Pictures from the Festival, Part One

We've had a few nice Spring-like days in a row, but tomorrow will be cooler again. I can handle 40s and 50s, though, because I know that Spring really is just around the corner.

I mentioned on Facebook that my cousin Mark had a severe heart attack Sunday morning. He is doing very well. I do worry about him though, because he is only 40, and he has already had several heart attacks and bypass surgeries. I'm not sure they could do another one or put in a stent if needed. (His father was my first cousin Mike who died last year.) Thank you to everyone who expressed concern. He says he actually feels better right now than he has in ages, but I hope that lasts.

Here are a few of the pictures that I took on Saturday at the Maple Syrup Festival (see previous entry).

There was such a crowd we had to park way out in the "lower forty"! That's Thomas and Eler Beth in the pictures above.































Freshly made Pure Maple Syrup. We bought some of the Dark Amber and some of the Light Amber. It is SO delicious. I don't usually have syrup on my pancakes, but I have been eating this syrup. It is really good. Thomas used some in his home made BBQ sauce Sunday, and it was great! Have you ever had maple cotton candy? DELICIOUS!!! And the maple hard candy was pretty devilishly wonderful, too!

There were various demonstrations, like this one, showing how the Native Americans made syrup using logs and stones.






















The Sugar House. The first weekend we went, it was a good place to go inside to get warm. We didn't have that problem this past Saturday.



















The first Saturday we came, we had breakfast in the dining hall. We had pancakes and sausage, and we bought BBQ chicken and pulled pork lunches to take home with us. (Their home made cole slaw was the best I've ever eaten, by the way!) This past Saturday we ate before we came, and it's a good thing, because look at these lines. There were three entrances into the dining hall and the lines were long at each of them.
































More pictures to come . . . .

This Time it's Saturday This and That

We have been having such gorgeous weather lately. I hope it lasts for a while.

Last weekend we went to the Maple Syrup Festival near Salem, Indiana. It was freezing cold, but we still had fun. I forgot to take my camera though, so we went back today. It was absolutely gorgeous, though very windy, so pictures will be posted soon. We had a wonderful time again. There was quite a crowd there today.

Thursday, March 26, Eler Beth finally got her ocarina!! (If you are a reader of her blog, you already know how excited and happy she was when it came!) She has been saving her allowance for an ocarina for many weeks. When she finally had enough and ordered the one she wanted most, she was disappointed to find that it had been a special edition that was no longer carried. But she ordered and received her second choice, and I think she's just as happy with it. She is already playing several songs on it. It is a 12-hole sweet potato ocarina. She can play some songs from tabs (tabulated music) and some by ear. I do want her to learn to read music, so I have hired Andrew to give her music lessons two or three times a week. During the first lesson I listened in for about 10 minutes and was impressed by Andrew's teaching style as well as Eler Beth's aptitude. Andrew says she is a quick learner. He is going to make a good teacher some day.

She wears that ocarina around her neck all day long, and plays it all through the day. I'm hoping soon she'll let me videotape her. Here is a link to one of her favorite songs and ocarina players. She met a Native American gentleman at the festival last week who played his little ocarina for her. Here is a link to his web site, where you can hear some more ocarina music, by clicking on the first box.

Good news on the job front. Two Friday's ago, Thomas' company put out the word that there were no more layoffs on the horizon. They let all of the contract workers go. The rumor had been that they would then let 200 company workers go, but after getting rid of those who were still on their probation period (and giving early retirement packages to several foremen), they decided they didn't need to do anymore layoffs. So, so far so good.

I did a pork roast in the slow cooker last night, so when we got home today, dinner was over halfway done. We all took a little nap, then I finished up dinner with mashed potatoes, a very simple salad, and some crusty rolls. It was SO good!! The pork was so tender! Now I'll take the leftovers and make BBQ sandwiches for lunch tomorrow. I think we'll go out for dinner tomorrow.

I have a lot in mind to write about, but I want to read some blogs and upload my pictures from today, so I'll try to get back on here tomorrow with more news.

Hope everyone is having a very good weekend!

Tuesday This and That

Last week I kept thinking of things to blog about; I even composed a few entries in my head. Why I never got around to making the posts I don't know.

Wednesday last week I went with Thomas to his company's annual Perfect Attendance Awards dinner. I enjoyed myself. I like seeing some of the people he works with, or meeting some I hadn't met before, and schmoozing with big shots. And that reminds me -- A few weeks ago Eler Beth and I were out and we passed by a local restaurant, a bar and grill down by the river. There were some men standing in the parking lot talking, and I recognized one as our mayor, so I pointed him out to Eler Beth. That night she excitedly told her dad about seeing the mayor.

"But isn't that a place that serves alcohol?" she asked.

We said, yes, it is a bar and grill. There's nothing wrong with having a drink at a bar. And just because the mayor was there doesn't mean he was having a drink in the middle of the day. A lot of people go there for lunch, ". . . and to schmooze." I added.

"What's 'schmooze'?" she wondered.

Hmmm. How to explain. . . . I told her it was friendly talking, usually between people who would have something to gain either politically or in business. But before I could really get that out in any coherent fashion, she said, "Must just be something grown ups do."


In other news . . .
There was a shooting here in Jeffersonville on Thursday of last week. Two police officers were shot. Both were transported to University of Louisville Hospital, one by helicopter. One was shot in the leg and the other was shot in his chest or abdomen where his vest didn't protect him. I believe he is still in the hospital, but is in stable condition. The man who did the shooting was on the run for several hours, but was finally found holed up in a house in South Louisville. There was a standoff for some hours between him and police before he finally ended his own life.

Winter came back into our area last week, but we got no ice and barely any snow. Today it is sunny and in the 40s, and tomorrow we'll see 50s. I'd like to get some yard work done tomorrow, especially since we're expecting rain on Thursday. I'm looking forward to Spring, but I can handle this kind of weather for a few more weeks -- just no more ice, please!

The economy is finally having an effect on Thomas' company. They are going to be laying off all the contractors; all will be gone by April 1, which is the start of the new contract year. Then there is a rumor that there will be layoffs of another 200 company employees. That will not be enough to touch Thomas at this time, but still we are taking some precautions. One just never knows in these times. They have plenty of contracts to fill, so I really have a feeling they'll be calling people back after the layoff. They are also offering buy-outs to several of the older foremen. Right now Thomas is working six and seven days a week, and we don't see any change coming any time soon for him. But my nephew, Jamie, is one of the contractors that will be effected.

I guess that's all the local news for now, so I'll return you to your Tuesday afternoon, already in progress . . . .

Giving A Hand

Our good J-Land friend, Mary, has started a new blog along the lines of the AOL Journal The Giving Tree. It is called GIVE..A Hand UP. Please go check it out if you haven't already.

I'm going to quote Mary's first paragraph on her introductory post:

"It may be easier to ask a stranger for something in a time of need rather than a friend or neighbor. Need something? Just ask, and I'll post an entry to see if anyone has what you need. Not cash, cars, plasma tvs or Coach bags :-0, but a warm coat for your child, a blanket for your grandmother,a care package when food is scarce, or an outfit to go on a job interview."

I love the idea for this blog and bless Mary's thoughtfulness for doing this. Please drop by GIVE and pass the word in your own blogs, if you don't mind.

Don't Remind Me That It's Still February, and a Video

Amazing Finale!

Watch This

Make sure your sound is on, and watch to the end. It's brilliant!

I cannot imagine how many times it took him to get this right. And he does it to one of the best Beatles' songs ever!

This is some kind of skill!

Wrap-up of my Week

It has been a very interesting week.

Last Sunday we went out to eat with two other families at Asian Buffet in Clarksville, even though Thomas hadn't been feeling too well. We'd never been to the Asian Buffet, and neither of us is a very big fan of Chinese food, but this place was really nice. Their buffet was large, priced reasonably, the food was delicious, and the service was very prompt and courteous. I stuffed myself, of course.

By Monday morning Thomas had decided that he'd better go to the doctor, and he very rarely does that. He had the beginning of sinus and throat infections, so he came home with an antibiotic. Tuesday is when our bad weather started. We lost power for just a couple of hours overnight, and that was it. We have friends and family who were without power for 33 and 48 hours.

Thomas worked Monday, even though he was sick -- that is typical of him. So I was a little glad that they didn't work Tuesday or Wednesday. I figured it would give him a little time to rest and get to feeling better. He still managed to take Eler Beth and her cousins sledding on Wednesday. He sat in the warm truck watching while they sledded. They always go to a certain spot here in town, and I know that Eler Beth had a great time because she told me so when she got home -- but she put an entry in her blog (entitled "Emergancy") putting out a call for more sledding spots in our area, that her usual one was too boring. lol

I'm a little surprised that not one of us went stir crazy while Thomas was home all week. He handled it very well, and normally he'd not only be horrified at the loss of money, but he'd be climbing the walls for lack of anything "productive" to do. But he rested, we watched movies, cooked, and he took the kids out in the 4-wheel drive and they did doughnuts in empty parking lots, as well as sledding. He took Eler Beth and her cousins sledding again on Thursday, and the youngest one busted Eler Beth's favorite sled that she's had for years. And it was probably on purpose, because she'd been acting out and trying to run it into a tree the whole time they were there. She never apologised or acted sorry at all, and that, I'm afraid, is typical of this one. After Uncle Thomas was finished giving her a big talking-to I don't think she'll do anything like that again.

No sledding on Friday, but on Saturday a friend and his son invited Thomas and Eler Beth to go sledding one more time before all the snow was gone, and they had a good time (with a new sled). We had sun off and on Saturday and warmer temps, so everything started melting. It was neat seeing little icicles sprinkling the yard and drive.

Today our temperature got up to 50° with lots of sunshine. It actually felt like spring outside, except for that cold snow on the ground. Eler Beth has felt bad all day; she's sneezing, tired, and achy, and that's just how Thomas' started. She slept most of the day, and I fed her soup and lots of juice. She'll probably end up having to go to the doctor too.

Today would have been my parents' 62nd wedding anniversary if my father were still alive. They celebrated their 55th anniversary before he died.

It was a fairly decent Super Bowl tonight. We were rooting for the Cardinals (which was very strange for me, a UK Wildcat fan, to root for any team called the Cardinals -- if you live in Kentuckiana, you'll completely understand that!). We didn't have any ties to either team, but I thought it would be nice for the Cardinals to win since this was their first trip to the Super Bowl. They came so close and played a great game.

Hopefully Thomas will be back to work tomorrow. They're going to have to do snow removal before anyone can do his regular job out in the yard, so Thomas will probably try to help with that since he can't do any inspecting if there's nothing to inspect. I think we're supposed to get some snow, but not the big snow they were afraid we'd get. I don't mind more snow, but I really hope we don't get any more ice. I'm hoping Eler Beth will feel well enough to do some school work tomorrow, because last week was pretty much a bust in that department with the exception of Monday.

Well, this has been a pretty boring entry, serving the purpose of documentation mostly with no entertainment value at all. So I'll close now. I hope that everyone is safe and warm and getting ready to have a great week ahead.