Happy Saturday morning:

“Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love” ~ Albert Einstein

Last evening it was “Date Night” for A&T and I was the sitter. Kids were great. We had fun, we puzzled. We read. And, nearly on time, they went to bed. That’s when I eased back and popped the television on. As an “over-the-air” viewer I’m not used to seeing numbers such as “channel five-hundred-and-something” on the guide. Eventually I did find a program of interest.

National Geographic’s Living in Space was selected. This follows the astronauts around on the International Space Station floating 250 miles above us. The program was underway and as I became focused the segment chanced to deal with the ongoing everyday duties involved with cleaning the place. As it happened I was just in time to witness the cleaning of the space toilet.

My mind wandered back to balmy summer evenings at Northern Comfort, where, on the occasional clear night, an hour or so after sunset, I’d spot and watch the Space Station arc by on its West to East trajectory – all lit up by the over-the-horizon sun. Now, all I could envision was that while I was lying on my back on the dock looking up at the sky, that some guy 250 miles immediately overhead was scrubbing toilets. My vision of what I’d been looking at just changed dramatically.

Was that really just dew I felt laying there?

Progress – continues on the condo. This is just a short update to let you know that Marcia and I aren’t just sitting around twiddling our thumbs.

The guest bedroom – coined by us as The Helen and Henry Room – is done except for the carpet replacement which will occur along with all the other carpeting. The Solarium is also complete, as are the dining and living spaces. Some of the wall hangings have been moved over as we’ve begun to paint our house as our ‘market prep’ effort.

In a couple of weeks we’re having another of our regular neighborhood dinners. By popular demand we’ll do a bit of crackers and cheese and wine at the condo. The plan is to drag some bag chairs and a bridge table over for the half hour event – the first!

St. Patrick’s Day parade – was enjoyed by all of us last Saturday. Scattered throughout the parade were THREE Pipe and Drum bands complete with all the requisite kilts and headgear. Did you just take note? I said three. Not one. Not two. But three bands! For one who absolutely loves the sound of a bagpipe this was total bliss.

Couple all those pipers with several Marching Bands, horses, specialty cars, motorcycles (Large and small), and clowns and more clowns and it couldn’t help but be a great parade. I know that comedian Jimmy Fallon once famously said; “when I see professional clowns, mimes, or people who makes balloon animals, I think of their relatives and how disappointed they must be.” Yet, even those relatives had to be happy last Saturday.

With a sunny day and a temperature approaching sixty it meant that the crowd was a happy one. The kids were even happier (actually they were thrilled) when they realized that they received enough candies to put to shame the stash they got at Halloween.

Animal Planet – This week I did my positive environmental thing. Nothing huge mind you, but something I hadn’t done for years. I took shoes to our local shoe repair guy. So instead of the normal ‘toss-and-buy’ I repaired. I walked the mile to the place and thus got my daily dose of exercise. Then, yesterday, when I picked the stuff up, repeated the walk. I chatted a bit on all the important March Madness stuff while I admired the finished product. I discovered that it was a very nice way to feel quite good with myself.

Fini – Talking about March Madness, had I actually completed my brackets (I did not) they would have been blown away by now. Both of the ‘Nati’s teams got dumped.

Make it a great week everyone, stay safe.

Cheers.
Dirk

From the Archives
Saturday, March 26, 2005
Morning all:

It was well before six and already the song birds were in full chorus. Even my coffee mug is bright red to honor the leap into spring. Ok, so it is overcast, it is still spring!

Last weekend brother Pieter made a visit and we had a great time. While we were running about he just had to look around at what was left of his former employer. It does show how things do change and just how quickly the change occurs. This company was a multi billion dollar concern with well more than a dozen factories spread around the world. What I showed Pieter was all that was left of the former world headquarters. Where his office had been is now a Sam’s Club. Doors leading into various buildings that are still standing on the old campus, leading to offices and factory where he spent hours, days, and years, working and in meetings were now chained shut with “possible bio hazard” signs posted prominently. Pieter saw hundreds of thousands of square feet of memories sitting idle and deteriorating. Without benefit of his memories, I saw it differently. From my perspective I am anticipating a bright new Jungle Jim’s store opening up on that very spot. It is spring and it is a new beginning. Yes, the old gives way to the new.

It does bring up just how fleeting even things we tend to think of as “permanent” are. As Agnes is wont to say: “You find it, it gets away, you grab it, it squirms out. The tighter you hold it, the farther it squirts! It’s like trying to catch a shaved mouse in a bowl of olive oil.”

Adrianne has expressed a need for books for young readers. This is so her Tongan youth can learn English. Cathy grabbed that bull by the horns and posted the request on bulletin boards at work. Sometimes you do really need to watch what you ask for. It seems as if an area library is closing and one of her co-workers is involved. Yesterday she and Jason (Marin too) came waltzing over with at least eight large shopping bags chock full of books.

Later last night Marcia was on a rampage sorting through everything. A very large stack of books of those unsuitable for Adrianne’s needs was created first. Then about a fifty pound stack of books she wanted to keep; keep here that is. Another fifty or so pound stack for the grandkids. Finally what was left was about one pound of books to be shipped to Tonga. Now I fully realize that shipping into Tonga is hugely expensive, however, I think we’ll again start at the beginning. It’s all in the sorting!

Remember when you run out today to buy those little yellow foam “peeps” for the kids that these could have been manufactured something like seventy-five years ago. I’d stick with chocolate eggs. In case you want to know, I myself prefer the ones made of dark chocolate.

Happy Easter, and have a great week,
Cheers.
Dirk

3/26/2005 07:17:00 AM