Everywhere a bargain

The Harrisburg ballpark is a sweet little stadium. We had no trouble getting seats behind homeplate, there were lots of kids on fieldtrips, a nursing home contingent, and next to Tom two high school boys who were skipping school—an enthusiastic crowd. The Senators won, Ryan Church hit two homers, the hotdogs were only $1. Would it be upstate New York without a fish fry on Friday? We lucked out, as Patricia and Lily were in Olean and despite the rain, we made it to Mickey's, where Lily colored like a real trooper, ate the chocolate chip cookie that came with her grilled cheese (not quite to her liking), and later a big piece of Fanny Farmer candy, gift of her grandfather. She had been to the library and stocked up on books. The rule is five books before bedtime. If there weren't a rule, it would probably be 20 books before bedtime. Books and chocolate. I am totally on her side.

Saturday Tom ran to Ellicottville, and I drove the truck over to meet him. Another lucky break. Ellicottville was having their weekend of garage sales, and we had the truck! 413 Fair Oaks now has an Adirondack chair on its front porch. It was marked $10, but Tom pointed out a spot where a little repair is needed, and the wife said $5. She probably could tell Tom was a tough customer.

My biggest bargains were four Benneton sweaters for $1 each. There is enough wool in them for a lot of felting projects. Another good find, a set of knives that were marked $25 but when I said that seemed a little high, the woman I was talking with got on the phone with Bill Burrell and came back to announce "He says $12!" Lord knows what I might have gotten them for if I had actually suggested a price. Time out for another picture of Tom working. The window in the barn that had a hole in it is now fixed. Just to prove we made it to the cemetery, here's a picture of the cardboard flag that was part of the ceremony. Look closely and you will see pictures and names of more than 1,000 soldiers who have been killed in Iraq. And the good news for anyone who thinks a walk makes a lot more sense when there's a dog involved? Meet Buddy.I tried to get a shot of his face, but he is one happy little dog as long as there is something to smell, and there are lots of smells. He can be borrowed at any time, appears to be afraid of the downtown bridge, will put anything into his mouth, and is more than willing to go from one end of town to the other with a perfect stranger.

Memorial Day

Tonight's picture is courtesy of Bridget, who found it in a frame underneath one of her high school graduation pictures. Certainly a dapper man, looking a lot happier than he probably was in that uniform. Ask him about the Cuba missle crisis sometime.

I didn't spend a cent at the second-hand store this weekend, but Tom came home with some bargains, with the winner probably being this wooden cat, about 2 feet tall, with one slightly off kilter eye. That should keep the evil demons out of the garden.

Pot luck night tonight, but I was left to do the cooking so I tried two new recipes, one a pineapple pie recipe I found on the Web. This was a winner. The only drawback is the effort it takes to cut up a fresh pineapple, but the rest was a piece of cake (groan). The muffins are cheese muffins, a recipe out of my old Joy of Cooking (1975). Thank God someone brought some salmon and vegetables. Could it get more exciting?

two old geezers

That's what we've become. We've had birdhouses hanging on our fence for more than a year. Finally some activity. A Carolina wren is working her tail feathers off trying to build a nest. Tom and I stand in the kitchen and watch her try to figure out how to get a twig that is twice the length of her body into that tiny hole. It would be a piece of cake if she put it in her mouth the way one would a tootsie pop, but she (he?) carries it broadside. Lots of flutter and frustration, with enough success when the twig is flexible to keep her trying. We won't get a thing done around here if a family appears. And John, I don't want to hear it. You do egrets and herons, in flight even. I'm into wooden birdhouses. They don't move.

curls

It's another of my favorite pictures. I used to look at it mostly for mother's curls. But now I'm impressed by her dress, complete with wide sash and bow, the cut of her father's suit, the starch in his collar, his straight part and slicked down curls. I like how comfortable she seems, not only with the camera, but also with her father. If my date is right, it's 1929, so she must have been around 16, very much an only child, and her mother gone.

Progress in the garden/outdoor area (how many pictures of dirt can you take?). From the deck to the garden, we have four steps. One of them was rotting out and the others on the verge of punkiness, which is not a good trait underfoot. So yesterday Tom removed them. A few trips to Lowes, a fair amount of sawing, drilling, and sanding, and by 4:30 this afternoon, the new—incredibly stable and solid—steps were in place. Fortunately St. Rose had its plant sale today so we replaced the plants that were either chewed up by the cats or fried when they were put outside too early. Fourteen tomato plants (Celebrity, Better Boy, and Golden Girl) are in the ground, and the row of industrial strength tomato stakes have been sunk deep. More entertainment for the Asian grandfathers who advise Tom and monitor his progress. Lots of chatter and hand gestures, but hardly a word in common.