Survive winter 2007

the winter of 2007-08 bearable? Not really, for many reasons. But did we survive it? Technically, yes. It is the first day of spring.

I always love the St. Patrick’s celebrations – yesterday was the annual parade and today I made the corned beef meal, shamrock cutout cookies, and we watched one of my very favorite movies – Waking Ned Devine (about the Irish lottery). Seeing the beautiful scenery in the movie makes me want to visit Ireland, so I’ve added it to 43 Places. A girl can dream, can’t she? :)

It would have been perfect, if only the place we had dinner was not battling the Powers That Be over their liquor license _{meaning we had to be satisfied with just water}

Great company, excellent grilled salmon, and an unbelievable concert: http://www.eileenivers.com/ Celtic-style, yes – but so many musical influences; the drummer/lead vocalist was a blues singer & did a little Blues Brothers toward the end. Another was a piece with Spanish influence, called Whiskey & Sangria. And ours was a good venue to see this in – they brought in a quartet of Celtic dancers from a nearby city for 2 numbers, and though the stage was nice and big, the auditorium was rather small and cozy, and is a new building which also serves as the art center for the small community and there was artwork on display and for sale (I bought a gorgeous turquoise bracelet which was really inexpensive) My former boss and his wife even paid for everything!

This band is well worth seeing if they’re ever in your town. Soooo much fun!

for Easter clothes for the kids helped, but best of all – I finally got to experience weather in the 60’s!!! For the first time since about October, since we were in CA where it was cold the last time our area had nice weather.

that we still had this gift certificate for a night at the Mont Rest bed & breakfast in Bellevue, Iowa for this murder mystery night, and that before I descend further to the depths of depression, I should book this ASAP. So yes, I’ll actually be going farther north for my only little 1-day spring getaway, but at least it will be a change of scenery. The place looks great, and it should be a lot of fun. Not exactly a week in Bali, but hey – it’s free!

really not doing well with this goal at all. In fact, yesterday I sent my resume and a cover letter to a firm in California (shhhh – don’t tell my boss) No doubt nothing will come of it, but the housing market has sufficiently tanked there, and this job sounded so “me” ....

It’s been just above freezing today, so I had the chance to take care of the snow and ice packed down on my driveway & sidewalks before the sub-zero crap moves in tomorrow.

Is it spring yet?

a trip to CA would be helpful in surviving winter, but not so much! It was warmer here in IL than it was in rainy, wind-swept Sacramento when we were there. If Eldest Daughter just had to move a zillion miles away, I wish it had been somewhere a little closer to the equator …

is not easy to do when you have no wheels. :( Prius battery needs replacing and is on order, but I am losing my frickin’ mind

is definitely not my favorite season, which apparently Julie picked up on! Thanks for the invite!