Mad About Madness

I love March Madness! Even though I am terrible at picking the winners, I love all the games. There have already been some games that were closer than they should have been and a couple of upsets. I love the pace of the game and the great plays that each game provides for the highlight reel. I love the "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat!" Because of it being Good Friday, I had the day off from school and was able to tune in to the games that started at 12:30 PM today.

I got my run-around errands done this morning and by 12:15 had my spinning wheel positioned in front of the TV so I could spin as I watched the b-ball action. I got the first half of my merino/silk roving spun and will get started on the second half tomorrow. I love this roving, it is so smooth to spin compared to the 4 other rovings that I have spun. 

Jim made it home right on schedule last night. I was at church when he arrived home because my bell choir was ringing at the Maundy Thursday service. He turned in pretty early because crossing all those time zones is exhausting-I stayed up to watch-you guessed it-basketball!

Yesterday at school I dazzled my kindergartners with my rope climbing skills as I climbed about 20 feet up the rope. It is kind of funny to be high up on the rope and look down at 23 sets of eyes, as big as saucers, looking up at you in amazement! Now today my triceps are a bit sore from all the climbing I did yesterday. By tomorrow I probably won't be able to lift my arms! But I did it and that is the challenge every year!

My student teacher visited school yesterday to get a lay of the land and an idea of what my schedule is like. She seems like a pleasant person and is very excited to come to an elementary school. She is currently at a high school. She will start with me next Wednesday.

The town crew took Good Friday off so things were quiet in our yard today. 

Tucker called tonight while we were out to dinner (Ricci's) and apparently we didn't hear my cell phone ring. Even with the ring tone volume up as high as it goes, I rarely hear my phone ring if it is in my purse. We are more likely to hear the beep that tells me I have a message rather than the actual phone ringing.

 

Here is a photo of a scarf I made because I liked the pattern and it gave me a chance to learn about using 2 balls of yarn and carrying one up the side as I used the other. I am pleased with how it turned out, but don't plan on keeping it for me. If you think you would love this scarf, let me know, and I will "gift" it to you.

I am also including this next "artsy" photo for 2 reasons. First, it is an updated photo of my Pi shawl. It has gotten big enough to put on a circular needle which is easier to knit with than the double pointed needles. The second reason is that I will visually share my beautiful tulips that I bought at Sam's Club today. We are having Easter dinner here on Sunday and they will be a lovely centerpiece (the flowers, not the yarn). 

I have been knitting on my Pi shawl for awhile tonight and stopped to do this blog because I discovered that I have 146 stitches instead of 144. I've messed up somewhere. I will try to figure out where my mistake is, but I am not too good at that. I don't have enough knitting experience, especially with lace, to recognize my mistakes and then know what to do to correct them. Ripping out is not an option, yet. 

We don't have much planned at all for tomorrow, except for basketball, and we will probably go to the club to work-out. We each had so much leftover from dinner tonight that the extras will be dinner tomorrow. 

Back to the games.

Hoop all is well.

More Mess

Check out the latest developments in our yard! This morning I met with the town engineer and two of the guys who are actually doing the work in the yard. One of the guys told me this job was the wettest job he'd ever done because he hit ground water after digging only one foot into the ground. The yard looks like a bomb exploded here  and will look this way until later in the spring when the yard dries out and firms up so the landscaping crew can come in to do their work. If you are in the area, drive by and let me know what you think!

Jim called tonight and was looking forward to getting home. He and his colleague will drive to Frankfort for their flight to Newark. Then hopefully his flight from Newark to Rochester will go as scheduled. I have to ring bells at the Maundy Thursday service at church so Jim will take a cab home, if he gets here when he is supposed to. 

Talked to Corey last night and he has been working hard at his school work and his running work. He says he is feeling somewhat better and was pleased with how he ran at a hard workout on Monday. Congratulations to SU on their win in the NIT tournament. 

Tomorrow is the first day of Spring and it is a day of hope. Even if the weatherman cannot bring us Spring-like weather, I know that we have moved closer to warmer weather. Soon our crocuses will be pushing their noses up to brighten up our greenish-brown lawns. Happy Spring!

Hope all is well. 

The Big Dig

The digging has started! I came home to discover the ditch digger had moved from my neighbor's front yard into my backyard.  A trench had been dug from our property line in the northwest corner out about 20 feet. The work crew had quit by the time I got home at 4:45 PM. I am a bit concerned about the mess that will result when all the snow on the ground melts tomorrow and the rain moves in for a couple of days. Oh well, the town has promised us that they do a good job with landscaping after a job.

Jim called me from France tonight and it was 11 PM over there and he was functioning on about 2 hours of sleep since our Saturday night. He hoped he hadn't dosed off during a couple of powerpoint presentations today!

I spent a hour tonight filling out my NCAA basketball bracket sheets. I will enter 2 different pools so I chose 2 different teams to win the whole thing. Having a couple bucks riding on the games makes it more exciting!

Dancing with the Stars starts up again tonight. Finally, something good to watch on Monday nights.

 

Time to knit.

Hope all is well.

P.S. If there is an abundance of typos or sentences that don't make sense, it is because my proof-reader is out of the country!

End of a Good Weekend

Weekend's just seem to fly by, but it was a good weekend so that's what counts. 

This morning we went to church to hear the new preacher and we came away with a sense of optimism for our church. The new minister' sermon was relevant, timely, and inspiring. It felt good to back at church.

Jim flew to Newark this afternoon on his way to France. He was supposed to catch the 4:50 PM flight to Newark but by 1:30 that flight had been delayed by more than 2 hours, which jeopardized his ability to catch the international flight. He had me take him to the airport early so he could try to get on the 2:30 flight to Newark, which was also delayed, but gave him more time to play with either in Rochester or Newark. He did get on that flight and called from Newark to say that he was good-to-go for the flight to France. He gets home on Thursday night. 

I spent a couple hours this afternoon spinning the roving I got in San Diego. It is a blend of merino wool and silk and has a lovely combination of blues, purples, and a bit of white. It is a joy to spin and my time at the wheel was very rewarding. Here is picture of the bobbin of yarn that I spun this afternoon, with a piece of the roving draped over the flyer (spinner lingo). I spun up less than a quarter of the roving, so I have many more hours of enjoyment with this roving.

Did anyone see Tiger Woods win that golf tournament today? That guy is amazing! Watching him drain that 24 foot putt to win is why I love sports! And now I get to get caught up in the NCAA basketball tournament. I hope a friend at school will run a bracket pool again. Trying to guess the winners of each game adds to the excitement of the games.

 

Have you tried Hershey's new Lemon Creme Kisses? At least they are new to me. I saw them while reading the Target ad this morning and checked for them at Wegmans, but they did not carry those Kisses. I had to go to Target to get them and they are yummy! If you see them, pick up a bag and then try to use your self-control! 

Short school week this week-we get Good Friday off. 

Hope all is well.