The chimneys for the table centerpieces are washed and packed securely, I have ironed half of the green chiffon table runners, and I have half vacuumed the bedroom... I need a break from wedding prep! So, time for ..

Bird watch: the indigo bunting has been at the feeder for about a week. I put out the hummingbird feeder and have watched a male hummer buzz around my orange and fuchsia geraniums. All sure signs of spring and right on target for arriving . I checked my blog from last year to make sure. And I saw a pair of Yellow-rumped Warblers. Must be passing through since I have never seen them before.

Butterfly alert: We spotted a Silvery Blue near the snowball bush. Oh, what a beautiful blue. I wish my butterfly book, Butterflies of the Great Lakes Region by Douglas and Douglas, was better at showing the opened wings. Some of the butterflies show both the opened wings and the side view. It would be easier to identify the butterfly!!! Maybe I'll look for a new book.

Ok, back to Wedding Woman.

By this time next week it will be over. Most of the guests will be gone and our house will be pretty quiet. I'm hoping some of the folks will linger awhile and sort of wean me off of all the excitement, organizing, and planning. What will I have to talk about?

The wedding, of course. And I will have pictures.

The Miracle at Speedy Motors by Alexander McCall Smith is a fun, fast read. Precious Ramotswe does it again. She solves the mystery, helps everyone save face, and life goes on with simple, everyday miracles. The story seems a little preachy, but I like the lessons. I like the way Smith has the characters grow and change. He definitely is a good storyteller. I may put this series on my "have to read again this summer" list.

Warm out there today. Got lots of yard work done. However, it's so dry that I put the irrigation on for the garden next to the house. We ate every meal at the patio table and enjoyed the sun for all of the coffee inbetween.

And I sighted my first butterfly- black with yellow around the wing edges. I think it was a Mourning Cloak.

So, Spring is here. We need rain badly. And of course, snow could come any day until the first of June. Oh, joy to Spring!

Have you ever eaten farro? I just ran across a recipe for Farro and Porcini risotto in the Martha Stewart magazine. I understand it's a hearty wheat grain. It reminds me of barley. It sounds very tasty and since I've never tried it, intriguing.

I wonder if they have it at Zingerman's in Ann Arbor. I 'm putting in a request for some right now. I love trying out new foods.

Sigh.. The bridal shower has ended. And let me tell you, it was a success. My friends each had a part in the preparation, so making the food was a breeze. I had help on Friday getting the dishes out and ready. It is a tradition to use the old glass plates that come with cups called hostess sets. I inherited a few sets from my mom and I have been collecting them. They are great to hold on ones lap. We don't mind washing them either. We also used some paper plates, although we tried to stay green by using cloth napkins. Thank goodness for the help of friends.

We had orange, yellow, and white pansies as favors and a lovely centerpiece of passionate pink gerber daisies, orange tulips, and a yellow spider mum sitting on a bed of polished rocks surrounded by curly wood branches. This was all placed on a pretty white and green tablecloth. The house looked very springy even though it snowed a good inch and all of the trees were white.

The menu consisted of: chicken salad, veggies and dip, cheese, crackers, and fruit, and Big Fred's famous chocolate cake and cheesecake. Yum!

Our theme was an "around the clock" shower. The idea is to give the guests a time and their present is to be related to that time. Boy, did this get some hoots. The guests were very creative and even though it took a while to get through all of the gifts and all of the explanations, it was really fun. There were a few moments of embarrassment as the last gift was for 12 noon or midnight from the sister-in-law. We also played bride bingo. Everyone took home some pansies.

You had to be there to understand the joy. Now, on to the wedding.

We are having the first rain of April. The grass is going green before my very eyes. The leaves on the trees are popping. The ground is so gray with all of the winter's coverings. This rain will also give a chance for the mold and mildew to take a rest. Car noises are muffled as they pass on the highway outside my yard and picket fence. Just a splashing. I feel like nature is taking a breath as she waits to exhale in all her leafy splendor. I know my garden plants could use a drink. Fog is suppose to move in tonight and we are suppose to have rain tomorrow. I like the way it slows down the pace. I feel sheltered in this April rain.

It's Spring Break and am I in sunny Jamaica or the Bahamas or Key West? Of course not, I'm in my sunny back and front yard. It was a really pleasant day in these parts, so I have spring fever. I cleaned out the flower gardens on the east side of the house and raked until my back hurt. Big Fred got the picnic table and chairs out and we had our coffee sitting on the back patio. Thank goodness winter is on the outs. That doesn't mean winter is over. Oh no, many a year we have had snow in April and May. But, the end is in sight.

On the inside, I am getting ready for the wedding shower. That means cleaning the house to make it presentable for company. Since I have a small house, it doesn't take too much work. I'm really excited about the whole thing.

Got the wedding invitation yesterday, so it's official. I think it is something like 49 days before the big event. Wooppee ki yeaaa ! I really have to get cleaning.

Don't the birds know that there is still snow on the ground and we are due for low temperatures at night and snow is on its way. The ground is still frozen solid except on the south side of the house and in the driveway. The grackles and the red winged blackbirds have arrived back at the bird feeder. I have trouble believing that Spring is near, but Mother Nature is in charge, so what can I say.

Spring, spring, spring is here. Last week on Fri., we saw the first pair of sandhill cranes. Now, I think they eat plants from the bottom of the pond. Gee, I hope they will survive. Today, just moments ago, I saw my first robin sitting in the birch tree just outside my window. It is also snowing. Poor little robin.

My first sign of spring is tapping trees for maple sugar. Just down the road, the neighbors have hung bags on their maple trees. It probably is good weather for making sap since it warms up in the day and is cold at night. The sugarbush down on Mayfield curve hasn't started, but then, one by one the maple syrup making tradition has been leaving the area. As a kid, we always looked forward to going the Colon's sugarbush shack to breathe in the sweet moist maple sap air and the sample of new syrup from an old ladle. Nowdays, I find the old time syrup too sweet, and go for the imitation on my homemade pancakes.

I loved the new Maise Dobbs mystery, An Incomplete Revenge, by Jacqueline Winspear. It has gypsies. I love reading about gypsies. It has Maurice, her mentor. It has the intricate workings of the way Maise solves the mystery. It has a small town shrouded in secrecy. It has her father, horses, and a gypsy dog. Always have to have a dog to make a good story. Anyway, I breezed right through it, and now I need something to read!!! I have read every Maise Dobbs mystery. Infact, I was the first to get this book at my hometown library.

Yikes, 99 days before the biiigggg wedding! What more can I say. :)

Here's Moomer's Ice Cream wedding logo.

The Commoner by John Burnham Schwartz is a study of life in the royal circle, the marriage of Japanese royalty to a commoner. It was a very interesting read. I think this would make a great movie.

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks is a fine book. I was especially interested in Jewish history including the fact that King Ferdinand and q. Isabella expelled the Jews from Spain in 1492. Of course, there is more to it than Jewish history, the story is sad and full of violence and every human indignity imaginable. And the main character is from Australia. Lots of twists and turns as they follow the history of an antique book. I really enjoyed it. I'll bet it is made into a movie.

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was scary, gloomy, sad, and "in your face". How else can Nazi Germany be described? Perhaps this book was written for young adults, but it was superbly efficient in getting across the feelings and actions of German citizens. I think we need reminding that every German was not a Hitler fan. I think it would be a good read for high school students.

I thought the use of color and Death as the narrator was very clever. The writing was very descriptive. The story is hopeful and realistic. The human spirit always amazes me as is seen in this story.

The Zoo Keeper's Wife (A War Story)by Diane Akerman pairs animals in the Warsaw Zoo with the lives of 300 Jews. Animals and people try to survive in the war torn city. This story is based on the journals of Antonia Zabinski , the zoo keeper's wife. Again, it is amazing how the human spirit and perseverance is forefront in dire times. Jan and Antonia give up their zoo animals to German Nazi zoos and a ravaged city, but help Jews hid in cages and tunnels throughout the zoo grounds. I never much thought about zoos during wartime.

I guess I'm on a Nazi , war kick. I found the book very interesting. It makes me wonder about the zoos in Iraq and Afghanistan. I wonder...

Aunt B Eats. We celebrated out wedding anniversary at Red Ginger in TC. This is a new upscale Asian fusion restaurant with a sushi bar and a great location-downtown next to the newly reopened State Theater. Since we wanted to do something special, we splurged. You'll see why I say that. BF had a steak- $34. I had Thai curry with chicken and prawns $19. We had potstickers, one house salad, a glass of Black Star late harvest reisling, and a coke.

So, what did I think? Well, I loved the red graphic circle material on the pillowed wall, the large white rectangular shades overhead, with the old yellow brick wall showing. Good acoustics because we could hear the music, but not the people on both sides of us. The restaurant has different levels including a sushi bar. It is definitely a new look for our area.

The food was very good. They have a great thing going with aromas- each time someone's food was served, I could get a whiff and it really made my mouth water. My green curry was very flavorful with the hint of grilled mushrooms and the prawns. It was a generous serving. BF's tenderloin with potatoes and asparagus was good, but I noticed that this entree was not a big enough serving for him. He said the cesear salad was very tasty with a hint of orange in the dressing. I can't judge the potstickers, but the ginger, orange, soysauce was yummy. I really liked the wine. So, it was a very good meal.

Here is the downside. After looking at the menu, we decided that there was only a few other items we would be interested in eating. I wonder if they will change the menus regularly. And we thought it was a bit pricey. It's not a place to go unless you are celebrating or you are willing to share with a friend. The ladies on both sides of us were having appetizers, sushi, and then a bowl of soup. Maybe that would be the way to dine at Red Ginger without breaking the bank.

Anyway, we enjoyed going and will have another food experience to chat about. It was better than winnowing beans which was the way I once celebrated our wedding anniversary.

Happy Christmas to me. I got my ice cream maker. Yeeessss. Just what I had been wanting. And, it can make frozen daiquiris. No, I am not replacing Moomers ice cream for the upcoming wedding. What I really want to make is lavender ice cream like I had at Bayfield on one of our vacations. It was wonderful. I'll let you know how it all turns out.

Don't worry, we won't have frozen desserts every night of the week!

Aunt B Reads-Yes, I do. I have to report the latest book I have read. I am not going to give a long review. Just saying that I enjoyed the book Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Barcia Marques.

I can't wait to see the movie since this is such a complicated love story with lots of sexual exploitation and seduction. I just can't imagine how it will can be done tastefully.

Thanksgiving marched right on by and I was very thankful. The tree was put up the first week in December and time still marched on. Now we are almost to Christmas Day, and I have everything mostly done- shopping, food, housework, but I'm not in my jolliest mood. It's raining out. Mom is in the hospital and not able to come home for Christmas. This will be the first time we haven't enjoyed Christmas together. I'm especially thankful that the infection in her legs is much better and that there was no amputation. Whew!!! Anxiety, anxiety.

So, how to get out of the humbug syndrome before it is too late? Well, the other morning on the way to work I saw some big, big trucks with blue, green, and red light on their cab. I saw a little car with a big red nose, and I even noticed a car with reindeer on top. And what to my surprise, Santa was driving it. It made me chuckle.

The most uplifting was watching the eyes of my kindergarten students as we made Magic Reindeer Food out of oatmeal and glitter. I forgot how Christmas comes alive through the eyes of a child.

So, Merry Christmas and a tiny Bah Humbug too.