We are still adjusting to both of us working full-time for "real jobs." Its an adjustment, but going well so far. We did decide to purchase a vehicle which has less than 150,000 miles on it, so discovered and settled on a Ford Freestyle. For the car buffs, they only made them till 07, and now they are called the TaurusX. Big station wagon, essentially. We got a pretty simple one to keep the gas milage good and it has less than 25000 miles, so we should have a couple of good years.

Bridget came home Thursday night and we took her back on Sunday in time to take the lunch cruise on Lake Mendota. We managed to get it in during a break in the rain and although it was pretty cool and damp, the boat was enclosed somewhat and the lunch was quite deluxe. This was an Evans parent day. We then went to the Union and met Colin's new friend, Amanda, who is a sorority member where he works. She is very nice and we behaved ourselves and I think she liked us.

Back to work, working on the battery backup for the sump system just in time for our soggy weekend. One is installed and hopefully the next will be soon. We had several lakes in the yard, reminiscent of last June.

I should know by the end of the week if I will be offered the job of Manager of the Kenosha clinic. The other candidate is having their interview tomorrow and they will decide. I had a panel interview with 8 people yesterday and they told me that I made them feel very calm, which sounded promising to me. I just want to get offered the job, so whoever is praying these days, add me in.

Well, have to get some work done here, so back to the grind! Love, Susan

Being busy in Big Bend 4/26-09

Greetings to each and ALL---

First order of business: New email address joconnell18@wi.rr.com as we now have high speed internet!

First bonus: Being able to see the Middle Fork Easter Egg Hunt without
the long loading time. Glad to see the searchers in their Easter best and the improvements which were evident in your garden SPOT! Freya you are a great egg locator!

Pleased with the phone visits we've had with Kevin, David, Michele, Matt, Susan, Mark and Maura in recent days and since our Easter Sunday meal and visit. Admit we've not sent too much email in the
busy outdoor days we've had such good weather.

Biggest chore in the last week was getting fallen branches from winter winds and a couple of days of trimming and sawing low branches around the yard to get a pile out to the street which the village workers put thru the chipper on Friday. That was preceded by a lots of raking of leaves which we carted to the village compost pile in 4 big plastic fabric
tubs which contain about 4 bushels. A record should have been kept of the trips--but was not. Regardless, it is better than burning.

Mom saw her new ophthalmologist last week and will be getting a time for her first cataract operation soon and the second one should follow within 2 or 3 weeks. She is pleased that I had a thorough audiology test at Great Lakes Hospital ENT clinic and have ordered hearing aids.

Glad to have had first hand and blog reports on the O'CLong Colorado visit from both the hosts and the guests. It surely was a good time.

Grateful for Domino's report and do hope that she has been able to keep abreast of all her obligations and opportunities. Really sorry that Mark was unable to get to her play.

We've been in touch with Ed and he is still busy with a lot of follow-up thing. Told Mom in a call this week that he has planned a trip to Minnesota to see some friends and will be in California for Erin's graduation and Julie hopes that he will be able to stay there and have his birthday celebration.

Charleen and Bob are coming up to be with us for the day on Thursday of this week. We still have some Grandma and Grandpa O'Connell
stuff that we should go over again to determine how to deal with it.

Mom hope to go to Dubuque soon to have the same kind of meeting with Pat and Ed to go over some Doll material that she still has.

Mom had her 3rd visit with Susan's friend, Dr. Barbara Murray, who is exploring whether some new medicine might be helpful for memory improvement. At this time the dosage is provided by using a patch which is changed daily. For the first month she took a daily pill. The doctor is positive and encouraging as the trial continues. The the next appointment is after a 2 month period--the earlier ones followed for shorter periods.

We will be in Elkhart Lake, WI (Sheboygan County) at a resort hotel for our 2009 Retired Educators' convention. May try to connect with the Sheboygan folks if it won't conflict with David's homework schedule!

Last week we went to an afternoon showing of "Slumdog Millionaire" at an Oak Creek miniplex. No review here.

Susan came to show us their new Ford Free mini-SUV and Grandma really likes it especially the green color! A very impressive set of wheels!

Have had a very rainy weekend. I worked outside on getting soil ready for an exchange in the raised beds yesterday morning, but the rain came just before noon. There was 2.5" in the gauge when we set out for mass this morning. It has continued to rain most of the day--over an inch when I checked late this afternoon. I did get some weed&feed spred yesterday morning before breakfast, so hope it wasn't spoiled by the rain--but things really looked very green by today's last overcast light.

Best wishes to all you scholars as the end of your school year nears!

Good luck to all the job seekers, too!!

Love and prayers, Grandma and Grandpa

Thanks for the great video, Casey. We can never get enough. Freya keeps looking more and more grown up. We had a very nice Easter gathering. The cousins who came got a chance to catch up with each other, as did the siblings. Everyone seems to be doing OK, despite some significant adversity. Having been poor in the past is certainly helping with our current situations!

Jay took the kids back and I got a night off. Jay is going to have a late start, late evening on Mondays, which started this week, so he got to drive to Madison. Bridget and I had spent Saturday applying for summer jobs for her and actually had fun. Hopefully, something will pan out. Colin will be staying in Madison if he gets his wish. He's ready for some freedom!

We're hoping for some 60 degree weather this week, which would be wonderful. The cool weather has lasted long enough. That Boise green grass looked awfully good, and the new flower beds look great. Have a great week everyone!

It's Been a While!

We hope everyone had a great Easter. We're sorry to have missed the get-together many of you had! We had one of my good friends and her husband and two year-old daughter over for lunch and the little girls got to have an egg hunt in the back yard. It was extremely fun! Here's some video--you'll notice I have made a new (small) flower bed with asters and goldenrod, as well as a Chinese seven son flowering shrub. They're very small, but hopefully the summer will be good to them.

Love to all!

Your Prose Are Immortal, But My Love for You Is Even More Immortaler!

Oh boy, so much has happened in my life I hardly know where to begin. I’ll leave out classes since they’re less exciting and I’ve been much more focused on other things recently. 
Well, Quidditch hasn’t quite started again because we’ve run into a bit of a road block about where to store our hoops once we make them. And the weather’s been pretty crappy. We’re hoping to have mini games with area kids this weekend, though, and I think it will be really fun! Also, the Middlebury Quidditch website has been updated, and it looks great. This is our part of the page if you wanna check it out: http://collegequidditch.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=138&Itemid=138
Fencing is over. I finished the season fencing B strip, which was a bit of a joke. I tried, but I was fencing girls who’ve been fencing since high school or earlier, so I was just happy if I got one touch. Nevertheless, I’m excited for next year, fencing A strip is going to be hilarious. Good thing we only have one or two tournaments first semester.
Voice lessons are going well. Tomorrow I get to sing for Kelli O’Hara! She’s currently starring in the Broadway revival of South Pacific, and she’s been nominated for three Tonys. She’s coming to Vassar to give a master class and recital which I auditioned to sing in and I was one of about a dozen student selected. I can’t wait! I hear she’s incredible!
Lastly, my play, Metamorphoses, just ended. We had a great run! By the end the set, which is basically a huge pool, was no longer leaking, the water was warm, almost no one slipped on the slick steps/deck/pool, and the set/lighting design was gorgeous. We were lucky enough to have 5 pretty much sold-out performances, and some great audiences. Jason Alexander (George Constanza from Seinfeld and that one courier dude from the Brandi Cinderella) even came to see it one night! And he gave us a standing ovation! We were ecstatic. Unfortunately, now it’s over. I already miss it. The cast was just an incredible group of people and I love them all. Our cast party was last night and it culminated in a huge cuddle-lump on the couch that was almost impossible to extricate oneself from. I think that’s a pretty accurate metaphor for the cast, actually.  
  I’ve got three huge papers looming, but I’m not going to worry about those right now. I’d rather think about spending next Sunday with the Tosa Gehreds in Central Park, and the Sunday after that seeing August: Osage County on Broadway, and the Metamorphoses cast and crew reunion dinner, and the Miyazaki movie marathon, etc. I’m feeling very contented, if a little melancholy. I love you all.