Purling Oaks

The good stuff

• It feels like it is finally Spring and I saw evidence when I walked around Friday and Saturday.  
• We bought some very nice ferns at the Poynette Farmers' Market.  
• Our front garden bed now has four new fern plants
• One of my spinning group is selling eggs!!  
• Cherry and pear trees are blooming and the apple trees are almost there.  
• Violets of at least three color variations can be found in the woods and grass near home.   (White, yellow, and purple---with a red-violet as a fourth for those that differentiate)  
• I saw my first scarlet tanager (EVER!) while walking with DH in the woods on Saturday.  I fell in love with their coloring when I was in Mrs. King's First Grade class.  
• I'm learning how to use Excel in Mac, which is different enough from Excel for Windows to be a challenge.  My spreadsheets are useful and that's what counts.
• I make a pretty darn good jambalaya, all things considered.
• It was a good (but short in some ways) weekend and it ended with a nice sunny day.
• I figured out what was wrong with the box that parses the TV feed and may have a replacement soon.
• Dan made us a nice Saturday dinner of fresh asparagus wrapped with bacon (broiled), dove braised with vegies (yum!), and small crab cakes.  

Have a good week.

Gusty winds of change, candy correlation, and unexpected treasure

Blog?  Posting, what's that?  Life outside the blog is taking up a lot of my energy.  However, situations are changing.  I'll be giving up Purling Oaks East in less than two months and soon will be based from only one location--home!  I can comfortably say with confidence that I'll have more weekend time at home.  The rest is still up for determination.  Or is that self-determination?  

There's a merger (of sorts) in process at work and everything is changing for just about everyone.   Yes, chocolate consumption is high and there was absolutely no Easter candy left at the drugstore next door for reduced sale after Easter.  None.  That's more telling than anything I could write about anxiety, water-cooler talk, or fake job assignment letters left at the printer.

Last week I went to a Nationals game with two friends, Mary Jo and Roberta.  It was fun and the stadium is new, nice, and clean.  The nachos and hot dog were tasty and the beer cold.  I haven't had baseball nachos in ages.  That will do me for a while but they were still good.  Caution:  iPhone photos!

We had better seats than these photos show but they were still nosebleed seats.  

When I'm back inWisconsin, I'm going to miss the dinners, lunches, outings and talks with Robyn, Kathleen, MJ, and Roberta.  Three of us have places in DC, besides homes and family in points west.  Two of us are based near DC but may end up elsewhere (like an island!). I know/hope that when we go to the four winds, or is that five winds?,--me first--that we'll still get together.  I really didn't expect the friendship I found in the east and I'm glad I'll be able to carry it with me.

This morning's task is laundry; this afternoon's list includes errands and a trip into Madison.  Tomorrow, we're going north to see Mom for an early Mom's Day brunch.  I hope today's weather holds.  It is beautiful outside this morning.  Sunday---back on the road.  

If anyone is interested in a one-way Road trip from DC to Wisconsin in mid-June, let me know.  A navigator would be fun to have along.  :D