Its spring!

And the weeds are up. The roses look good all 'round the house, despite budding out (complete with new open leaves on one hardy rugosa, in DEcember. Some of the scilla has popped open -that incredible indigo is always a treat in the early spring. We've just walked thru our possible projects for the spring and summer but there are so many indoor to dos that we will just dream. I stopped at Jung's Randolf store last week on my way home from my first prison visit, had Steve here briefly for spring break and continued the tradition of vegetarian dogs, unexpectedly.

Some of you may remember Zeke, who loved green beans so much he would eat them off the Bethesda Ct garden plants. Didn't take too long to figure out that it was easier to uproot the whole bean plant than to patiently eat them off the in situ plant. Taught Stephen it was easier to pick them that way too. Glif and Seamus like potatos and cabbage. Cabbage leaves, off the head , one paw nailing it to the floor, the other pulling it off (slides on floor, anything that slides is t0o cool) and flipping pieces around until the leaf is worried to death. Mmmm mmm good and creats some truly interesting dog breath. And Seamus then grins atcha with cabbage stuck in his teeth. Perhaps it was because heads of cabbage roll around on the floor so nicely and are too heavy to flip whole. And they make really cool thumpity sounds. Do NOT bounce well, sadly. Neither showed any interest in the corned beef. Telling. Made me wonder.

Potatos just crunch nicely. They couldn't figure out how to get them out of the mesh bag so they weren't as much fun as the apples from last fall. Taran just went for the bread. Any bread, whereever it was, and no matter how wrapped. The boys ignore bread, but Glif shares Taran's love of butter. Yum and so beautifully messy.

We hope everyone uses DRY pet food so we don't have any illnesses from this contamination problem, Is this a training excercise for a mass human food terrorist act? And how many folks who can only afford pet food have been affected? AND How could ONE company be involved in the mfg of 95 brands?

Alex is having fun in Madison. Started work this week at LOMBARDINOS! Brings back some memories? Day 1: How to toss pizza crusts! Cool party trick, hunh? He's telling us about the high end part of the menu, I guess I never even looked beyond the affordable, and wonderful pasta. Alex says the traditional home cooking, Italian Gramma style, is still the heart of the menu. Maybe I would have liked Madison better as a student if I'd lived on Jefferson.

The SPD funding made it through the legislature so we are billing, billing, billing, but the State office is lagging way behind on cutting checks so we are far from predictable. I miss paychecks. I really miss paychecks. But, I love the ability to say NO to icky cases, and I realyy like going weeks between sitings of Pat Barrett or Sue Mueller. And it is so cool to keep getting kids into treatment slots, another one this week, with the help of a PO agent who had given up on the kid. SPD kind of evened me out this week tho-finally got a coulple of genuinely unpleasant people. Whiney, narcisistic.

Stepehen took me to the outlet mall for the second time, and I've only gone once on my own-didn't spend a penny- and that Coldwater store is just unbelievable. Ladies, we need a shopping day there. Weekday before or after summer vaca- I won't go near the Dells in summer. And when I get back to a normal cash flow, I'll need sizes and wish lists- you know- If this item ever shows up in my size, grab it for me? Banana Republic, Hollisters, Sketchers, lots of stuff.

We have been watching lots of basketball and Washington shennanigans (sp?). Will Bush's Brain ever be punished and run out of town, out of the nation, out of the universe- but not until we all get to form up a gauntlett? Just when ya think you cannot hear anything worse, it gets worse! Barbara Boxer was fabulous during the Al Gore presentation. wasn't she? What self control, to NOT bring that gavel down on Imhoff's knuckles! Or better yet, head. Sorry, pacificism/non-violent conflict is futile with the congenitally arrogant.

One nice news moment this week:
We watch Keith Olberman on MSNBC daily and he added a heartwarming moment to Elizabeth Edward's cancer recurrance story. She and their Wade, their son who died at 16 in a car crash, used to watch Olberman when he was on ESPN. It was just something she and the kid liked to watch together, both thought Olberman was funny and they made time together to see it. After he began doing news, she telephoned Olberman, who was seeking to do an interview with her, and she told him what happy memories he gives her of Wade. Class act. Maybe she should run.

Time to start the ham, Alex is arriving soon for more stuff, the race is on and I've got files to prep for this week. Got to see one of my kidlets, post intensive residential treatrment and family therapy to deal with pop and step -mom's attitudes that THEY aren't disfunctional- its just the kids and its all druggy mother's fault, talking nicely to each other- and gee, kid's been "bad" in THEIR superior parenting care, worse than he was with mom , and throwing a 16 yr old out of your house in winter is NOT effective parenting for a kid with oppositional defiant disorder, GEE, and the kid is pleasant and likable when you are nice to him, and downright sweet when ya tell him you LOVE him. This time, Dad and step mom hugged him goodbye, last time, it was just me. SW says dad and step mom have genuinely changed attitude and are actually nice to the kids. Sometimes I only have one of these breakthru moments a week, but it sure works for me. Another kidlet I've had for nearly a year was smiling when I saw him this week. 13. First time I've seen a smile. His SW and alternative school are experimenting with sending him out on the road with his long haul trucker dad, sending the school packet along. Kid is getting the school packet for the week done in a hour, and spent pre-court telling me how cool it is to read the map and navigate dad through unfamiliar areas. Kid is left-handed and artistic, can visualise with a map really well and dad piles on the praise. Not bad for a kid who has been performing way below grade level. Now maybe if mother smiles...

Tim's on his computer looking for a Vespa like scooter- there are scooter TRIKEs out there, really cool, his version of spring fever.
I've got to make sure he's just screen (window) shopping.

Love to all,

Maura