101 Things I Love About Spring

1. Warmer weather!
2. Not needing a coat
3. Spring showers
4. Rainbows
5. Stepping in puddles
6. More sunshine
7. Sunshine when you get off of work
8. Fridays feeling like holidays
9. Being able to open my windows
10. Listening to Angel "bark" at the birds
11. The few occasions Alex will try to bark at them, too
12. Driving around with the windows rolled down
13. Singing in the car
14. The tree in my front yard, bloomed all pink
15. My bedroom having a pink glow from the tree
16. Petals falling from the tree; a breeze makes it snow pink
17. The sidewalk looking like a wedding aisle (yet more petals)
18. Tracking in petals but not caring
19. Until Alex tries to eat them. Cute!
20. Alex and Angel deciding killing the ant isn't worth the effort
21. But chasing moths when they get inside
22. The smell of fresh cut grass
23. Cloud animals
24. Spring cleaning
25. Seeing robins everywhere
26. Bees
27. Appreciating even the weeds, when they bloom
28. Driving barefoot (is that legal?)
29. Waiting to see if my tulips will grow
30. Seeing my tulips bloom
31. Seeing tulips bloom ... that I didn't plant
32. Other suprises that grow in your yard
33. Saturday breakfast on the back porch
34. Trying to identify birds by their calls
35. Using my Bird Songs book to see if I'm right
36. Peeking at everything through my monocular
37. Taking pictures of birds
38. Being able to distinguish the grackles and woodpeckers and finches
39. Drinking coffee because you want it, not because you feel you NEED it
40. Surprising Matt by mowing the lawn
41. Looking for bunnies
42. Seeing ducks hanging around in the neighborhood pool
43. Feeding ducks
44. Having to stop the car to let duck families cross the street in Mom's neighborhood
45. How bright green everything looks
46. Trying to find "groundchucks"
47. Seeing the local produce guy has tilled his land
48. Supporting local agriculture
49. Stawberries
50. Flipping through garden books
51. Walking around a nursery, feeling hopeful
52. Planting herbs
53. Planting veggies, even knowing they won't really produce in your sunless yard
54. Going to the Farmer's Market under the JFX
55. Iced coffee
56. Hand-dipped ice cream cones at Dairy Queen
57. Putting away heavy sweaters
58. Pedicures
59. Open-toe shoes
60. Cool breezes at night
61. Family gatherings at Aunt Carol's
62. Sitting on Mom's porch with my family
63. Throwing the football with Bob
64. The NLF schedule being released
65. The NLF draft
66. Anticipating summer blockbuster movies
67. Listening to the neighborhood kids play while I'm cooking dinner
68. Joining the kittens in a warm sunshiny spot
69. The "warm kitty spot" they leave when they wander away
70. Washing the car
71. Tax refunds
72. Getting back in the habit of visiting the library
73. Finding treasures in the "Sale" section of the library
74. Sitting outside on the glider
75. Preferably with a glass of iced tea
76. Planning vacations
77. Sleeping with the windows open
78. Watching the curtains in the breeze
79. Outdoor grilling
80. Especially grilled fruit
81. And shish-kebobs with pineapple
82. Having dinner outside
83. Watching the sun set
84. The rare occasion Angel doesn't beg to come out with us
85. Chilled white wine
86. Those rare occasions you can pull a dandelion's root up
87. Craving salads
88. Mango sorbet
89. Getting the lawn mowed on a Friday night. DONE!
90. Walking to the grocery store
91. or CVS, or the bakery down the street
92. Sunday breakfast at Panera OUTSIDE
93. Feeding the little sparrows from my bagel
94. Monthly outdoor dining with friends at DuClaw
95. Twirly floral dresses
96. Spring fashion magazines
97. Hot dogs (Okay, Smartdogs. But they're GOOD!)
98. Motorcycles
99. Picnics
100. Teasing Matt about his allergies
101. Knowing summer is around the corner

Let's Go Bowling!

I woke up late to Panera in bed. I love when that happens! Then I did a little bit of straightening up; Mom, Bob and GJ came by today to help hang a mirror in our dining room. It took about five minutes, of course, then Bob (bless his little heart) cleaned the mirror for me before torturing the more social cat with a laser pointer while Mom was busy trying to convince him to sit in her lap. (The cat, that is... not Bob. Though Bob DID sit in mine at one point!)

Then the five of us stuffed ourselves at Burtucci's, and GJ left to go home while the rest of us went BOWLING!

Mom hadn't gone in years, and the last time Matt and I went with Bob and his then-girlfriend, Matt SUCKED. (I love him, but it's true.) He must have been practicing though, because he got tons of strikes and spares and won the first game, then lost the second game to Bob by only one point. Mom was pretty good, too. I was cheerful but not very skilled.

Overall, it was a good weekend... though that makes me less enthusiastic about going to work tomorrow!

I'ma Lovin' You

Mom called shortly after 5:00 AM on Friday, April 11; I knew before I picked up the phone who it was, and what she was going to say. I was alone when she called to tell me Granddad had just passed away; M was in Ohio that entire week and I was picking him up from the airport that afternoon. After I hung up, I laid awake in bed and thought of the loss the world the world was waking up to.

Bob called shortly after, to make sure I was okay; GJ called about a minute later. It was pretty hateful that I knew I HAD to go to work. I told very few people there, not able to speak it quite yet, and left around 4:00 to pick Matt up at BWI.

We had planned to stay the night, before Granddad died. We had planned to stay at Grandma's, just to help. Just in case. Instead, we picked up pizza stayed at late at Mom's.

I don't remember the weekend. I think we went to Ann Taylor Loft to get me a black dress to wear to the funeral. I thought about going to work on Monday, but decided to go to spend the day with Mom instead. She asked me, as she had before, if I would read a poem for her during the service the next day...and if I could thank Grandma for taking care of him. Of course.

Of course.

The viewings were at 2pm and 6pm; a parade of relatives, old neighbors, family friends. Flowers in the shape of a baseball diamond, of a baseball, flowers everywhere. We shared stories, memories, favorite things about him. How he had nicknames for everyone (Mom's kids are Palamino, Cannonball and BB), how he said "I'm a lovin' you" to everyone. How he DID love everyone! He'd answer the phone by asking "Who's this I'm a lovin'?" It could've been the cableman calling; it made no difference to him.

We had dinner at a barbeque place in between the viewings, in the kind of place that offered Keno and an unpaved parking lot. It was perfect. The kind of uncomplicated food and family togetherness Granddad preferred.

Tuesday was the funeral, held in the funeral home. The pastor was a cousin's friend. The gospel was given by the cousin; the eulogy by me and via and aunt's letter, then the pastor gave a few more words and we where shephered out to our cars where we took a seemingly endless drive to Suitland, to bury my Granddad beneath a cherry tree. It was leaving there that I finally, truly broke down.

Afterward, we all drove to Carol's for food, then M and I went to Mom's for a while, then home, then bed. And all night, I heard my own voice:

Mom found a poem she really wanted to be a part of Granddad’s services. But it’s not like she’d be willing to stand here and read it, so I’m here. And it’s not like I can just read it without adding my own two cents.

As everyone who knows me knows, I spent a lot of time at Grandma’s house when I was young. And one of my favorite pastimes, when not lashing out at my brother, was to climb up on Grandma’s lap and insist that she repeat my favorite stories. There was the one about her mom’s discovery of her extra thumb, when a schoolmate ate her syrup sandwich… But my favorite was the story about the grocery trip, where her mother sent her to find a certain item and a handsome young employee helped her find the “honey, honey?”

Granddad embodied everything I thought a good man should be. He took care of his wife, his five girls adored him, he worked for the same company his entire career, he loved trains and John Wayne and baseball … and us.

He was, to his very core, good. I can barely get through a day without losing my temper, raising my voice, or uttering a few unkind words. But that is how he lived, every day. It’s like he was an angel long before he died.

He lived 84 years, had a good life, a large, loving family, good health, and he died peacefully at home; I don’t think his story could be better that. And on behalf of the entire family, I need to thank Grandma, for showing amazing strength in those last few weeks, for taking care of him all those years you were together... and for not being able to find the honey on your own.

They say memories are golden,
Well, maybe that is true;
We never wanted memories,
We only wanted you.

A million times we needed you,
A million times we cried;
If love alone could have saved you,
You never would have died.

In life we loved you dearly,
In death we love you still;
In our hearts you hold a place
No one could ever fill.

If tears could build a stairway
And heartache make a lane;
We'd walk the path to heaven
And bring you back again.

Our family chain is broken,
and nothing seems the same;
But as God calls us one by one,
The chain will link again.

Joyeux Anniversaire

There is a lot to catch up on in my month away from the blog. The first notable is the passing of another birthday for me and M. He took the day off; this is the second year in a row I didn't, and I think it may be the last. I liked making it a special day, admiring the residents of the Aquarium and going out to dinner.

Nope, I dressed up in my favorite black lace skirt and trooped off to work in the umbiquitious April Shower. But I don't think I did a lot of working. I started with a trip to Panera for breakfast, The Capital Grille with J and C for lunch, then dinner at Cinghiale after work with M.

While we didn't have good weather karma, we did get good table karma. We got a great corner seat and lots of wine and food and attention. We had Prosecco to start (his sweet, mine dry) and the Prezzo Fisso dinner (think prix fixe) where each course came with a glass of wine that compliments that particular menu choice.

So I had:

Too much bread with dry Prosecco

Il Fritto Misto (fried veggie slices with a brown butter and lemon sauce)

I Funghi (caramelized forest mushrooms, truffle, and crostini)

Gli Gnocchi (potato and spinach dumplings with red pepper bits)

and M had:

My breadcrumbs with sweet Prosecco

I Marubini (a butternut squash soup with ricotta stuffed pasta floating on top)

I Casunsei (sausage filled pasta with butter and sage)

Il Manzo alla Griglia (grilled ribeye with marinated mushrooms and baby arugula)

One of my bosses (who frequents the Osteria) warned me I may leave hungry. The dining room is different. We could barely eat by the time we got to the main course. And we didn't have a single duplicitive glass of wine between the two of us, so we had a lot of fun tasting each other's wines.

M's main course was served with the new love of my life: 2001 "Mocali" Brunello Di Montalcino. OMG, so good. I had the waiter call Bin 604 to see if they sold it, and of course they didn't. BUT. Since Cinghiale HAD a bottle... they could transfer it to Bin 604, sell it to me through them, and give it to me there. I didn't even ask how much it was. It took a while, but I am the proud owner of a bottle. I should've gotten two.

On the way out, I asked for a menu to help guide my blog post, and in honor of our birthday, the hostess had the executive chef sign a copy: