Catching up

More of the same, time for blogging has been at a premium and now I'm in my newsletter daze. I had done a bit of the following in bits and pieces, as the days go by I've had to readjust time frames but at least I have something to publish.

We gave Ian a ride back to school last Sunday. He was home on spring break. As slow as winter seems to go by, Ian's freshman year in college seems to be flying by. I wish that winter felt the same way. It was a good week having him home, getting all the details on how the semester is going and having him here for suppers and all. Late last week Taylor got home from her spring break and joined us for Saturday night's supper and movie (Casino Royale).

Also last week I took Patches and Scotia to the vets for shots, etc. That was Scotia's first vet visit with us. Besides shots she was treated for ear mites. Patches though was another story. Talking with the vet about Patches' recent destructive behavior he diagnosed separation anxiety issues (duh) and suggested some medication (figured as much) but what else could we do without monitoring him constantly. To top it off his anxiety is amplified when he's left in confined spaces. I forgot his medication the other day and he worked the wire mesh of the dog pen, he broke the skin under one eye and a spot near his nose. Wasn't much good for his teeth either. The vet said it takes a week for the medication to really take full effect so we should be able to judge how it's working in the next week or so.

So today will be mostly the town newsletter. Tonight Carol and I are going over to our friends, Bruce and Tina's house for a gathering for Tina's birthday. Ian is going to be tracking moose with the UNH Wildlife Society Club in the NH woods today so we are looking forward to hear about that.

Happy (snowy) St. Patrick's Day

Displaying a little Irish heritage and pride here. Besides my Irish last name, my Dad, son and myself share the middle name Patrick. If I get near a proper bar today perhaps a Guinness may pass my lips.

We've had quite a snow/sleet storm overnight which later today is suppose to change over to rain/freezing rain so I may not be leaving the house today unless things clear up and we get the driveway and other areas cleaned up. Does Ireland have snow storms?

It's my Dad's birthday

He passed away 30 years ago. Here's something he told me once when I wanted to get a friend of mine to help with a chore he had for me: "it takes one boy to do one boy's job - two boys to do a half the job". He was probably right, priceless.

Thinking of you Dad!

Warning "DIP" ahead

Alright now, some official personal business here. Today's blog is to document my creation of an acronym. "DIP", disaster in progress (subset, "debacle in progress", a lesser situation). I looked it up on a website which documented such things, "DIP" was listed for other acronyms but not my use of the words disaster or debacle. The listed acronyms are credited so I'm intending to take the credit for "disaster in progress". Before I can get the credit the acronym needs to start being used in the course of everyday conversation. This is where you, the readers of my blog come into the picture. Whenever you find yourself or observe someone in the midst of a situation of action encumbered with problems and actions which seem to be aligned to prevent success refer to it as a "DIP". If someone nearby gives a curious glance and like any acronym someone may not catch - tell them what it means and maybe throw in where you first read/heard it. Should "DIP, disaster in progress" start coming into common use I'll put in for the credit using this blog as the reference for authorship. Of course I'd acknowledge my loyal readers for making it possible and will share the adulation of the masses which that brings me. Now I would be remiss if I thought that I was the first person to have thought or said "DIP", but I'll take a shot at taking the credit for it. So it goes...S. I. G., hey! "SIG", where's that website again...

Calendar Dinner

Lois, Jim, Carol, Ian and I attended the Calendar Dinner at the church Saturday night. (photo on the right: Ian went as a cross-dressed moose impersonating a lumberjack?!?, Scotia couldn't figure it out either) Elaine hosted a "long" table (21 people) which represented the month of October. That being her birthday month was the theme of the table, plus, dress like in a style of the 50's. 50 is which birthday she'll be celebrating this year. Carol and Lois had done a lot of work for decorating the tables. Other people sponsor the other months and designate their own themes and decor. The meal itself was a turkey dinner. Musical entertainment was provided by Diana Hansen. A seasoned vocalist and rhythm guitar player. She bills herself as “acoustic jazz” and has performed throughout New England and in Germany as both a soloist and in various ensembles for over twenty years! She performed a mix of fun old jazz standards, popular favorites and sing-a-longs.

It was a fun evening but long one. It was good to call it a night.

A view towards one end of the table.

The musical entertainment was held in the sanctuary.

(L-R: back row - Steve and Elaine, front row -
Lois, Jim, Carol and Ian)

Elaine lighting the candles on the cake, fortunately
the smoke detector didn't go off.

From the mouth of a diner

I was having lunch yesterday at Marcy's. Steak & cheese sandwich with green peppers and onions (kind of stretches my diet bit). The usual, full house, a seat at the counter, I was reading, music blaring, people talking, the owners and staff working their tails off and having a good time about it, all systems normal. I was immersed in a story from my copy of Asimov's SF Magazine when a voice from a conversation in the booth behind me said something that stood out to me clear as a bell, "it's good to get that first divorce out of the way". The table was occupied by young adults, possibly from the nearby art college, many of the students come into Marcy's, part of a mix that helps make up the atmosphere of the place. Obviously I had no context of the conversations that the statement came from, just odd how it seemed to stand on it's own and it implied to me that maybe in the youth culture, divorce has become a probable outcome of a first marriage. I hope not. I'm not naive about divorce, there are several among my family, friends and acquaintances. How many conversation have we been in where someone says "my ex use to..." Hey, it happens, all kinds of reasons. I don't know the statistics but it seems I've heard that divorces have increased dramatically in the last few decades. I just think it's sad if today's young adults thought of a marriage as a temporary arrangement.