Garden Log: With temps in the upper 60's today, the garden plants are up and coming through the leaves. The miniature daffodils are in bloom, the last of the crocus are finishing ( earlier flowers got snowed on), and grape hyacinths are just forming their flower. Leaves are popping out on the lilac and honeysuckle bushes. Grass is really green. We will be ouside all Sat. doing yard work.

I have to post the weather and the state of the gardens so I can make some predictions for this time next year. You know, the big wedding.

I'm always looking for a tasty and inexpensive wine and I have found one. Alice White Lexia 2005 is the product of South Eastern Australia. The wine is sweet, but not too sweet, and fruity. It went well with meatloaf and baked potatoes. I tried it blackberry pie and it was good, but not excellent. I thinks it would be yummy with chocolate.

The wine is named after Alice White who is an adventurous, fictional, English woman who explored the Australian Outback in the 1800s. The bottle label has an excerpt from Adventures in a New Land. This is an interesting idea for selling wine. The wine cost about $7.00 and I got it at the Fast Break gas station.

At one time our family was really into fine wines, blue bottles, estate wines and all that. We had wine tasting parties here at our house. I learned that a good wine is what you like. If it costs $4 great. So, here is a wine that I have easy access to and it fits my budget. I chilled the bottle for about twenty minutes before serving. I think it is a winner. And cute popup!

I love good fantasy and Mercedes Lackey has been serving it up. I just finished reading Fortune's Fool and One Good Knight which are part of the Five Hundred Kingdoms series.

I like these books because they are based on traditional fairy tales and mythology. Both of these books have kings, queens, princes, and princesses. They also have dragons, witches, godmothers, wizards, sirens, mermaids, brownies, and unicorns. The stories contain creatures that I've rarely heard of so I might have to get out a mythology reference book. It all depends on the setting as to the creatures that inhabit it. Sea King's realm involves sea creatures. Land kingdoms involve birds and beasts. You know- Baba Yaga, Sergei the Humpback Horse.

And because they are based on traditional tales and magic, they come with traditional plots like the evil stepmother and the dragons who are given virgins for supper (supposedly). As in any good story, there are many twists and turns and some modern ideas in the events that move the story along. There is the common use of three wishes, three tasks, three obstacles. Lackey is uncommon in the use of women as clever, beautiful, leaders, and main characters who have an unusual gift. Not to say that the evil woman is left out. No, she is just as evil as her male counterpart.

Lackey is right in step with Tolkien and J.R. Rowlings in bringing back the old evils of Greece, Europe, Russia, and Japan. Fortune's Fool was a great set up for the next book in the series. It involves the seventh son of a king of the land and the Sea King's seventh daughter. What a way to go? This is the Five Hundred Kingdoms series.

Back to soup. I was already to get the grill going last weekend when the weather was so nice, but with the blizzard weather, it's soup for supper.

I made a big kettle of cream of cauliflower soup from a recipe in the Joy of Cooking cookbook. It was really easy except I didn't have thick cream so I used milk and my half and half. You have to improvise when the driveway is plugged and you haven't been to town in two days. So soup and cheesy biscuits. Pretty tasty and it keep the kitchen warm all day.

The grill will have to wait for better weather.

Spring snow. Just as predicted, it's too early for spring. We have blizzard warnings up until 8 am tomorrow, with winds gusting up to 45 mph. So far, there isn't the snow that they predicted 10-12 in., but that could still come by tomorrow. The poor frogs and robins!

My aunt and uncle just returned from Florida and probably brought this storm just like they did last year. Burrr- I hope they didn't put away their long underwear.

But, I'm cozy-listening to CATS, cleaned the bathroom, made the bed, tried on some spring clothes ( I actually fit into them), and have spagetti sauce in the works.

So much for being on Spring Break. I envy the folks who made a mad dash to warmer climes, but I bet they will hate coming back. Darn Spring, you do this every year!!!

Yes, FROGS! We heard the peeper chorus last night. The grass is greening up and the temps are holding in the 50s. How long will this last? We, in the northern climes, are very skeptical.

Village men carrying lumber for their school when roads were blocked with landslides.

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is an amazing account of how one person can make a difference in the world. Greg, a mountaineer, was saved by a Pakistan village in the Karakoram mountains after he failed to reach the summit of K2. He promised to return and build a school for the children. This is the story of his struggles to build fifty-five schools in the area. The title says it all- One Man's Mission to promote Peace... One School at a Time.

Greg should win a Nobel Peace Prize. His efforts are so much more productive than fighting terrorists by going to war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Reading the book made me more aware of the fact that ordinary people pay the price of arm chair warriors.

I came across these remarks from Brigadier General Bashir Baz, a close confidant of Musharraf, who helped Greg fly into the many hard to reach villages.

Bashir is watching CNN from Baghdad showing bombed buildings and wailing Iraqi women. He says," Your President Bush has done a wonderful job of uniting one billion Muslims against America for the next two hundred years." Mortenson says, "Osama had something to do with it, too." Bashir roars," Osama, bah! Osama is not a product of Pakistan or Afghanistan. He is a creation of America. Thanks to America, Osama is in every home. As a military man, I know you can never fight and win against someone who can shoot at you once and then run off and hide while you have to remain eternally on guard. You have to attack the source of your enemy's strength. In America's case, that's not Osama or Saddam or anyone else. The enemy is ignorance. The only way to defeat it is to build relationships with these people, to draw them into the modern world with education and business. Otherwise the fight will go on forever."

Chew on those ideas for a while. That's what stands out in this book!

More signs of Spring!!

The Red-Winged Blackbirds are back. So are the Cowbirds and Grackles. And we saw a pair of Sandhill Cranes at the pond on Schichtel Rd. Pussy Willows are blooming. Still no frogs or snakes.

I think it is too early for all of this. The birds have their own systems, so who am I to tell what is what.

China Fair is usually one of my favorite places to get Chinese food. But, today the meal was terrriibbllee!

We had the lunch buffet. The fried rice was cold, the sweet sour chicken's coating was very greasy, the honey coated shrimp seemed like it was missing the shrimp, and the hot water had been shut off on the tea machine, so they couldn't even serve tea. Everything seemed greasy and old. Besides, a slight air of grease hung over the whole place.

Maybe they were having a bad day, but I don't need poor food. I won't be heading their again for some time. Boo, China Fair.

The Tender Bar A Memoir by J.R. Moehringer is a tender story. Moehringer relates how he craved his father and found replacements at Dickens, the bar, where his Uncle Charlie was a bartender. He explains the influence the men, who frequented the bar, had on his life. The bar itself takes on life. It is a joyful haven and a den of failure, grief, and vice. The bar and the men are his nannies.

The book sometimes seems redundant because it is about the same people and the same place. It is a giant character sketch as he tries to understand each of the men and sees them change as he changes. It is also about his New York City neighborhood after 911.

The story is thoughtful, sad, searching, and emotional. The basic idea is that J.R. is trying to find and understand his dad who left him when he was a baby, trying to take care of his mother and succeed in her eyes, and trying to find himself through all of the muddle.

TA DAAA! Announcing. The finished bedroom. Mauve walls and ceiling. White wanescotting and woodwork and gray nubby carpeting. Big Fred did a great job and the results are beautiful. Very restful. The pictures don't do the room justice.

It's Spring! It's started. I saw my first robin this morning. It was sitting in the blue spruce tree directly out the window from my desk. A second sure sign of spring is that the male mourning doves are constantly pestering the females, like they won't leave them alone. Bunches of skunks are road kill, so they are coming out of hibernation.

No frogs gurping in the swamp across the road. No pussy willows or forsythia. They're next.

But, it won't be true spring until I see the first snake in my basement or under my kitchen table. Snakes come out when the ground has warmed up enough for their cold-blooded body. Believe me, I don't let them stay in the house if I can help it. I have a snake stick that NB rigged up for me and I catch them and take them across the highway. Anyway, that's another story.

I can't wait-yea, Spring! :)

The VCR crashed. We haven't had a TV in our household for over twenty years. So we got my mom's old TV and NB's old VCR. We have been watching videos off and on since Christmas. On Saturday, I actually went to the video store and rented two movies. We watched Hook and enjoyed the rerun. I think we saw it at the movies.

At any rate, when I rewound the tape, the reject buttoned wouldn't work. Big Fred had to take the machine apart to get the tape out. Boy, what luck. Now we have to get a new VCR or VCR-DVD combination in order to see the other video.

I don't see it happening for a while. It will probably take another 20 years and then who knows what type of technology we will have. If we hold on to our VCR collection, they will be collectibles and we can make our fortune. OK, don't hold your breath.

I sat straight up in bed. Straight from being sound asleep to listening intently. A shiver went through my whole body. Yes, I heard it right. Coyotes!

We opened the bedroom window last night, because the room was stuffy after a warm day here. I didn't look at the time, but there was a whole lot of yipping going on out there. My mom always said that coyotes yip and howl after they have made a kill. I know it is very freaky and can wake me up out of a sound sleep. I haven't heard the coyotes since last fall. They had a den just back of the house in the big pine trees up on the hill.

I wonder if they will be out hunting tonight. I noticed that something got one of the rabbits that comes to the bird feeder just off of the brick patio (blamed it on the Great Horned Owl). If it's coyotes, they are coming reaaally close to the house. Watch out, Mudge.

You know, I vowed not to talk about work, but I'm so excited about the student art work on our school web page (remember I'm retired- part time). I have a 6th grade Escher post and a 5th grade Paul Klee post. I even have a link on my Escher post. I have wanted this to happen for at least ten years. I'm proud and so are the kids. This is a first for our school. I just have to brag a little. Check it out: http://www.buckleyschools.com/

Teeth grinding. Even though I vowed not to post about medical problems, like who gives a *** ***, I'm going to anyway. I am really wondering about getting an apparatus to stop the grinding. Now, being in the job I was in, I clenched my teeth daily and at night. At this point, the surfaces are worn flat, no little bumps on the teeth.

It was suggested that I buy five athletic mouth guards from the locate Rite Aide and try fitting my mouth. Probably after a few tries, I would get a reasonable fit and I could wear the thing at night. And for $5, what a deal.

It was also suggested to get on the Internet and buy a kit that has the cement, make the form, and send it in for about $80 to have a professional company make the guard. I have noticed lots of advertising, but who would know the professional.

Each of these options are reasonably prices and painless. I guess I'm wondering if anyone out there has had experience with this. Or do I have to break down and go to my dentist and pay big bucks?

A really good, intense book is Madame Curie by her daughter Eve Curie. This book explains Marie Curie's fantastic career and life with Pierre Curie. It lists her many prizes, books, papers, awards, and credentials.

The biography tells of her brilliance, sacrifice, and role in bringing education and scientific acclaim to women. Her life had little pleasure, but she found pure joy in scientific discovery with her husband, Pierre.

As a young woman, in Poland, she suffered many hardships to get an education and to be recognized for her genius. Her life, as told by her daughter, is a prime example of perseverance and dedication to a field claimed by men. She didn't seek fortune or fame. Instead, she did her work, raised a family including a Nobel Prize winning daughter, and literally gave her life to the study of radium and radiology. She is the only woman to be given two Nobel Prizes, one for Chemistry and one for Peace.

Her story is inspiration for all women. She was a truly amazing human being.

Aunt B Eats. Yesterday was a blustery, snowy day, but we went to town. Had to get out of the house (when I start cleaning the drawer under the kitchen stove, you know it is time. It's called cabin fever). Anyway, we ate out at Scallywags downtown T.C. This is basically a fastfood fish joint where they take your order at the counter and you get your drinks. I got the whitefish basket $7.29 and BF got the perch. Food was good, large portions of deep fried fish and fries with a little tub of creamy coldslaw.

The decor is really nautical. Half of a boat hangs on the wall. It has lots of vintage boatmotors, posters of fish, bait buckets for lampshades overhead (BF wondered if they met code), decoys and fishing rods, a mural featuring fish that would be out in the bay, and advertisements for fishing gear. Even the salt and pepper shakers were red and white bobbers.

Well, with such an interesting decor and tasty food, you would think I would be satisfied. Nope. When we walked in the air was thick with the smell of grease. Apparently, in this new building, the exhaust fans are not adequate. And, I hate the smell of grease! So, it really put a damper on my total eating experience.

I do think Scallywags will be successful when tourist season hits, since it is in a good downtown location, next to a hotel, and a quick, casual way to eat fish. That is, if they get that exhaust fixed. Although, I probably won't go there again.

Aunt B Drinks. Yes, coffee. Have I ever told you I love coffee? I just finished my 4 o'clock coffee break with two cups of coffee, with cream plus a few cookies. It is a very luxurious habit.

Now, there was a time when I only drank black coffee, but trying cream in my coffee while on vacation changed that. And there was a time that I favored flavored coffees like vanilla and Irish cream. We even went through a time when we would buy Kona Blend or Hawaiian and have it ground. For awhile, we ground our own coffee. But, no more. Our house coffee is Gourmet Supreme by Folgers. This is a coffee you can find on any grocery store shelf. We like it!

How about coffee pots? We've had a large number over the years. Hard water will do them in every time. We even had a Braun and top names, but no use. Still they get corroded. When we recently cleaned out the basement, we found six coffee pots. I think they were multiplying down there. We now stick to the cheapest Mr. Coffee, and when it starts slowing down, we get a new one.

At any rate, Big Fred takes two thermoses to work each morning, so we go through many a canister. I try to buy extra when it is on sale, but that is rarely the case lately.

I found out how much I love coffee when I was in the Canadian blackout a few years ago. When all of the lights went out and people on the streets were speculating about terrorists, I was in a shop getting what might have been my last cup of coffee. I sometimes have to drink decaff, but I prefer full leaded. And when I'm old, I sure hope I don't have to give up my java and drink Sanka. Bluucckk!

I hate the new blogger. I can't get it to take my comments on other blogs. So, Frannie Farmer, I have commented on the last five or six posts, but I can never get it to take. Are you cutting me off? Am I too belligerent?

For the longest time I couldn't get pictures to work. And I hate the way it looks. I guess I'll have to find a new format. So, hang in there, I don't know what I'm doing. And just when I got comfortable with the old blog.