyone was happy.

It was a great Easter gift.  I'm glad Ken thought about it.

April 24, 2011. San Antonio, Texas. Easter Sunday.

Easter Sunday started early, with breakfast with the family.  Evidently, the Easter bunny left a message, saying that because of the dogs, he was unable to hide any eggs for the girls to find, but he asked Suzanne to set them out.  We arrived to find Suzanne busily hiding eggs in the back yard.  The Easter egg hunt was a big success with every girl loaded down with plastic eggs filled with a chocolate.  Each girl found a large clear egg filled with a treasure, which was to be one Saturday morning being in charge of the TV clicker.  And some eggs were filled with quarters.

The St. Luke's Episcopal church was full to celebrate  Easter.  The choir was excellent and Abigail and Sarah are acolytes so it is always lovely to see the girls carry out their tasks in an efficient manner.

Suzanne and David had invited two families for Easter dinner so when we all arrived from church, we all hustled around to make the preparations.   By the time everyone arrived at 1:30, everything was  in order, with the tables set, food in the oven and all the snack foods out on the kitchen counter.  Nine adults and ten children enjoyed the day of eating and drinking.  The children swam and played and eat and had a wonderful time, ending up with a Harry Potter movie.  It was a memorable celebration.  The friends have all boys, three each, ranging in age from 4 to 16, so it was interesting to observe the interaction between the boys and girls.

Everyone left by 8:00 and by 9:00 the kitchen was clean and all food put away.  The girls helped too.  I loved the day of celebration, and I loved the good food too.

April 23, 2011. San Antonio, Texas. Easter Eggs.

Coloring eggs is fun.  First you boil the eggs, then when the eggs are cool, using the colors purchased at the grocery store, the children make the eggs beautiful.  Today, on the deck, the four girls did just that.    Suzanne had purchased two sets, one set for the younger girls and one for the older, as the younger quickly end up with colors all mixed up.

I just watched and talked.  Within five minutes, Samantha had colored all the eggs, while Abigail was still working on her first egg.   It was fascinating to watch their technique.   But when all was said and done, no one would ever have known whose egg belonged to what girl.  I tried to convince them to write their name on the egg but they were not interested.   Both Abigail and Allison left one egg in the dye to see how dark they could get, and sure enough, by eight o'clock tonight, Abigail's egg was dark royal blue while Allison's was bright red.

The girls custom is to make a nest for the Easter Bunny to bring his eggs and any other presents left for them.  This is not a Canadian custom but it is in Texas.  It is quite charming and even the older girls follow the custom.  And these hard boiled eggs are not set out for the girls during their Easter egg hunt.  They hunt for hollow plastic eggs, filled with chocolate or gifts.  The colored eggs they eat!!.

April 22, 2011. Harper, Texas. Solving Problems.

It happens all the time, but it always catches me by surprise.  A bunk house is what we need at the ranch.  The girls are of an age where,  when company comes to stay,  the boys and girls can not bunk in together, so after much discussion, the decision was made to obtain a building already manufactured suitable to fit four bunk beds, and have it installed on the property.  We would then insulate and finish the interior.  We even chose the right one, to be delivered on Friday.  But when we arrived at the ranch, we discovered that the gate was too small to allow the building into the ranch.  So we cancelled the delivery, for now.

So we  met with a  man to install a bigger and better gate.  As is typical with country contractors, they take no deposit but the next time we arrive, our gate will be new and he will have been paid, thanks to the miracle of the computers.  The gates in Texas go from the sublime to the ridiculous.  You see huge fancy stone entrance gate where you know the ranch is small and you see huge ranches with old fashioned gates like ours.  Our gate will not be pretentious, but it will be wider and better.

In discussions with Randy the gate man, we mentioned that we were unhappy with our road to the Top House, as it is eroding due to the steep slope.  Randy recommended Tommie, another workman who lives in Harper, and this morning Tommie and his wife Kelly arrived to evaluate our road.  And yes, we need a new road which will be installed before the next time we arrive.

Now perhaps, we have solved all our present problems at the ranch, for now.

Rachel and Calf

Prickly Pear

April 21, 2011. Harper, Texas. My Sister.

My sister is a busy lady, much busier than me.  And she is always doing something for someone else.  Now she has taken on another task in Owen Sound.  At The Salvation Army community church that she attends, she has taken on the task of taking dinner to anyone at the church who is sick or has a death in the family, just to let folks know that someone cares for them.  As she told me brightly,  "It is not a big deal.  I get dinner,  pay a visit and chat a bit, say a prayer with them, then leave with everyone happy.  It makes me feel good too".

Today we talked on the phone for almost an hour, catching up with the children and grandchildren.  We e mail back and forth,  but for her it seems too much like work, so she prefers to talk on the phone.   Her husband Ken loves hockey and they  attend every game of their Major Junior A team in Own Sound.  This year the team has met with great success and they are now in the third round of the playoffs.  If they win, they will play for the Memorial Cup, or maybe I mixed that up.   Hockey is a big deal in Canada and especially so in the smaller cities such as Own Sound.

Carol has always been a good sister to me but I can not imagine leading her life.  But hats off to her.  She is always doing something nice to someone.

April 20, 2011. Double D Ranch, Harper, Texas. Blossoms.

The wildflowers are sparse this year.   The lack of rain in the fall means for a poor display of wildflowers.  And the blight with the bees has impacted the pollination, thus  fewer blossoms.

The ranch is parched.  Everything is brown.  Then you see these bright yellow blossoms.  It is an amazing sight.  The prickly pear cactus is in bloom.   No one really likes these plants but these bright yellow blossoms brighten up an otherwise dull scene.  You would wonder how the plant can put out such a flower in such dry surroundings.  The cattle eat the leaves too, prickles and all.   It seems like a miracle.

April 19, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. A New Restaurant.

McAdoo's is a new restaurant in New Braunfels.   The old post office has been all spruced up, with condos on the second floor and McAdoo's on the first floor.   It is just a block away from the main square.  Today we are going to try it out.  Actually, I don't know if this is a new restaurant, but it certainly is new to me.  We tend not to dine out in New Braunfels as it is about a thirty minute drive but since we drove around the place on Sunday and saw it all spruced up and looking prosperous, we realized that several good restaurants would be worth the drive.  Today we will begin our quest.

McAdoo's is a seafood restaurant, advertised as 'The Best Fishing Hole in Town".   New Braunfels is thriving because the population in Texas is growing.  Companies have mover to this business friendly state, retired folks have retired here for the weather, and the military is still in abundance.  The growth is not accidental but it is remarkable to see the growth right before our eyes.   David and Suzanne and Ken and I purchased the lake house about fourteen years ago.  New Braunfels was a little German town, known for the Octoberfest.  Two or three German restaurants were the only choices for dinner.  But not any more.  All those retired people have stoked the restaurant scene.  Ken and I are going to continue the tradition.

April 18, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. River Road.

It is a lovely drive  right along-side the Guadalupe River.   The river is a pale green color so with the cliffs and the overhanging trees plus the five river crossings, the trip to New Braunfels was beautiful.   Yesterday we took that route and were interested to see how much it has improved since last year.  The whole river is private, with cottages and camp grounds and cabins, open to the public.   In the past, some of the resorts  had been build years ago and never upgraded, but the flood of two years ago washed them all away.  Last year was the time of re-building.  This year  all is in order.

Not all River Roads are right alongside the river.  Think of River Road in Montgomery County, Maryland. But this one, along the Guadalupe River in Texas follows right beside the river, so it is a slow drive, especially as we were enjoying the scenery too.  At least ten times we pulled over to allow other cars to pass. The river was busy, with tubers and fishermen all the way.  The day was beautiful, sunny and warm. It must have been the beginning of the summer season on the river.

It is interesting to note that no signs direct you to drive the scenic River Road to New Braunfels.  We just stumbled upon it one day fifteen years ago and have been driving it ever since.  It takes longer to get there, but is much prettier, so at least two or three times each season we take the River Road route.  It is always rewarding.

April 17, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. New Braunfels.

It is unusual to see a small town thriving.  Most smaller communities are having trouble  keeping the downtown area vibrant and interesting, but New Braunfels is growing, with no empty storefronts  downtown.  It was a pleasure to see the re-furbished old buildings put to new use.

New Braunfels is the closest town to us here at Canyon Lake.   It was founded by the Germans in the early part of the nineteenth century.   When transportation got easy, people went to towns further afield to do their shopping, in this instance, San Antonio or Austin.  Forty years ago, a committee was formed to keep New Braunfels vibrant.  They have done a good job ever since.

One thing they did several years ago was to allow apartments or condos on the second floor of the downtown area, so the area never did lose people.  Every building has been spruced up, so looks great.  We were so pleased to find the town thriving.  It had been a couple of years since we drove through the downtown.  Now we have a couple of new restaurants to visit.

Lake

April 16, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. Birthday Shopping.

The difficult part is thinking about the gift for the granddaughter turning twelve.  Once the decision is made, the shopping was pure pleasure.   Abigail's birthday will be in May, but we will not be able to attend, so a few weeks ago, at a family dinner,  we all decided to celebrate early and give her the  gift while we were still in Texas.  It seemed to be more fun.  The problem?  What to give her.  We have been thinking about it ever since.

Yesterday, right after lunch, the girls and Suzanne arrived at the lake.  Within five minutes, they were in bathing suits and out in the kayaks.  Last year we gave the twins a kayak each for their birthday, so along with the poke boat, they played with the three boats for at least two hours.  It was great fun, followed by a warm up in the hot tub.  It did not require a genius to figure out that four girls need four boats.  Our birthday gift  to Abigail only required a shopping trip.

First thing this morning, Ken and I went shopping, and arrived home with the gift and of course, presented it to her.  Right after lunch, all four girls headed down to the lake.  First thing they do is go for a long paddle.  Next they play games, all right in our little cove.   The four adults sat in the shade enjoying the show.   Pure pleasure for a grandmother.

April 15, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Interviews.

Linda and I were not sure about joining the world of real estate.  I had just completed my graduate work and was busy interviewing for jobs, along with my research project for the degree.  One thing we knew for sure was that we did not want to be beholden to any boss, so we went to interviews with a list of questions, all leading to us being able to come and go as we pleased.  Linda was perfectly happy with her life, playing golf and tennis and caring for the two children and Bill.  She just wanted to sell four houses a year.   I was not sure I would like it at all.

The amazing part of the interviewing process was the results.  Even though we were difficult, everyone wanted us to join their office.   One owner/broker urged us repeatedly to join his office in Chevy Chase even though during the interview I got the giggles and could not stop laughing right until the end, when Linda and I ended the interview right in the midst of his talk about his company.  It was all frightfully unprofessional.

We selected a small one office in Bethesda, which had a reputation for having good ethical standards.  There was also two brokers, so we figured always one broker would be available to help.   Linda proceeded to do exactly what she set out to do.  She retired the same year as me in 2010,  after selling three or four houses a year  since 1978, the year we got our license.  And she stayed with the same broker.  I on the other hand, took to the business like duck to water.  And the rest of history.

April 14, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. Starting into Business.

It was all her idea.  Linda and her husband purchased a summer home in Maine.  She was born and raised there, still had relatives there, and wanted her two children to get to know Maine.   But there was a problem.   Linda wanted to re-decorate while husband Bill thought it looked just fine.   Now Linda was a smart lady.  She figured out that if she earned the money,  Bill would be happy.  Linda had a good friend Robin who was a real estate agent, and after discussions with Robin, Linda calculated that if she sold four houses a year, her decorating would be covered in any given year.

Next step for Linda was to take me for lunch, bringing along the papers to sign to register for the real estate course.  After a long conversation and much frivolity over a liter of wine,  we both filled in our application, along with the stamped envelope which she mailed.  Linda would never have taken the course by herself, but as I had just completed graduate school, she knew I was free to take the course during the day, and she knew I could get to the University of Maryland.  So off we went to take the course, not to have a career but more to humor a good friend.

Next step was interviewing.  But that is another story.

April 13, 2011. Double D Ranch, Harper, Texas. Country Life.

It is different, living in the country.  Today, the UPS was to deliver a package to us at the ranch.  This is not an easy thing to do.  Firstly, the driver must find us on this obscure county road, and secondly, as we live in the house on top of the hill, we must stay down below in the ranch house awaiting his arrival.   Ken knew all the pitfalls, but wanted to check out the system.

By nine o'clock we are down at the ranch house.  The computer tracking is invaluable as we knew the package was to be delivered today and we wanted to be busy.  I am happy to report, the system worked beautifully.  I took my last two magazines down with me, also  asked Suzanne for a couple of chores while waiting, so I was productive the whole time.

After lunch, which we stole from the freezer and ate by the fire-pit, the driver drove up.  He commented that it was the first time he had delivered to our place, which was true.  Now that we know to trust the system, we might have more packages delivered to the ranch.  The driver commented that he knows every residence on his route and that he will deliver before two o'clock.   It is different in the country.  He also called me by name!!

April 12, 2011. Harper, Texas. A Quiet Day.

It was a beautiful day.  Clear blue skies and a light breeze, 75 degrees F.  Perfect weather.    Reading all morning while I wait for the electrician Pat to arrive still makes me uneasy.  There must be a list of tasks to turn to.   But now I am down to reading the last  three periodicals.  Then I finally can turn to my Kindle.  Pat is ready to begin, when he has the time.

The past few days I have walked from the Top House to the ranch, late in the afternoon to enjoy the cooler evening.  I hear birds all around me but never see a thing.  The ground is as hard as stone and even thought the rains fell in the middle of the night Monday, the grass is still brown and we are required to feed the cattle.    It feels as dry as Arizona.

Loren our builder came out this afternoon late, to give us advice.  A small building, formerly used as a sewing room by the former owner, has been used by the girls as a play room.  It is an ugly small structure and even though we had it painted, it is still an ugly small structure.  I had noted the last few times  that the girls were not using the play room, so asked Suzanne about moving it and turning it into a bunk house.   She thought it a good idea.  Loren was here to tell us if it was worth the effort.

The result?  "Give it away and buy a bigger building that will house four sets of bunks", said Loren.   Now we must check prices.   It seems that nothing is ever really simple.

April 11, 2011. Double D Ranch, Texas. Catching Up.

I have been catching up even since we arrived in Texas.  Our service sent our mail here,  which included all  the mail since the beginning of December.  That's a lot of mail.   It was fun reading the Christmas cards.  Time is slower in April than in December, so having the time to read and re-read and savor was a luxury.

But the magazines are another thing.  I have been dutifully reading since we arrived, trying to catch up with the periodicals, but I'm not finished yet.   My system is the put them in order, with the same magazines together and the topics together.  Then I arrange them in reverse order, with the most current on the top of the pile.   Ken just stacks them up and reads whatever is on top.   Not me.  First I organize, then I read in order.   I'm beginning to hate weekly magazines.

The end is in sight.  I am catching up.

April 10, 2011. Double D Ranch, Harper, Texas. Roll Ups.

On the way to Joyce and Robbie's house,  Ken asked me what we were having for dinner.   Usually Joyce invites us for a specific meal and tells us what she has prepared, but tonight, even though she told me what we were eating, I did not know what she meant.  I told Ken that we were eating roll-ups, but as I did not know what she meant by roll-ups, it would be a mystery meal.

Every part of the country has there own  customs.  It takes awhile to figure out all the differences.  Sunday evening is a time when a light meal is served.  Many people go out to a big meal after church, so the evening meal is not a proper large dinner.  Joyce and Robbie often eat roll-ups, which is Polish sausage with dark break around it and served with mustard.  Kind of an ethnic hot dog.   Potato chips and Frito's accompany the roll-ups.  Cinnamon rolls for dessert.

Great food.  Great company.  Now I know all about roll-ups.

April 9, 2011. Double D Ranch, Harper, Texas. A Feast.

The dinner was superb.   Everything about it was remarkable.  It was served at home, in the middle of the week, where in a family of busy people the evening meal would be pleasant but not fancy.  But on Thursday evening, it was a memorable meal.

The food was wonderful.  Gumbo prepared by Suzanne.  She didn't start out a good cook.  In fact her grandmother suggested to David that marrying Suzanne may be a problem because she appeared to have no wifely skills, but she has acquired them.  She is an excellent cook, as this gumbo shows.  For dessert we ate pie, made by Suzanne with the help of Allison and Samantha.  Two choices for pie too.

The twins also made fancy the dining table,  using napkin holders and name cards at each place.  The scene was festive, as was the meal.  Sarah and Abigail cleared the dishes and served the dessert, both done competently and quietly.

Now, truth be told, I invited ourselves to dinner, suggesting to Suzanne we stop by for dinner on our way to the ranch from the lake.  She took it upon herself to turn a meal into a memory.   We are grateful.

April 8, 2011. Double D Ranch, Texas. An April Fool's Joke.

Allison's teacher suggested the joke.  Both girls thought it a good one but first wanted permission from their Mother, as they had been told not to play those games.  The teacher felt sure their Mother would agree to the switch, so the game began.  Allison and Samantha are identical twins and are in the third grade,  but as they always wear different clothes and  are in different classes at school, most people think they can tell them apart, but truth be told, even their grandfather can't tell them apart, especially if apart.

The girls switched classes.  Only the one teacher at school was aware of the joke.   Both girls played their new part well.  It was not until well after lunch that one or two of their good friends began to figure out that something was amiss.  By two o'clock they confessed and returned to their own classroom, amidst great laughter.  Even the head of the Elementary school, who thought she knew the girls apart, was fooled.  She agreed.  It was the best joke of the day on that April Fool's Day at St George's School but she urged them not to try the same joke next year!!  "I can only be fooled once", she said.

April 7, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Hockey Playoffs.

It is genetic.  If you are born and raised in Canada you are a hockey fan.  It is bred in the bone, apparently.  Thanks to our new fancy portable satellite TV dish, we are the proud owners of a full package of  hockey playoff games.  We, if we wish, can watch every game during the playoffs.  If we wish, we can watch the games on the east coast and the west coast.  Such luxury.  

Ken ordered the package while I was off at the track meet, and being house bound, he started fiddling with the computer, only do discover that for $70. he could sign up immediately and watch the end of the season and all the playoff games.  I returned home to find him watching three hockey games, flipping from one  to the next during the commercials.  On two evenings, we have watched more hockey than during the past twenty years.

The truth is, we don't usually ever watch a full game, so it will be interesting to see how much we watch.  But Ken is the only one who can hook up the satellite dish so perhaps he will indulge himself and watch till he drops, as it's  his game and his toy.   I know we will watch the Capitals games.  They are exciting, especially when they score many goals.  Now we are modern and we can watch every game.

April 6, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. A Track Meet.

It was everything an old physical education teacher could desire.  I spent six hours at a middle schools track meet, watching the kids as they ran and jumped.  An added bonus was that Abigail, my granddaughter, who was eleven, competed in three events.  She ran in the 4x100 meter relay, the individual 400 m. and the 4x400 relay.  And her sixth grade class won the meet for the sixth graders.  Seven schools competed with over 300 competitors so it was not easy to win.

It was a wonderful sight, sitting up on the stands in the comfortable seats.   The field was full of kids milling around with their team mates.  The stands were half full of parents and grandparents and friends.  The jumping events continuing while the races were run around the oval.  The public address person was giving winners and calling for further events. It made me wish I would attend a world cup track meet.  It was very exciting.  And very high tech.  A starting gun activated the timer and the beam gives a picture to the judges to determine winner at the finish line.  Every child is given their time via e mail to their school the evening of the event.  Superb facility.  Texans take their athletics seriously.

I had several observations.  All the competitors were lean.  All the competitors put out maximum effort and worked hard all the way to the end of their event.  Some kids are just faster than others.  One seventh grade girl crossed the finish line while others had not started their fourth lap in their mile race.  No kid has had much training but the differences in native ability were huge.  I loved attending the meet and I am so fortunate my granddaughter wanted to compete and asked me to attend to cheer her on.  Life is good while watching a middle school track meet.

April 5, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Black Bag.

They found my black bag.  Hallelujah!!  They found it exactly where I told them it was, but they could not find it when I called the motel.  I specifically asked them to look in the bedroom, right against the wall.  Eventually, a cleaning lady found it and took it to the front desk.  Yesterday morning the front desk man called to tell me it was there, ready to be picked up.  We immediately drove in to pick it.  I was a happy lady.

Now, we left the motel one week ago, on a Monday morning, and we drove to the ranch.  I looked for the bag on Friday when we arrived back at the lake, and could not find it.  Immediately, I called the motel and even though they told me they had looked, clearly, no one looked in the bedroom.  We had a suite and the bedroom was quite dark and the bag was black so perhaps they could not find it.  But yesterday I got the happy news to come and get it.  

It was stupid of me to leave it for sure.  Now I have taken my humble pill but I still get all my medications back.  All is well in my life.

April4, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Journey to the Farm.

Ken suggested that we stay a few days at a resort during our return to the farm.  It seemed like a good idea to me.  On their way to Nova Scotia, our friends Wendy and Clausen have stayed a few days at PEI at a resort on the north shore.  They have enjoyed the few days of relaxation after the long drive north.  We were both tired when we arrived in Mississippi so Ken felt that a few days in the middle would make life easier for us.  He booked us into a place in the Smokies in Tennessee, where we will stay a few days.  It is a time share, and we have it booked for a week, but we will only stay a few days, or maybe not.  Our schedule is flexible!!  If we like it a lot, we can stay.

Ken and I are good at making decisions.  Ken comes up with the ideas and we pick it apart, then make a decision.  Or sometimes, the reverse.  Ken always does the research though.  He is much better at the doing part  than the talking part.  For instance,  yesterday, Ken using the power washer, cleaned the rug from the kitchen from our apartment in Chevy Chase, the one made dirty when the sink over-flowed in October.  I have been talking about having it cleaned for the past several months.  Now it is clean and ready to use.

And we will stop at The Lodge at Buckberry Creek on our way to the farm at the end of May.

April 3, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. The Tournament.

There we were, all jammed in together, watching the games in the office at the lake.  It was fun and exciting.  The room is small and we filled it.  I guess you could say it was cosy.  The television set was new and we were using the new fancy portable satellite dish to receive the signal. but everything worked beautifully.  Whew!!

Both girls were cheering for Butler but I don't know why.  The rest of us, just went along with them so we were all pleased to see Butler win the first game.  It was so interesting to watch the team's response to a win.  VCU celebrated every win with a full team dance which was fun to watch.  Butler just ended the game with a win, congratulated their opponents, then went back to the locker room , awaiting the next game.   I was especially delighted to see Kentucky lose.  I hate the philosophy of the coach and hope they fire him for not winning the tournament.

Now we will watch UConn play Butler on Monday evening.  I would love to see Butler win but watching UConn yesterday makes me think that Butler will be badly beaten.  We will see.  Even though I missed bunches of games, I enjoyed the tournament this year.  Now only one game to go.

April 2, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. A Day at the Lake.

David has taken his boat in to be checked out for the season,  Unfortunately, the cover came off and rain filled the boat part way up the motor, so before he runs it, he wants it checked out.  While out, he and the big girls are renting jet skis,  so soon they will roar up to the shore in front of the house.  As David correctly stated, "With the boat, something always needs  fixing".    Ken's response was that he has spent a life of solving and fixing problems, which would be accurate and for which we are all eternally grateful.

The lake is quiet today.  A couple of fishermen only.   Ken and I have been fortunate to be here in the off season, so for us, the lake is usually quiet.  The summer is not quiet, especially the holiday weekends, where the noisy Seadoos fill the water.  I have been told that most activities cease at 6:00, so the warm evenings are quiet.  I can hear the machines now, coming in the distance.  I had better wave to the girls.  I, as a grandmother have my responsibilities!!

April 1, 2011. Canyon Lake, Texas. Humble.

Every so often in my life something happens that reminds me to be humble.  This is one of those occasions.   I can't find my black roll on bag.  It is small as bags do but on this journey it has carried all my medications.   It was on top of a box full of dishes on the back seat of the truck and somehow or other, it has disappeared, and do I feel stupid.

I know it arrived in Texas, because  today I wore my jeans which were in that bag.  Last evening I needed my next week of medicines and went directly to my black bag.  But it was not in the top house, neither was it in the truck.  I assumed I left it at the lake, but today when we arrived, no black bag could be found.

I knew we have had much on our plate this past month, but I guess I was incorrect to think that we were doing well.  Yet again, I must eat humble pie.   I can not imagine where that important black bag has gone?