A cold week in March

 

It seems to take so long for Spring to arrive in these parts.  Each year March and April, even May can be so fickle.  We get a tease of warm weather and then go back to winter again.  This past week I was thankful for these beauties inside the house.

Last Tuesday after I picked Elizer up from preschool we went to Get Air.  That seems to be the day of the week that has worked best for me.  When we got there we had the place pretty much to ourselves, and he just bounced all over the place.  Each time we take him there I am so thankful we got the membership.  It has been so worth it!  I'm sure that after they move to Reading next week he will still come here from time to time, and we'll be sure to take him to Get Air.

On Wednesday I made Caribbean Burgers for Anthony and Lori and took them over to their place after I picked Elizer up from preschool.  That evening we had our last Lenten service at church, with the soup and bread meal before the service.  Destiny and her mom came to eat with us and then took Elizer home with them.  

We had choir practice afterward, and then I also practiced with my flute player after that.  A LONG evening.  I'm glad those midweek services will be over and we'll go back to our Thursday choir practices.  

I found out early Thursday morning that there would be no preschool due to staff illness and shortage.  I went over to Destiny's a bit later to get Elizer so they could begin packing.  He took an earlier than usual nap.  After he woke up we went to Abba Java, a free coffee shop that St. Paul UMC and the Wesleyan Foundation have - just across the parking lot from Elizer's preschool.  Pastor Lynn (our former pastor, my dear friend) volunteers there on Thursdays, and I have been meaning to stop in to see her for months!  It's a really nice, quiet place, lots of students studying at tables.  They were offering soup, bread, and cupcakes that day.  And of course coffee.  What a great ministry!  It was so nice to catch up with Lynn!  Of course Elizer made sure I didn't have too much time to sit and chat.  

It was such a sunny evening that Elizer was determined we had to go to a park.  But it was FREEZING!!  So we bundled him up in his snowsuit, which had to include his snow boots, he thought!  And he and Dick went down to the playground behind our house.  He climbed the tower higher than ever before.  Dick took this video of him coming down. 

He took a long bath after dinner, and then we took him home.  They had gotten a LOT of packing done that day and had both of their cars packed to the hilt.  They were going to be going to Reading the next day for appointments. 

On Friday, after I took Elizer to school I got the ingredients I needed for a new recipe - Chik fil A Tortilla Soup.   Lori had asked me to make it, and she gave me the links to several copycat recipes.  I had to decide which one to use, and we were both very pleased with the one I chose.  It was so scrumptious!!!  

Elizer's preschool closed at 1:00 that day due to staff shortage.  After his nap I took Lori's soup to Dick at work so he could take it over to them after he got off.  I took Elizer to Rural King to see the baby chicks and ducklings.  I learned something new!

An employee was taking baby duckings out of a box and putting them into the warming, feeding containers below.  He let Elizer pet one of them, and he said that it was probably just a day old.  Later I was thinking, "That means it was still in an egg yesterday.  Where did it come from?  How did it get here?"  I saw a big poster advertising Hoover Hatchery in Iowa.  So I asked another employee at the check out, and sure enough! They do come from that hatchery in Iowa and come to State College, PA overnight by truck!!  Incredible!

We took Elizer home that evening after Destiny and her mom got home from Reading.  They had brought Destiny's sister Jada with them.  She has a week off school for Spring Break. 

On Saturday morning Dick took Elizer and Jada to our church's Easter egg hunt. (I wasn't feeling very well - headache and cold symptoms I was valiantly trying to ward off.)  It was held at the township building, and it was cold and rainy, so it was held indoors.  But they still had a great time.  

Later in the afternoon I got to watch Sophie's 100 meter dash at her first collegiate outdoor track meet.  I was watching the meet on my phone and suddenly realized I wouldn't be able to video her race.  So I checked if Dick had let his iPad here, and he had, so I quickly opened its camera and just in time was able to video the race!  It was so fun to watch her run like that again!

I went for a few groceries later, and on my way home I realized it was already 7 pm.  It didn't seem that late!  These longer evenings can be deceiving!  I love it!

On Sunday morning we left early enough to go over to Destiny's place to get Elizer and Jada before church.   It was a good Palm Sunday service.

The kids came here for the afternoon.  Jada and I had fun going through my "Frank" and "Destiny" picture files in my file cabinet.  She wondered if I had a "Jada" file.  Yes! On my computer!  She got out her phone and took pictures of my pictures.  Here are some.

 While Elizer napped Jada wanted to play Scrabble with me - her first time ever.  It was a long, slow game and she got bored with it, so we stopped.  

However, later Destiny and her mom came, and Destiny wanted to play, so Jada was willing to give it another try.  We had a lot of fun, but I didn't get any picture of that game.

Then they left for Reading again, Destiny's car packed full except for leaving room for three people.  Elizer was sad to not be able to go along, so Dick took him to Get Air.  That gave me a chance to get all my song prep finished for Good Friday service and Easter morning service. 

Yesterday (Monday) I made chicken and broccoli stir fry and took some of it over to Anthony and Lori's place after I picked Elizer up from school.   For whatever reason, my lower back was killing me when I woke up that morning!  I hadn't had pain like that in my lower back since 2017.  So I spent time with the heat pad and ice pack several times throughout the day.   And of course several applications of IcyHot Max and Diclofenac cream.  And Tylenol.  

Elizer wanted to go somewhere fun after school, but I wasn't feeling up for it.  So he settled for using dry erase markers, and he drew a tornado, lol!

Dick and I were eating "chow chow" with our chicken corn noodle soup.  He wanted a carrot.  Of course the whole chow chow mixture is pickled.  He exclaimed, "It's a carrot pickle!" 

Naturally I'm feeling lots of conflicting things these days.  I have told very few people that Destiny and Elizer are moving so far away (2 1/2 to 3 hours).  I just don't feel like talking about it.   Next Monday, April 1st is to be moving day.