Season Opener

Listen. Can you hear it? Somewhere the bats are cracking... The white chalk is forming lines between bases... The popcorn is popping. And hotdogs are turning on a grill. Yup. Baseball season is here.

I enjoy watching baseball -- not as much as football -- but it ranks right up there. I think the difference for me is that on a cold winter's day, there's nothing wrong with curling up in a blanket on the couch to watch 6 hours of football. On a warm summer's night, however, I'd certainly rather be there, at the ballpark, than watching the action from my living room.

In our typical summers of late, we get so wrapped up in our own baseball schedules -- between the 3 boys -- that it just leaves time for little else until about August. However, we usually get to at least one Major League Baseball game a summer. We either travel down to Miller Park when hubby's Cincinnati Reds are playing the Brew Crew. Or we'll catch a game at the Metrodome when my Twins are playing. Sometimes we're lucky enough to do both.

Unlike football, you don't have people disliking or downright despising you for the team you cheer for. Thus, it's a welcome change to put the purple away and not be judged a traitor -- at least for a few months.

Since Jim's team is in the National League, I don't feel a rivalry between us. In fact, I hope the Reds do well for him and have nothing against the Brewers going gangbusters again either. I do have a friendly rivalry with one of the guys at work. We expect his White Sox and my Twins will be battling for 3rd place in the AL Central Division this year behind Detroit and Cleveland. We're much more realistic than optimistic.

I will admit I am not as big a fan as I once was. The summers of 1987 and 1988 were the absolute best. I was a camp counselor at Luther Point Bible Camp near Grantsburg, Wis., and just about every other weekend a bunch of us on staff would head down to a Twins game to see Kirby Puckett, Dan Gladden, Kent Hrbek and the gang. Those were good times.

Nowadays, it is not so geographically convenient. And I've let other priorities sneak in -- kids, job, etc. So I am not the same, immersed fan of those golden days. With trades and free agents, there were so many changes after last season, I was hard pressed to name 5 people on the current roster. Thanks to a "Twins tutorial" in the Sunday paper yesterday, I now know who's on first, what's on second, etc. I also know it's going to be a tough season -- or what we call a "building year."

We'll just have to wait and see how this season shakes out. The Twins start off with the Angels, who consistently knock us out of the playoffs (when we are lucky enough to reach that point at the end of the season). Let's hope we have that problem again.

In the meantime, it's time. Play ball!

Blustery Bunny Trail

As challenging as it was to drive my golf ball in the Texas wind last week, I'd take those warm gusts any day over the blustery breezes that accompanied our Northwoods Easter Egg Hunt yesterday.

It was sunny enough. And even warm by Up North standards. But that wind pretty much meant the eggs and treats were hidden quickly (as in let's just chuck handfuls across the yard to
get it done) and found in record time, too.

Carter and cousin Anthony led the pack, out the door before the proverbial starter's gun went off, finding (in trees and under bushes) and gathering far more candy than they (or any of us) need.

Then we headed inside my sister Raylene's house for more food (which we didn't need), warmth (which we did need) and games (always a necessity no matter what the weather).

I've mentioned before that we always have a good time playing games when my family gets together, often discovering new ones we can share with our friends and other families. Sequence, Things, Curses and Apples to Apples have been big hits, along with the card game 3 to 13. On Saturday, one table played Things while another played 3 to 13. But before all that came the Easter version of "Barrel of Monkeys." Not joking.


Do you remember the game from childhood? The create-a-chain-of-chimps challenge that came in a little plastic barrel? Well this year, a big plastic Easter egg contained 16 bunnies with their ears curved like the monkeys arms for easy (or not so easy) linking. My sister RoAnn started it, drawing a crowd to witness her frustration and ultimate triumph. Then, bitten by the "I can beat that" bug, my nieces and nephews got into it and, before you could peel a banana, we had challenges and races and more fun than -- need I say it -- a barrel of monkeys.

I did say at one point, "This is what I have to blog about?!" I was only half joking. It just goes to show that my family likes to have a good time and can make something fun out nothing. Then there's that other thought that it doesn't take much to entertain us!

And who says that's a bad thing? Certainly not the cars driving by while 30 people scrambled around my sister's yard in the high winds, picking up bright plastic eggs and closely examining brown ovals on the ground to determine if someone dropped their chocolate or Annabelle (the dog) left something behind...

Surprise me

Sometimes I like surprises. Today I liked:

Getting two dozen roses (pink and yellow) from my hubby for no reason (that I know of).

Having lunch with my girlfriends (who I don't sit by anymore).

Helping a co-worker celebrate her 25 years with the company by eating a piece of cake with lots of yummy frosting (I had to do something).

Finding Mint Oreos (for my Dirt Cake) at the grocery store. (Can you believe Wal-Mart ran out?!)

Getting a cute lighthouse pin in the mail from one of my blog readers.

Seeing my friend's baby walking at 11 months old.

Walking in the sunshine in almost 40-degree weather.

Doing an "assembly line" with Carter to fill plastic eggs with goodies for tomorrow's big Easter Egg Hunt up north.

Today I didn't like:

Seeing the Badgers basketball team get eliminated from the bracket.

All in all, it balances out to a pretty good day! TGIF!

Swimmer's ear

There must be something in the water clogging up the ears at the Austin household. Our latest communication miscue is pretty funny.

I was out of the house this morning before the guys got up because Jim had a dentist appointment at 8. So I missed this exchange, but Jim told me about it after saying how frustrated he got with Carter this morning. Now, of course, we can laugh about it.

Carter was in the bathroom brushing his teeth and Daddy yelled in there, "Carter, do you know where the lotion is?"

"It's south," Carter replies.

"South?" Dad asks, thinking we forgot to pack it. "In Texas?"

Carter responds: "Well, it's south and east and west. All around."

"What the @#@!$#?" thinks Dad.

Turns out Carter thought Daddy said OCEAN, not LOTION! So now (in Carter's mind) the conversation makes sense ... if Jim in fact would say, "Carter, do you know where the ocean is?"

Guess you had to be there. I thought is was hilarious... or how Larry is...

Portfolio Night

For some reason, elementary schools have done away with having two parent-teacher conferences per year. Instead they hold the conference in the fall (perhaps to nip study habits and behavioral issues in the bud) and the spring meeting is called a Portfolio Night.

Portfolio Night is really just a "show and tell" for the child. The fourth-graders at Grant Elementary School actually spent a good part of their day yesterday preparing for last evening's event.

Jim was pretty much knocked out by a nasty head cold so I went solo. Carter took me on a guided tour of his classroom, demonstrated a science lab on magnetism, then walked me through a thick folder of school work reflecting his progress this year. The teacher did a good job of including a mix of everything -- perfect score papers and homework practice sheets where he got less than stellar results.

I have to say I was pretty impressed with his creative writing. There was the "Cat Escape" story that started out something like, "They say a cat has 9 lives but I think my cat used one of them this week..." and the how-to paper on "How to build an ice cream sundae," which ends with something like, "And the final step, which you MUST do, is sit back and enjoy it!" I can't wait to get my hands on these at the end of the school year. We could type them in and that could be the start of Carter's blog!

Before leaving the classroom, I asked the teacher if there was anything I needed to know (I mean this was really informal). She said Carter is a "little chatty" but she enjoys his sense of humor. She also said he's a sharp kid, which I guess is important to hear since we were in a school setting after all.

When we were done, Scrapbooking Mom asks for a picture with teacher since that is tradition. The teacher obliges. It wasn't until I snapped the photo that I really paid attention to what Carter was wearing. He had a spray-paint type t-shirt on that said in bright pink letters: "That's Hot!" At least he left the bling at home.

It's Mother's day

Like a good child, I called my mom tonight to wish her a happy birthday. Of course, at this late hour, I think I was likely the last one to call but you know what they say about saving the best for last, right?

Actually I had Carter dial up. Mom answers and he says: “Hey, birthday girl! Or should I say birthday grandma?” Just like Daddy, he sure can charm with the best of them.

We’ll be seeing my folks and my entire family this coming weekend for our annual Easter Egg Hunt, to celebrate Mom’s birthday (and Angie’s and Liana’s, too), party because my niece Beth is home ... and show off my Texas tan.

So I asked Mom what she wanted for her birthday. My mother is always predictable about this question. I knew she’d say, “A clean house and good kids.” And she did not fail me. I, however, declined to offer cleaning their house but I’m sure I’ll be on my best behavior. (Does that count as half a gift?)

Buying gifts for people in their 70s is pretty tough. They certainly have (or should have) everything they need. And my mom even said that. I asked, “How about something you want, not need? Anything for gardening? Maybe a favorite restaurant?” She said they sure like dining out when they can – especially those 2-for-1 deals at casinos. Though she admitted tonight that “You know, you end up putting your savings into the machines anyway.” Oh really? I’m so glad she has figured this out by age 76. (Yes, I am the sarcastic daughter.)

To her credit, she probably figured it years ago but just continues to test the theory. Heck, when I’m 76 I hope I can have just as much fun, throwing caution to the wind, and have everything I need, including a clean house and kids!

Reality Bites

There's something incredibly challenging about waking up to an alarm clock after 10 days off. People often say how good it is to get back to work and back into a routine. I am not one of those people.

Today actually feels like my first day on a new job. My desk/cube/work station is now located in a different part of the building. I miss my "window seat" or any glimpse of natural lighting, but my new neighbors (most who report to me) are pretty friendly.

My first mission was to find the nearest coffee machine and bathroom -- in that order. Then I spent most of the morning telling everyone how wonderful my vacation was! I told my friends, especially the Democrats, that there are a few good things about Texas!

I forgot to mention that when we left the Lone Star State on Friday, despite all his ear troubles, Carter said: "See you in 365 days!" I guess he wouldn't mind making a habit of it. Join the club.

When we were tucking him in last night, we thanked him for a great vacation and for behaving so well. He said, "Yep, even though my ear ache was ear-itating!" Oh Grandma Marlys would be so proud of that one! I'll have to tell her that when I call her for her birthday tomorrow (hint to siblings: Don't forget to call Mom on Tuesday!)

There is one other clever thing Carter said this weekend that I had to share (because that's what this blog is for, right?). We saw this commercial advertising single-dose liquid packs of children's Benedryl or something. Remember I told you about how he despises taking medicine of any kind? Nothing like the children on the commercial who took their dose, smiled and continued to play in a park. I said to Carter, "Look at how well those kids take their medicine!" Without skipping a beat, he replies: "Mom, they're getting paid!"

Can't argue with that. Ahhh, things are definitely back to normal!

Easter Blessings

Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!

I truly enjoy going to church on Easter Sunday. There is something about the story, the message, that gives me such hope. Things can start anew. It's not too late start over. Do the right things. Live the right way.

What did I learn from Lent this year? Well, based on my Swear Board, Curse Chart, whatever you call it, I should find alternative ways to express myself. It seems those F-bombs happen when I am a little peeved about something (usually at work). There is great wisdom in the notion of counting to 10 before verbalizing your thoughts. I will try that. I also found that the other minor curses were just that -- pretty minor, just filler words to further express a thought. I'm a writer for crying out loud. I am sure I can find other adjectives that can get my message across. I will try that, too.

Carter was actually the first one to mention that today is Easter so I can swear again. Wow, thanks for keeping track of my life. He's going to be a good babysitter and father someday. For the record, my total came to $16.90 but I rounded it up to $20 (just in case I missed a few) and took it to church. As it turned out, the loose offering today was going to our quilters' group, who make quilts for the poor around the world. (Last year they made 209 of them.) Being the crafty person I am, I thought it was the perfect home for my Cursing Cash and that was the end of that.

Even though Lent is over, I am still going to do my best to find alternative words. I mean, heck (ooh, notice I chose a word other than hell?) I have a word-a-day calendar at my desk, right?

I see Easter as a New Year's rerun. Sort of our second chance to make an honest effort towards those resolutions we haven't been as dedicated to as we planned. It's also a chance to thank God for our many, many blessings. Please stop and think about those. Forget the little stuff. The minor headaches. The petty inconveniences. Think big picture. Think about how good you've got it.

I sat down to write a note today to tuck inside a get well card for a dear friend. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the hardest letter I've had to write. I was at a loss for words. What do you say to someone who likely just celebrated her last Easter with her family? I tell her I am praying for her but that sounds so inconsequential when she is battling stage 4 cancer. Everywhere in her body. How can I tell her I love her without making it sound like the "goodbye" my heart says it may be? I wept hard through that letter.

All I could tell her is what I have told her all along. She's "good people." She's a wonderful friend. An inspiration. She is a strong, feisty woman and I know no matter how poorly she felt physically, she found something to be thankful for today. She looked around at her loving husband, her kids and grandkids and felt thoroughly blessed. Just I have been blessed knowing her.

God made the ultimate sacrifice 2,000 years ago so that we may have these blessings. Count yours today. And every day. And treasure them.

Christ is risen. He is risen, indeed!

Live from Spring Break :: In Pictures

It felt good to wake up in our own bed this morning. But then, when I glanced out the window at the freshly fallen snow, I said, "I wanna be back in Texas!" Sigh...

I uploaded my pictures. I only took about 200. That would seem like a lot with an old camera (8 rolls of film!) but that's nothing in the digital world. I am deleting the bad, out of focus and "Robyn looks fat on the beach" photos, but here are a few highlights I mentioned this week:


St. Patty's Day at Pepe's on the Rio Grande. My brother-in-law Paul is an Irishman, Rayna and I are 100% Scandinavian, and Carter boasted "an ounce" of Irish in his blood.


The Texas State Aquarium in Corpus Christi had an underwater viewing area to see the dolphins before the "dolphin training" show.


As Jim is my witness, that is my finger stroking the back of the baby crocodile! My brief brush with braveness...


We learned at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center that some turtles grow to be as big as 1,000 pounds! And I thought seaweed salads were healthy!


Drumstick anyone? Carter jokes around at a stop on South Padre Island.


Do we have to go?!


What a welcome home!

I'll end this blog how I started it: "I wanna be back in Texas!"

Live from Spring Break :: Part 3

I would have blogged last night, but I was a bit too sunburned. What an enjoyable problem to have. I'll suffer through the pain (just this once).

Spent yesterday on South Padre Island with those crazy spring-breakers. Hubby suffered through that (just this once!).

We started the day at the Sea Turtle Rescue Center. Maybe you've seen on the news that they are doing some groundbreaking work there, trying to develop a prosthetic flipper for Allison the sea turtle, who has only one flipper. We got to meet her and several other "recovering" giants from the sea. Neat stuff. I will post some pictures when we get home tomorrow (sob, sob), but in the meantime, click here for more info about the rescue center. They are doing great work there.

The rest of the day was spent looking for shells, jumping in the waves, gawking at the scenery and lamenting on how old we suddenly felt! For dinner, we had some awesome shrimp at Dirty Al's on the island. Carter and I went there last year, too, and knew shrimp-loving Daddy would like it, too! Good stuff.

When we got home, we showered off the salt and sand and played some dominoes. We were pretty tuckered out -- all that relaxing in the sun can be a bit draining. Today we are packing up and ready to head to the airport. It's 80 something and sunny. We are reluctant to change into long pants but know a winter storm is dumping a bunch of that white stuff on our landing strip and highways heading home.

So I guess you could say our March vacation came in like a lion and went out like a lion -- and in between, with weather like a lamb, we stayed with my sister, the Lion Queen.

Live from Spring Break :: Part 2

They say a cold front is descending on us tonight. I guess the temps will dip down into the low 50s, maybe high 40s. How will we manage?

I was chuckling this morning when we went golfing and saw guys in long sleeves and long pants because it must have been only 60 degrees when they first teed off. To us, the morning 70s were perfectly comfortable -- even with the "wind chill."

Yes, wind chill. We dealt with gusty winds, but I promised myself I was not going to use that as an excuse for poor golfing. So I am trying to think of a different one. Actually, it is hard to golf poorly when it is a par-3 course (every hole!) and the maximum score "allowed" per hole is a 6. Love that place!

It was Carter's first time ever golfing on a real course so that was good for him. He didn't have to face any par 5's to get him frustrated. Just Mom jumping in trying to help him line up shots and putts. That's enough to deal with. He actually did pretty well even though he kept saying, "I suck at this!" I had to keep reminding him that it's only his first time. I've been golfing for 10 years and I still suck! Probably not the best pep talk. At least he lasted through 15 holes before relegating himself to score-keeper. I did manage to par 5 holes (hey, it's harder than you think. It still felt awesome to be swinging again!)

Had a relaxing afternoon poolside. I did try to lay in the sun but Carter kept beckoning me to the water. Daddy said, "Leave momma alone! She's relaxing." I pointed out a child's idea of vacation is to play. An adult's idea of vacation is to do nothing! I managed that most of the day. The only negative was Jim losing a lens from his glasses in the pool. Good news is we found it. Bad news is that it has a big scratch. At least he's got a good story to go with it!

We ate dinner at an awesome restaurant called Mimi's Cafe. We squeezed in some dessert and we're all watching a bit of TV since we can't even move, let alone think of using our brains to play cards or dominoes. We might do that in a bit.

Tomorrow morning we are heading out early to South Padre Island. It's supposed to be about 80 and sunny I think. Apparently we may get some snow Up North (like really far Up North from here). How unfortunate it would be to get so much snow up there we couldn't fly in ... had to stay here ... suffer through a little more sunburn... how unfortunate, indeed.

Live from Spring Break :: Part 1

Greetings from the Lone Star state! We're already on Day 2 of Spring Break 2008 in Pharr, Texas. I meant to blog on Day 1 but I was too blasted tired. We all were.

We were supposed to fly out of Minneapolis at 6 a.m. Monday but we actually had a SNOW delay. Can you believe it ?! The de-icing process was mildly interesting but the whole thing made us really glad to be leaving the Midwest! Despite the delays, we were able to hit the pool right around lunchtime. Temps were in the low 90s. Thoughts of snowy runways were melted into the past.

In the mid afternoon, we donned our St. Patty's green and headed for Pepe's on the Rio Grande. Neat open-air, thatched-roof saloon on the river (a.k.a. U.S./Mexican border) that Carter and I enjoyed last year when we were "breaking" in Texas. Wanted to share it with Daddy this time. I even managed to get a dance out of hubby. I know I would have gotten more dances -- it was an entertaining musical duo on stage -- but we headed out early.

Carter's ears were bugging him. They were still plugged from the plane ride and he was in a bit of pain. After a stop at Walgreens for ear drops, followed by naps (or should I say "siestas") all around, we were all restored to normalcy for dinner and a card game (a new version of 3 to 13! By the way, Carter and I played 3 to 13 on the plane and it sure helped pass the time.)

Today was a very, very windy day -- and rainy -- but that was fine. We drove up to Corpus Christi (less than 3 hours away) and enjoyed the Texas State Aquarium (indoors). The rain held off for the dolphin show. Got some good pictures I'll have to post online when I get home. There's even a picture of me petting a 2-year-old crocodile (see how brave I am on vacation?)

After the aquarium we drove over to Mustang Island, the north end of Padre Island, where hubby camped during spring break back in 1985! It's gotten a little crowded in some places but it was still uninhabited for the most part. We drove down to the beach a few times to see the big waves (due to the high winds). While trying to take pictures, the tide sneaked up on me and I couldn't escape. So I had a 3-hour ride in wet shorts and underwear. Well they dried after an hour or so, but that doesn't make a good "woe is me" story, does it? It was sincerely entertaining, though. Carter said he'll never forget that image of me tring to outrun the tide. Too bad I was the one holding the camera!

On the way home, we drove through an area of smoke and emergency vehicles and noticed an orange glow in the distance. Turns out there is a massive wildfire out of control and that same highway we drove on is now closed with some 500 homes in that area ordered to evacuate. I guess the windy conditions, along with the fact that they've had no measureable precipitation since November, really fueled that fire. (Note to self: Bring snow with me next year. The Texan landowners will welcome it and the Wisconsinites will love to see it go!)

Well I better hit the hay -- I think that's what they say in Texas. I have go to bed and NOT set the alarm! Ahh, vacation...

The final countdown

Although we officially started Spring Break when we left work yesterday, it won't feel like it until we are on the plane in just a mere 36 hours. Oh, that feels so good to be able to count down in hours now!

I think all of us were trying to have a busy day today just to make the time go faster. Jim went to visit his aunt and uncle in Marshfield. Carter and I went to see "Horton Hears a Who" (Was Dr. Seuss on drugs? Or do I just understand him better because I am today, too? ... The subject of another blog another day.)

We did enjoy the movie. As they say, good entertainment for the entire family. On the way home I asked Carter if he had gotten anything packed yet. "Yes, I've got the social stuff packed but not the mental stuff."

My brain said "BLOG MATERIAL" before my mouth said, "What do you mean?"

Apparently, as Carter explained it, social stuff is like clothes and fun stuff. Mental stuff is like books and music and games. I guess that makes sense. I'm just wondering how much mental stuff he plans on bringing and where he's going to fit it. I know if I put all my mental stuff together it wouldn't fit in one bag, that's for sure (but that's another blog another day).

Have to go pack now. Having a bit of a crisis with my social stuff... My flipflops don't match my swimsuit. I hope they don't kick me off the island!

The root (canal) of all evil

Ever heard that expression "That strikes a nerve"? You know what? When someone does strike a nerve, like say, a dentist, it hurts like hell (and I am willing to pay the dime to say that!).

It started on Wednesday. I had a little pain in my mouth and I gargled with hydrogen peroxide because I figured it was a canker sore. That seemed to do the trick until a few hours later shooting pain blindsided me. And when I say shooting pain, it's the kind that shoots through all the nerves in your mouth and cheek and, in this case, the left side of my head, making me want to rip the side of my face off. That kind of shooting pain.

As it turns out, I experienced this kind of pain about 8 or 9 years ago, when I let myself suffer through it for weeks, thinking maybe I had migraines or something. I later learned it was an abscessed tooth. Trust me, if you haven't experienced that before, consider yourself lucky. If you have experienced childbirth, though, then you kind of get the gist of the type of mind-numbing pain I'm talking about here.

The good news is that as soon I started getting these symptoms Wednesday night I knew it was likely tooth related and called my dentist yesterday morning. Everyone knows it can take months to get a dental appointment. I told the receptionist I had to see the dentist Thursday or Friday because I was leaving for Spring Break this weekend. (Priorities, right?) She informed me my dentist doesn't do Friday office hours, but later called back said he'd come in to take care of me Friday.

If by taking care of me, it means he performed a root canal and struck a few raw nerves, then yes, he took care of me. Don't get me wrong. I honestly really like my dentist and he is always conscientious about how I'm feeling when he's working on me. But saying "I'm sorry" after poking a nerve, doesn't seem to be enough. To make up for it, he did prescribe some antibiotics and a good painkiller so I can still enjoy Spring Break (and hopefully remember it!).

Ever since I arrived at work today, I have felt like a resident in a nursing home, sipping through a straw, mashing my crackers and eating soup with a bib on. As my novocaine wears off, I figure I better blog while I can. (In case I do need some pain relief, I'm not supposed to operate heavy equipment like a mouse or phone).

My hope is to feel normal enough in 24 hours to pack my bags with some enthusiasm. Good thing I really won't need much energy to lay around the pool or on the beach, soaking up the sun... Oooh, I better check to make sure my meds don't say I can't sit in the sun! Then I'd have some tough decisions to make!

The Meltdown

Me and my big mouth. I now realize I shouldn't speak lightly of the spring thaw. It can be a serious event ... which we found out when we got home last night.

Our plans were that Jim was going to make a quick supper while I got some things together for a meeting at church. It was fortunate that I had to go into our "computer room" right away to print off an agenda. That's where I noticed the water.

It was leaking from the ceiling but pretty much at the point above the window. So it missed the computer, the scanner, the printer, by mere inches. The only casualties were a 15-year-old boom box, some printer paper and some books (that I may just keep despite wrinkly pages).

Carter and I worked frantically with towels and a bucket while Jim assessed the situation outside. This is what we found. First, the snow on the back deck is waist high. Jim put a ladder on top of that to peer at the roof. What he found was a foot-thick "ice dam" (which I think I heard him refer to as "damn ice" later).

How do you begin to chip away at that? First he tried from the ladder and actually bent a hammer, rendering it useless. Then he went around to the front of the house, climbed the roof and started shoveling and hacking and chipping away. Thanks to neighbor Mike and his muscles and giant ice pick (which I am pretty sure is normally used for ice fishing), the two made some decent headway and the leaking stopped.

On their side was Daylight Savings Time, giving them an extra hour of light to work by. Also, we were just plain lucky I had to go into that room right away or who knows when we would have discovered it.

Today Jim is leaving work early to shovel off or chip off what is left up on the roof, then tackle the 3 feet of snow on the deck. We'd hate for that to melt on the patio below and start flooding the basement.

Now we're of the mindset we'd prefer a slow spring thaw or it could get really messy. I guess it probably goes without saying that the word roof may move up to the top of the list of things to do with that tax rebate. Sigh... I guess it probably goes without saying, too, that I stopped on the way to work to buy Powerball tickets.

I'm melting...

The mercury has officially climbed up to the "above freezing" mark. Whoo-hoo! The good news is that the snowbanks will finally lose some height -- which all of us drivers have learned is very important at intersections! The bad news is we'll soon be walking and driving in "lakes" everywhere.

Do we care? We checked the 10-day forecast last night for Pharr, Texas. Looks like next week we'll have to suffer through mid-80s to low 90s. Hubby says, "I just want to sweat!" and I add, "I just want to bake!" (Bottom line: Love heat; sick of winter!)

So bring on the spring thaw! We'll deal with it our way down in Lone Star country. Maybe the lakes will be gone by the time we return (not likely).

Carter asked the other day: "What happens to the white when the snow melts?" I thought he was telling us a joke, so my clever response: "It goes white into the ground."

He wasn't joking, though. He really wanted to know. I have since found an explanation online (what did we do before the Internet?) about the color related to the density of the ice that makes snow and the reflection of light. Basically, in the end, all that matters is that it melts into clear water and disappears as it soaks in the ground or evaporates into the air.

Blah, blah, blah. I still like my answer better!

Tough Love

With my mind focused on "tough love" today, it's actually pretty appropriate my desk calendar word today is capitulate.

Capitulate -- 1: to surrender often after negotiation of terms. 2: to cease resisting: acquiesce.

The definition of tough love then? When there is no capitulation on behalf of the child. They won't surrender. They won't cease resisting us. Seriously, it's not far off the mark. Wikipedia says: "Tough love is an expression used when someone must treat another person harshly or sternly in order to help them in the long run."

I'd wager most kids today consider any type of punishment "harsh" or "stern." Last night, for example, Carter was sent to bed early because of his dramatic refusal (once again) to take a bath. So he went to his room and proceeded to moan and wail over the injustice. Anyone listening from any point in our house for the next 45 minutes would think we were cutting off his fingers one by one, the way he carried on.

This morning, his first words to me were: "Why do you and Dad hate me?" Apparently he thinks being sent to bed early is harsh and stern. I, on the other hand, think harsh was getting whacked on my bare behind with a yardstick -- a form of tough love we couldn't legally demonstrate today (nor would I want to).

I imagine I threw a few dramatic fits of my own. I just didn't realize the tough part of tough love was being the parent and doling out the unreasonable punishment.

Spring Ahead

You wouldn't think one hour would make that much of a difference, but my body is having a tough time today adjusting to Daylight Savings Time. I have been yawning and just about broke down and took a nap even. Then I remembered we were hosting a birthday party in the late afternoon and thought better of it.

Jim's oldest boy turned 17 on Friday so we had the in-laws over to celebrate. As far as parties go, we really went about as low key as you can get. Casey requested my mint Oreo Dirt Cake, which is a cinch to make, and we had pizza. No fuss. Love it.

Opening gifts was not a big to-do either. Nothing says love to a 17-year-old like cash, cash, cash! That's OK. In my opinion, we are never too old for a birthday party -- and cake, of course.

When all the "partying" was done, it was still light out at 7 p.m. Now that is the part I do like about Daylight Savings Time. It would have been nice to walk off some of the Dirt Cake, but it's still glare ice out there. The good news is it won't be long (I hope!) before we can get outside for an evening walk on dry roads -- in the daylight.

That must be why they refer to it as Springing Ahead. The sunlight gives us a little feeling of hope for warmer days and puts a spring in our step.

Out of Luck in Mad Town

As the radio announcer so accurately stated: Luck was not on the side of the Cardinals today. My hometown boys lost 57-45 to the undefeated Suring Eagles in the semi-final basketball game at state.

But don't let the wide gap in the final score fool you. It was a close game for the first three quarters with Luck holding a one-point lead at halftime and the score all tied up 38-38 at the end of the third. I don't know exactly what happened to the Cards in the fourth. I mean I was listening to it on an Internet radio station, but all I heard was the remarkable Josh Regal from Suring taking charge.

To Luck's credit, they hung in there pretty well for being the underdogs. Not only was Suring undefeated this year, they crushed their playoff opponents, outscoring them 371-183. (Coincidentally, during the regular season, their closest game was against Iola-Scandinavia, who they beat by only 4 points.)

Although it would have been a great game to see, it was cool to listen on the radio and still hear our fans cheering in the background (some of the same cheers we did in high school!) and hear the announcers draw comparisons to our 1973 team who went to state.

Congrats on a great effort, guys. Let's hope our little village doesn't have to wait another 35 years to find luck in Mad Town!

Iola Hoopla

What an exciting day to be part of the Iola community! They actually closed school here today because Iola was playing in the state high school boys basketball tournament in Madison.

For people who didn't leave town or take off work for the game, they aired it over our Musak system this morning. Some of us (including me) donned some black and orange to be true "athletic supporters."

It was such an exciting game to listen to. I'm sure it was quite a nail-biter for the hundreds of fans who left town at the crack of dawn to see the action in person. At one point, the Iola-Scandinavia T-Birds were behind by 16 points. They outscored Eau Claire Regis 20-8 in the fourth quarter to win 53-50! Now they'll play the championship game on Saturday.

I hope Luck fares the same on Friday!

PACKing it in

Since I live in central Wisconsin, I probably should acknowledge the big news of the past 24 hours. There are only 2 more weeks of winter!

Oh wait. And that quarterback retired, too.

Let's get this clear for the record. Just because I am a Vikings fan doesn't mean I don't think Brett Favre was a tremendous athlete. He was remarkable. It was just our misfortune that he played for the Packers. Therefore, I could only respect him, not like him. (And certainly not love him like my sister Renell and thousands of other fans.)

Carter was asking why football players retire when they are younger than Daddy and me. I told him even at our young age, we don’t want to get knocked around by 300-pound men week after week. I can’t even handle aerobics!!

So now is Brett's time to move on. Don't be so downhearted, Packers fans. Remember when you thought nobody was better than The Majik Man? And don't forget: Daunte Culpepper is looking for a team these days. Wouldn't that be interesting ...

Enter your user name and password...

I got a pop-up reminder on my work computer today that my password expires in 23 hours (yes, they have it down to the hour now). For security purposes, it's a good thing. For my short-term-memory mind, not such a good thing.

I recently typed up a list at home of all our user names and passwords. My premise was that I needed to do this so hubby could still pay the energy bill online (and whatever else) should something happen to me. The real reason I did it, though, was because I suffer from CRS (can't remember stuff). Especially when the list included more than a dozen user names and passwords between us (not to mention PINs for our ATM cards, Carter's school lunch, etc.). Amazing how many accumulate over time.

Imagine being Carter's age and this will always be a way of life. He's already got a Yahoo email account and was just signing up on an NFL site to be able to play some kids games. He couldn't get it to work. I asked what his user name was. He said "hostile" but he actually typed "hostel." So he had trouble logging in. This is where I explained that it would be helpful for him (in the memory department) to try to use the same or similar user name and password. It's a heckuva lot easier for me to remember rraustin than raustin sometimes and robynaustin other times and robyna still other times.

So he re-did it. This morning I got a confirmation email as his parent (which I really appreciate that they do) that he'd signed up. Judging by his new user name, he completely ignored my advice and just looked around the computer room for an idea.

User name: deskjetink

He better start writing these down now!

Lion or Lamb?

The old saying goes... if March comes in like a lion, it will go out like a lamb. I don't know if I buy into that. We've had years where it has come in like a lion and gone out like one, too. Or been a lamb on both ends with some wicked lion in between.

On Saturday, it was definitely a lamb kind of day. And ironically, the first time this winter Carter got to go out snowplowing with our neighbor Bob. Usually sometime around Christmas, Bob takes Carter out for breakfast and they go plowing. This winter, because there has been so much snow, Bob's actually been too busy to take a break and take on a passenger. Luckily, there was still plenty of snow to be moved around. Did I say luckily?! I hate this stuff!

On Sunday, it was lamb-like as well but we were under a winter weather advisory for sleet and 2-4 inches of snow for the night. I had to call my sister Rayna and get my "You'll be here in sunny Texas in 2 weeks" pep talk. That worked. Plus, I was relieved to wake up today and see the weather man was wrong this time. Just got a dusting this time.

Everyone around here hopes we have a nice, precipitation-free week for safe travels to Madison Thursday and Friday for the high school boys state tournament. As I hoped, both Luck and Iola are going to state!

Iola will close schools on Thursday so everyone can go to the game (which means it may be a ghost town around work). My Luck boys play Friday. Not sure if I'm going, but I'll definitely have to wear red and white to work on Friday if I don't. Whoo-hoo!

Isn't March fun? Who cares if the weather is like a lion or a lamb? The snow will still be gone by May Day as usual, right? Hmm... not so sure about it this year...

Game night

Every once in awhile, a group of us from work get together for "game night." I started this a little more than a year ago, knowing how much fun I have playing games when my family gets together -- and figuring there may be a few other competitive fun-seekers out there like me. I was right.

The hosts get to choose the date and time and, most importantly, the games. I thoroughly enjoyed introducing Things and Curses to them but I can't take credit for that. My nieces Caryn and Angie always introduce us to a fun new game (like those) when our family gets together.

Friday night we played at the Tappas. We intended to play Catchphrase then a game called Wise and Other Wise once all the little kids were sleeping. However, the excitement of Game Night kept the kids awake all night, too. As it turned out, we played Catchphrase for a few hours, which, if you've never tried it, is a fun game for all ages. Carter, who decided he was too big to play with the little kids, even joined in (and I appreciate everyone's patience with that!).

It reminded me, though, of when I was his age and how special it was if we got to be included when my parents had siblings over or other family for cards and games. We had our own version of Catchphrase back then. We called it Password. And it was based on a television series of the same name airing in the 1960s to mid-1970s.

In the television version, two teams — each consisting of one celebrity player and one contestant — competed. Celebrity contestants in those days were people like Richard Dawson, Hal Linden and Betty White (who you'd see on other shows like Hollywood Squares and Match Game. The password (the word to be conveyed) was given to one player on each team and was shown to the audience and to home viewers. Game play alternated between the two teams. On either team, the player who was given the password gave a one-word clue from which his/her partner attempted to guess the password. If the partner failed to guess the password in the allotted five-second time limit, or if an illegal clue was given (two or more words, a hyphenated word, or any part or form of the password), play passed to the opposing team.

In my mother's version of the game, we grabbed from a clear, plastic bag filled with words written on white paper strips. We could still follow the rules and time ourselves. We didn't need to pass along a computerized, handheld game to have fun -- but I must admit, hearing the Catchphrase "clock" tick faster and faster as it approaches the time limit is pretty entertaining. Knowing time is running out gets people laughing and tongue-tied quite a bit!

Nothing beats some good, clean fun with friends once in awhile! I highly recommend it. Do you have a favorite party game you'd recommend? Let me know. Maybe we'll give it a go next time (after we actually get to try Wise and Other Wise)!