Spring Sports Don't Require Spring

Thank goodness "3 strikes and you're out" does not apply to how many chances a softball team gets to start its season. After 3 previous games already called off due to weather, the Assumption Lady Royals finally go to throw their first pitch today! And crank up the score on their new scoreboard!

Although it wasn't raining, spring was not here. Not even close with game time temps around 40 degrees. Uff da.

At least the field at Robinson Park was dry enough to play on. The baseball game on the other side of town, however, was called off since Witter Field was still too wet. Their makeup game will be played in late April.

It's convenient that Robinson Park is not even 5 minutes away from work. I cruised over there for the beginning of the game and was able to stay for an inning before heading back to work. Since the score was 12-0 after 1 inning, I felt OK about that. Since it was so cold, I could barely feel my fingers, my decision was justified. 

Looking forward to a nice, sunny day to take some more action shots. My camera dislikes the cold, too, so I pretty much got the "batter up" poses and that was it. Don't let the fact that these ladies are pretty fool you. They are all power hitters. So fun to watch.

Not surprising the Royals put the Wausau Newman Cardinals away in just 3 innings with a score of 21-1. What a great way to finally start the season!! Now if only Mother Nature would continue to cooperate.

I mean seriously, woman, if you have girls who actually like to play in the dirt... let them!!

National What?

I guess today is National Siblings Day. You're welcome.

Circa 1969 or 1970... Baptism Sunday. From left, Rachel on Rayna's lap, me on Romey's lap, RoAnn, Ron, Raylene on Renell's lap.

Yes, 8 R's.

They are g-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-eat siblings every day!

Eagle Watching

Today was our eagle day. Hubby and I had 3 separate occasions to see them!

The first was an Eagle Scout Ceremony for Tyler, a senior at Assumption who was one of the lucky ones to go on the trip to Germany two summers ago. This is the third such ceremony we've attended for one of Carter's high school friends. He's got good judge of character, I guess!

So we've now "adopted" another Eagle Scout!

Tyler is a sweetheart and has been very focused on earning this honor and all the badges and awards leading up to it. He had troop leaders there to present him with praise and advice. He had lots of fellow Scouts there and even a state senator. Tyler also has received letters from quite the variety of dignitaries from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and former President Jimmy Carter to the Pope. Yes, even the Pope.

Eagle Scouts are a big deal. Truly.

After the ceremony and lunch, we went home to change clothes and start on our next eagle adventure.

Yup. With temperatures near 70, it was time to get "back into the paddle," so to speak! It would have been nice to have a sunny day on the river, but we were just thankful it wasn't as windy as yesterday. Jim and our friends Mike and Cindy were on the lookout for eagles. We saw them. Today just wasn't the day to get lucky with photos. Just couldn't get close enough to ANY of them for a photo in focus. Ugh. Here's proof we saw some, though!!

Guarding the nest.

 Flying overhead, teasing us.

About this time I swore I am getting a new camera with a great zoom!

Another big honkin' nest with an eagle keeping watch from the other shore.

Still too far away. Shucks.

Now this Mother Goose let me stealthily float close to her and her nest. Then she went a little nuts but not at me. At some stupid ducks flying overhead and bothering her. Whew. Although I was at a Scouting event earlier, I was not PREPARED for a beak attack!

When we got home, we saw our last eagle of the day. Yes, it was around 6 p.m. and AFTER we "thought" The Masters were done. So we rewound the DVR to watch the last two hours of it! Wow. Good stuff.

It just so happens our friends Scott and Sandy were down in Augusta earlier this week. They had tickets for the Par 3 event but it got rained out. Still, they caught some action on the putting green – including my boy Sergio. Master Sergio now!

What a day. Eagles are underrated.

Finally... Play Ball!

Finally, after what seemed like a delayed start to the season, we could hear the words "Play Ball!" at Witter Field.

Today Assumption opened their season with a double-header at home versus nearby Nekoosa. The weather was just about perfect. Almost 70 degrees, not a cloud in the sky (until later) but breezy enough there was no chance of getting too hot. Well, unless you're playing or just sitting in the sun.

I took advantage of the nice weather and a daytime game to get pictures. Well, a ton of pictures. By the time we won the first game and were part way into the second, I headed home with a couple hundred frames to look at it.

I wanted to get a picture of each player at bat, running bases and fielding. Did pretty good and even got a few pinch runners. As it got cloudier and darker during the second game, I knew my pictures wouldn't turn out that great anyway. So I do have a few pictures of pitchers to nab yet this season.

While I narrowed it down to just 60 some photos I posted on Facebook, I will just share a few of my favorites here.

Well obviously the coaching staff first. Ha. Probably Coach Austin won't be thrilled I sneaked a few of him!

 One of my favorite pitching shots.

 One of my favorite actions shots... Safe at second!

And my favorite of the day... Safe at home – and somehow did not get stepped on with those flying cleats!

The Royals ended up winning both games so that is a great way to start off the season. Now that we are officially underway, we have a lot of innings ahead in April and May. Unfortunately, in the next 10 days anyway, Mother Nature is not going to be as kind as she was today.

I knew there was a reason to snap away today. Warm hands and dry camera. Then again, there will be 20 more opportunities yet the spring.

Play ball!

Back to the Sixties

There's lots of reasons to like Fridays. End of the work week (for most) and the start of the weekend. When you have a forecast like this, it just adds an exclamation point to TGIF!!

Temps were decent enough in the low 50s today that I got out for a walk break at work and a walk after work. Tomorrow, though, look out!

I attempted to get my "inside" stuff done tonight, but that was interrupted by a yummy fish fry at Boone's Saloon and some freelance work. Will have to knock off chores in the morning so I can enjoy the home opener for the Assumption Royals baseball team in the afternoon.

If you are in a garage sale mood, Carter's former sitters are having their annual mega sale this weekend, too. Find all the goodies at 9410 80th Street South, Wisconsin Rapids. This is the first year I didn't contribute anything but there are still multi-, multi-, multi-families involved! Something for everyone. Seriously.

Crossing fingers for all – and Mr. Deck Chair – that the weather forecast is correct. Zero percent chance precipitation and mercury back in the 60s.

Happy spring! (again)

Not Quite a Perfect 10

Three thousand, four hundred and sixty-seven.

That is how many blog posts I've written since I launched this thing, whatever this thing is, 10 years ago today. Yup. A daily blog. Well, 3,467. An almost daily blog. It appears I've missed at least a dozen days per year and that is usually when I am on Sister Weekend, Camp Crop-A-Lot weekend and random acts of tiredness.

Wow.

It's not so much dedication as it is habit. Just part of my daily routine. If I was smart, I would have some cake and ice cream and "retire" on a high note. Seriously, read my first post and you'll see why I started it and why, in a way, I have made no progress....

Friday, April 6, 2007
TGIGF

It's probably kind of strange to start a blog on Good Friday. Maybe it's because Lent is coming to an end and it's that time of year when we think about what's important in our lives. I love to write and express my creativity so why not start a blog?! It's never too late to jump on the blog bandwagon, right? Seize the day!

Sounds good, but most likely the reason I started a blog today is because it's one of those tumbleweed Fridays at work. Half the people took the day off and the rest of us don't feel like working. Now and then we find ourselves breaking away from real work to talk about those far more important things like our children or "Grey's Anatomy." Since "Grey's" was a repeat last night, we turned to solving the world's problems and finding answers to those perplexing questions like "What's 'good' about Good Friday?" and "How come we always say we're going to write a book and none of us have?"

As a writer at heart but editor by trade, I wondered that, too. My husband and I talk about how we can retire early as soon as one of us sells our book and we make it big. We can only joke about it, though, since neither of us has written word one in anything resembling a book ... or novel .... or short story.

My solution? Baby steps. I'll start with a itty bitty blog in my itty bitty world to get my creative juices flowing. Once they are flowing, running and creating rapids, we can move on. In the meantime, I welcome you to join me as I observe the light side of life through the eyes of a working mother hooked on scrapbooking, "Grey's" and her 8-year-old's smile. 

So... I am still hooked on scrapbooking, "This is Us" instead of "Grey's" and my now 18-year-old's smile. But no, still haven't written that book. LOL. Need to get off the pot! Or as we might say in literary circles...

It's time to write or get off the blog.

Wouldn't hurt to start with that anniversary or retirement or "it's Thursday" ice cream, right?

Thanks for reading.

Southern Soaking

Apparently all that rain earlier this week did a number on Adams County, just to the south of us in Wood County. I happened to drive through there today on my way to and from a work conference in Wisconsin Dells.

Heading down south on Highway 13 at 7 in the morning, I was not camera ready. But I remembered for later and I snapped some pictures on the way back in midafternoon. Sorry these are blurry but I was just holding my camera phone with the window down, snapping pictures at 55 mph with my eyes on the road. Seriously, eyes on the road. Saw way too many dead skunks!

A look at the southern (from here) soaking...

Luckily the driveway is still usable at this place.

Roadside fields full of water.

Ditches full, too!

Not sure where there was water they were pumping from and why it was being dumped into one of the already full ditches.

Road was completely covered with water on the way south this morning. Looks like – from the afternoon view – the warmer temps are drying it out a bit.

Thank goodness only the sign, not my actual ice cream stop, is threatened by high water.

Ironically, they are selling "lake property." Do ditches count?

Now that I am home safely, I'll have to start paying closer attention to the creek in our backyard. If I see ducks, a water pump or a new real estate sign, then I'll know to get out the umbrella and sandbags.