SPRING HAS SPRUNG

WOW, the thermometer in the sun said 80 degrees, Beautiful day, sunny, warm in the sun, no breeze. We were up early and it was off to Croghan and the Maple Museum for Breakfast,, on the way we spotted a large flock of "Snow Geese" way off in the meadow....and "Deer" in the meadows, snow is going fast.

We got to Croghan about 8AM and got in line for Breakfast, it took about a half an hour and we were sat at a table with other people, friendship's were made fast and furious, and out came the ladies from the kitchen where the men were cooking huge griddles full of food and we were served Maple Flavored Coffee, Orange Juice, Fresh Milk, and then came huge platters of piping hot, steamy, golden brown, fluffy, light "Pancakes" and large bowls of steaming, lightly browned "Smoked Sausage" which were enjoyed once, then another plate full and then another platefull and we both had our fill!!!! I didn't think 3 plate fulls were too bad, the Old guy next too me made it thru 5 plates, what a "FEAST"!!!!!!!

We then took a nice drive to settle our bellies, the snow is going and there were plenty of large ICE CHUNKS" hanging off the rock cuts beside the road, some of the ice is up to 2 feet thick!!

and in other places its 4 FEET THICK!!!!

The "Spring Thaw" is not bad this year and the rivers and streams are not that bad, this is the Croghan Island Lumber Mill and Old Dam which was a beautiful sight to see as spring arrives!!

This is the "Oswegatchie River and its not running too bad!!

It's nice to walk around the complex and see the snow going, hopefully the dirty looking old stuff willl go faster tonight as it rains!!

We got home and it is nice to see bare ground and the receeding "Ice and Snow Packs" leaving!!!!!

Hopefully the Daffodils will start to pop thru the ground and we can get the Bar B Q grills out SOON!

Lets not forget to remember those serving and those who have served us in our Military!

Home

DE COLORES !!

Well I'm Home, what a time!!! The "Walk to Emmaus" was fantastic, Walk # 89, John's Good News Messengers, Table 5!



Arrived thursday night, settled in and what a ride!!! Got home late Sunday night to lots of hugs and kisses from the Honey!!!!



Monday was truely a day of rest!!!



Today it was up early and out to enjoy some sunshine and warmer weather!! Went for a ride and caught up on emails, messages, notes. Will be an early bed again tonight to get rested up!!

D E C O L O R E S







Let us never forget our Veterans who do not get to rest up like we do!!

NERVOUS

Well SPRING is coming, the ROBINS have arrived, saw 5 in the yard, Canadian Geese and Snow Geese are still flying in and thru, snow is melting and the Bullheads are starting to bite so some fishing is in order and April 1st starts TROUT season.

I am all packed and ready for a trip to Syracuse, I leave shortly for the ride down, I am going on "The walk to Emmaus", it is a mens retreat for 4 days, don't know much about it but have been asked to go!!!! The only thing that those who took the "WALK" told me is to "Let go-Let God take you"!! Its held from Thursday afternoon until Late Sunday night, and yes I am nervous!!! But like the good book says, "If He leads you to it, He will lead you thru it" and that's what I am counting on!!

I will miss my Honey, we have never been apart except for my Hospital stays and even then she slept in the room in a chair with me. Oh well, it's almost time to leave, "WISH ME LUCK and say a little prayer for me!!!!

Will tell you all about it Monday when I get back!!

Lets not forget to also say a prayer for our Troops!!!!!

S P R I N G ?

CAN IT BE HERE????? I hope it's coming, I'm sick of WINTER!! I managed to get thru all the 29 below zero weather, the wind chill's of 35 below zero, snow banks taller than I am and then thursday the 5th of March I got that #$%^ "FLU BUG"! I got my flu shot last fall, BUT the "Flu Bug" I got isn't one the shot protects ya from,

Thursday I went to bed, cough, hacking, nose plugged, cold sweats, got up once for a nature call, back to bed and got up friday, still sick and sore and went to the Doctors for some heavy duty Meds to try to knock this thing out, saturday was mostly in bed and up and in the recliner.

Today was a long one, I did get dressed and made it to church, the wife and I had to put on the coffee hour and I had part of the service to do, I took my box of kleenex with me!!! Lucky for me we had another couple show up and help us so I got to sit until it was my part of the service to do and I managed to get thru it!!

The Canadian Geese are still flying thru and stopping over on their way north, theres some more buds coming on the trees, BUT, still have not seen a ROBIN yet!!!!!

The sugar bushes are busy now collecting sap and boiling it down into golden Maple Syrup, we are waiting for March 27.

March 27th is the Maple Sugar Fest held in the Croghan Maple Museum. The Place is a museum showing the History of Making Maple Syrup, forestry, managing a sugar bush, and antiques to modern day methods of sugaring, It starts at 7AM, people line up about 6:30AM and wait in line to get in, and once inside you get to wait for a place at a big long table in a room that holds about 75 people then you are seated and then the MAJIC!!

They first bring you a fresh hot pot of coffee, a picture of orange juice, THEN a huge plate of Pancakes, a platter of smoked sausage, not pork sausage but a very tasty sausage between smoked and polish sausage, very tasty!!! and the eating begins, ALL YA WANT!!! My best is about a 2 dozen pancakes and 9 links of sausage covered in real butter and fresh Maple Syrup then I waddle to the car so the wife can drive me home for the recliner, glad its only once a year!!!

I like the Kitchen, they have 3 large grills, they cook about 50 pancakes on a grill, one man does nothing but pour batter, the next man comes thru and flips them, then another man comes thru and piles them high on platters and sends them out to the dining room, another 2 griddles do nothing but cook sausage, these men have a system where they cook from 7AM straight thru to 11AM with the dining room full all the time till 11AM when they shut the doors and feed the line still in the building!!

Well I hope everyone's upcoming week is a good one!!!

Let us keep our Service Men and Women in our Prayers!!

THE O P E R A

The Opera??? screeching women, foriegn language, men in tights wearing cattle horns and women the size of wrestlers??? *(NOPE) *(WRONG)... Anna and I had the unique opportunity to meet her brother Marc today, (sunday) in Syracuse, The morning started with the long drive to syracuse where we met Marc at his Hotel Suite and went to *(Brunch) even wore my best sunday suit an tie!!!!!.

We arrived after the hour and a half drive an went to a nice restaurant, looked at a menu that had words I could not understand, much less say BUT I ended up with fresh sugar cured bacon and cheese wrapped in an egg omlet with a side sause, real home fried potatoes with onions and crispy, fresh strawberries, home-made bread toast, jams and jellies and a delicious coffee an the wife had a delicious dish called eggs florentine, with fruit, excellent meal!! Thats me, Anna, Michael and Marc waiting fer grub!!!!!

Michael works for "WALT DISNEY" and sets up productions of Walt Disney shows and preformances like "Beauty & the Beast, Mickey on Ice, Ice-Capades and also travels all over the country.

After Brunch we walked around a bit and headed for the Syracuse Opera House with tickets in hand. No waiting in line for us!!!!!

This is Anna Mae and her brother Marc on our way to the Opera House!!

Anna Maes brother Marc is an "Opera Director", he worked, struggled and went to the best schools in Boston and New York City and now lives in New York and travels around the country directing Opera's. As he was going to be only a short distance from us we were invited to attend his show, free tickets and after some talking to, pleading, and coaxing by Honey I agreed to "go to an Opera"!! HEY, there's a first time for everything.

Marc has done many Opera's, TOSCA at the Virginia Opera, SAMPSON & DELIHA in St. Louis, HANSEL & GRETEL in Nevada, and RINALDO at Central City Opera in Colorado, LE NOZZE di FIGARO at the NY Metropolitian Opera, MACBETH at the Granite State Opera and traveled around the states doing many many more too numerous to mention.

WELL!! we walk into the Opera House with me in my sunday finest, pass the line getting tickets as Marc had special seats for us, we were escorted to DOWN FRONT & CENTER!! Best seats in the house.

We watched an excellent performance of "ROMEO & JULIETT. As a matter of fact we met the lead Soprano, Juliett, *(AMANDA PABYAN) at the Hotel Brunch, she has also traveled all over the country doing leads in Opera's and other shows, very nice young lady.

If my Brother-in Law, Marc was going to do another OPERA near-by I think I would go again, I was surprized at myself as I actually enjoyed the show!!!!! As a matter of fact, there were about 2500 people in the Opera House, at the final curtain call after the show there was a "Standing Ovation" by the audience and even ME, hundreds of shouts of "Bravo", whatever that means?

Wonder how I understood what they were singing in this foriegn language? The words were put up in english on large side monitor so you could easily read them without distracting from the show, "Great-Day!!

On the ride home we say some great signs of "SPRING", the fields had deer out browsing, counted about 24 of them, saw lots of dead skunks on the interstate, saw a couple of road killed racoons and 3 dead deer, 1 coopers hawk and 1 porcupine and as we neared carthage we saw litterly HUNDREDS and HUNDREDS of "Honking" Geese in huge flocks landing around in the open corn fields!!!

Hope your week starts out great!!!!!

Lets never forget our Veterans!!!!!!!!!!!!!

LENT

We had our monthly meeting here at the "Old Folk's Home last night and it was busy, interesting and got a lot done!!!

Well, we went to Stone Soup Supper thursday night and had a nice evening, there was a good turn out of about 60 people for Meat Loaf and Scalloped Potatoes and deserts. It was OK, BUT I'm used to feeding people huge portions and plenty of them!!!

I am getting a big ole Bottom Round Steak, taters, carrots, onions, and going to make about 150 big, tall, flaky bakin-powder bisquits and making some Beef Stew for our next dinner, I know we ran out after 100 servings at our last one so am cooking for 150 this time!!!

Well, we are in the Lenten part of our yearly journey. During the 40 days of Lent all of our local churches put on a short 20 to 25 minute service every wednesday at noon, then we serve a luncheon, we try to keep it to just an hour so the people that come from work can get back to work on time!!

We hold the services at the Chruch of the Nazarene, they have the most parking and nicest kitchen to work in. Each Church takes a turn at doing the service and also putting on the luncheon!!

Next week our church will be doing the service and we will be making the lunch, there will be MEAT in our sandwiches!!!!!. The luncheon is kept to sandwiches, chips, pickles and beverage.

The weather has warmed up all the way up into the high 40's!! We have had a little rain with it but theres still lots of snow!!! Redfield still has about 20 FEET OF SNOW even after the warmer weather and rain! What is going to be interesting is what type of warming we get for spring, hopefully it will be slow then the flooding will not be so bad. Flood statge here is 10.5 feet but we have had it go to 16 and 18 feet above flood stage which was a mess and costly both to home owners and farmers.

The good news is my son has moved back to New York from Oregon, HOORAY!!!, today Honey and I had lunch with my son and daughter, Jonathan and Sabrina. Nice Lunch!!!

Went to the eye doctors and after sitting for about 45 minutes they called my name, I stood up and bang, down I went like a "Drunken Sailor"

"DOWN I WENT FLAT ON THE FLOOR", my legs would not work as they were asleep, not too embarrassed as they were only about 45 people, nurses and Doctors who watched the whole event!!!!! They were nice as 2 nurses came out and helped me up and got me moving, THAT MUST HAVE BEEN A NICE SHOW!!!!

well, we finished there and I got an appointment with my friend the Doctor who got me right in!

I had a doctors appointment yesterday, my legs are losing their circulation and I fall down, you would think an "Ole Sailer" could handle "wobbly legs" but theres some other issues so I had to sleep with a wire in my arm connected to a mini-computer to monitor my oxygen levels and heart rate and rythm and then first thing this morning I was at the hospital so they could read the computer results and then I had to go int in for a contrast dye test of the Brain and neck with a MRI. "YUP, they found my Brain!!!

Being on Blood thinners and aspirin, I'm a bleeder so when she went to put in the IV for the contrast material I bled like a stuck hog!!!! Now we wait for results.

We got Anna Mae back down to the Spine center after some more tests, then we met the Neuro-surgeon and it looks like Anna Mae is going to finally have serious back surgery in April to hopefully ease some of her pain and agony.

One GOOD sign is the other night we were lucky to have that sweet scent of a "swamp kitty" drift thru the air, Spring is not far away when you smell the first SKUNK as this means they are out of hibernation, the meadows are now getting deer out in them, The robins are late, they were home by this time last year according to my journal and so are the Canadian Geese late in making their way North back to canada!!!

Hope everyone has a Great Weekend and dances to the music!!!!!!!

Lets not forget our Military still serving and those who have served us!!!