Wordless Weds: Baseball Skies

Wordless Weds: Batter er, BAT UP!

Wordless Weds: Tribe Is Home on Monday!

Wordless Weds: Better Than Barbie

Celebr8 NUMB3R5 TOD4Y!!

Today is Pi day!! It's March 14th. 3.14

3.14159265358979 and it just goes on forever. This number does not repeat. It's not like 3.333333 with a line over the last 3s. Pi is a beautiful number.

22 divided by 7 is another way to describe pi, but not completely accurate. Not completely wrong, either. This is one of those rare times when math gets a little bit fuzzy. That simply doesn't happen very often -- math is ordinarily quite precise. Very much unlike language.

Know what else is wonderful about pi? It's a homophone for pie. So how does one celebrate Pi Day? A wide variety of pies, of course!! Shepherd's pie, meat pie (just not after watching Sweeney Todd on a day like today...), chicken pot pie, something's nagging at me that I should be remembering something with grapeleaves, apple pie, chocolate pie, blueberry, pumpkin, lemon meringue, and strawberry pies! Most of them are circles. And the circle is what makes the measurement so fuzzy, and therefore so celebratory.

Go hug a circle today!

 

Phew.

OK. There's very much to do, and very little time in the day. That's the downside to going out of town. I have a lot of catching up to do. Running to stand still? I'd like to take it that easy. There are a lot of posts that need responses. I'll get to you all, I promise, but it'll take a while.

You don't want to see my To Do list. Actually, I don't either!

Wordless Weds: I'm Lutheran. I'm a pro. I can handle this.

Wordless Wednesdays: snow 3 days melted

Welcome Home!

Ahh. The natural order is once more restored. Bert is finally coming to me voluntarily. (She'd been beaten up pretty badly by the other two cats -especially Morgan- to the point of being nearly feral.)

Cleo has joined the two of us on the couch. She likes to snuggle with both me AND Bert, as my 2 girls get along quite well. I suspect Bert missed her canine champion while we were gone. (Cleopatra had a 'spa week' in Strongsville with Grandpa Oerkfitz. :-} Grandpa spoils her.)

This is the very thing I missed while we were gone, and my deepest regret about the delay.

Funny thing, though? A little over a day into the trip, my sinuses were clear. Clear like they've not been in years! Not an hour after returning home, they were full and draining, and my eyes were burning. *sigh* These cats are killing me! But it is the death I wholeheartedly choose. Give me bonds of love every single time! These are the sacrifices that are worthwhile.

 

Piles of Cleveland Sunshine? Fertilizer?

Here's the snowpile at the end of our driveway. Can you see the "parking restricted" sign peeking out from behind? It looks like it's stuck in the top of the pile, but actually it's about 3-3 1/2 feet beyond the crest. Rather impressive! It'd be even more impresive if some human had hand-shoveled that, *and* all the rest of the drive.

Yesterday, Rick's brother Mike came over to do precicely that task and to check on the cats. After he'd been shovelling for a short bit, the guy from Heights Garden Center across the street came over with the bobcat and finished the job. I am going to make the garden center triple chocolate brownies. (We got a t-shirt for Mike - he re-watered the cats and tipped back up the food bin they toppled, beheaded, and marauded. Viking kitties. Good to know they're resourceful when they run out of food!)

I'd been so worried about things while we were stranded in Florida that it was less easy for me to enjoy the 'bonus time'. Good neighbors and good family are such a blessing!

 

NOT White Sand

This is my dad's driveway, and the 'fossil' of the side of our freshly excavated car. Released, we are off to rediscover the blanketed city we call home. Eastward, ho! To the Snowbelt!

TAXIING!

Moving! We have movement of the airplane! Dare I raise my hopes? (YES. Always.)

The Pelican Has Landed!

We are doing laps around the airport. There's a plane in our gate. Empty gates all over the place, but we HAVE to go to THAT ONE. And further delays are being blamed on de-icing activities. (We actually have a clear view of that. It's interesting. Also, it makes me happy to be arriving rather than having to depart in these conditions.) What we'd all like to know, and the cabin staff were unable to satisfactorily explain, was why we couldn't simply use one of the unoccupied gates. They're not taking questions from Rick anymore. Apparently he asks too many questions. Or the wrong questions. Or ones the cabin crew don't like to answer. Doesn't matter: we are safely back in Cleveland. Limbo-like, but on the ground, certainly, if not entirely free to move about.

Officially Homewardbound!

We're getting in and on and settled. Aaaalllmmossst there!

Good Tidings of Great Joy!

We have confirmation! Boarding begins in 3 minutes. We are going HOME!

3 Buddhist Monks Walk into a Taco Bar ...

...and say, "Make me one with everything."

(You'll have to squint to see them, but I assure you, they are there! In full saffron robes.)

 

At the Tequileria at Tampa Int'l Airport

El camello es el animal que mas aguanta la sed. No seas un camello. ("A camel is an animal that can go a long time without drinking. Don't be a camel.") ¡Entonces, bebidan margaritas! (I'll just bet you can figure that one out!)

Eye Candy at Airport Security

While in line for the security check, we were DAZZLED by the artwork above our heads. They were all batik panels, in mural scale, of various nature and cultural subjects. I was particularly impressed by this huge World piece. The colors are vibrant, plentiful, and expressive. The animals and plantlife are diverse, and both representational and abstract. Clearly I was impressed!

Made It (FINALLY) to the Airport

We hope our flight is as graceful!

Hey look! It's (not) Big Ben!

Another pass by the stadium... It's like a National Lampoon Vacation movie. A fourth pass, and I will really get bitchy about asking for directions.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Playground

Raymond James has a big home.

Day 2 of Our Southern Captivity

Spanish moss waves us on our way as Rick checks us out of Hojo, Winter Haven. Haven? I suppose so. We've been glued to the Weather Channel for updates on the blizzard conditions. The hotel is filled with Ohioans! Including a Mennonite family from Geauga county, interestingly enough! We were all enjoying our impromptu community. Well, we have enjoyed our extended visit, but I will be very pleased to be home. Even more than I miss our bed and comforts of home, I miss our pets.

Spring Loaded Training

Tribe 5, Nats 2. What fun! Next game we see will be at Progressive Field. It probably won't be this warm, though...

Pinned! This One's a Tribe Fan

Observe: the Migratory Ostentatio-Fan in the wild. This one is genus-species Clevelandia indicus var. "Snowbird". Impressive display.

Day One of the Southern Captivity

Just a quick peek of the weather here in sunny Fla! Don't be too jealous, my Beloved snowed-in Northern Nears and Dears. It's 64 degrees and breezey, and our baseball tix are in the shade. So we are bundled up, too, though it's fair to say not nearly as bundled as we expect to be tomorrow, when we make our 2nd attempt to break for home.

Caged, but Only for a Moment

Travis thru the tall grass, at batting practice. He's starting today, a nice treat for Rick especially. Hafner is his favorite player.

Notochord cousin

Another fish we didn't eat whilst dining at Harborside, Winter Haven, FL. 'S'OK. It wouldn't've been very fresh. I couldn't see the date on the brass placque underneath this guy, but given the patina it's been there quite a while. Still, it could have *smiled* for the camera!!

I had fried lobster. He had surf n turf.

Aquarium at tonight's restaurant, Harborside. It's a local spot enthusiastically recommended to us by two of the front desk people. WONDERFUL STUFF. This is a picture of a fish we DIDN'T eat.

Gracious Much? (Not Often, Actually!)

Why, you're welcome, Bob Feller! But I'm still not paying for your autograph. I also do not regret my choice to NOT take your photo when I had the chance yesterday and today. You're still welcome.

It's Rob! It's Friendly Rob!

I wondered how long it would be before we would see someone we know! Daddy, he says a special 'hi' to you!

Official Honeymoon Status Bulletin

It's official! Our honeymoon has been extended until Monday night by an Act of God. We have tix to one of tomorrow's games. (And THAT'S how you make a margarita out of lemons, Folks!) Thank you, God! (justpleasekeepussafeonthewayhome...)

Yesterday's Game

Thinking of you, Melissa!

Weather and Whither We Go

We woke up to cooler weather here in Winter Haven, and histerical Weather Channel field reporters at E. 9th and Carnegie. If you click the link it will show you that the guy was standing right in front of Progressive Field (the newly renamed home of our Boys of Summer, the Cleveland Indians) though he wasn't creative enough to point that out. It's looking a bit doubtful whether we will actually make it to our home *region*, let alone Hopkins Int'l. Airport. Well, we were looking for baseball and adventure, right? We got 'em both! And the adventure continues upon arrival home. :-)

 

Sunny and in the Upper 70s, Lower 80s

Mighty Casey at the bat!

(Yes, I see there's a pole in my way. We are so spoiled in Cleveland. When booking our tickets we never considered this! 'S'kinda likd being at Wrigley.)

So we were thinking. How ironic is it that, to get the crowd into the action, the INDIANS use the CAVALRY CHARGE???

 

At Chain O Lakes Park!

Tribe v Mets. Gametime 1:05. We're gonna hit the teamshop first since it's outside the ballpark (?!?), then try to score some autographs. We, btw, are among the youngest people here.

C.C. Music? Tribe Time!

C.C. is the Tribe's starting pitcher. He's been in for a whole 3 innings so far! And we are leading 5-0 going into the top of the 4th. I LOVE this! Gotta eat my grilled sausage w/peppers, onions, and mustard now!

Mmmm. Ahhhh!!

It. Is. SOOO NICE! To be watching baseball IN PERSON. Right now. Know what else is nice? The smell of rain in the distance, instead of snow. And I'm getting amazing pictures!

Wordless Weds: transition & destination!

Wordless Weds: transitions in travels 5

Wordless Weds: transitions in travels 6

Wordless Weds: transitions in travels 4

Wordless Weds: $75.44 US at Max & Irma's

Wordless Weds: transitions in travels 3

Wordless Weds: transitions in travels 2

Wordless Weds: transitions in travels 1

To the MOON...

We're going on our HONEYMOON!!

I'm so excited. We are headed to Winter Haven, FL for 4 days of full-immersion Spring Training Cleveland Indians Grapefruit League baseball!! WOOT!!!

So, no computer. I'll only have my phone with me. I may have limited opportunity to update as I go, depending on network availability. Which means that I'll update from analog logs I will keep as we travel. I have a brand new sketchbook specifically for the occasion.

Baseball! Green grass and chalk lines! The crack of the bat! Mmmm. My Sweetest is so romantic.

And we are leaving Cleveland as the city is covered in ice. Schools are already closing for tomorrow. *chuckle*

Oh -- very important: I voted today. Go Hillary!

 

MORE Than London Calling

What the screaming HECK?

I turned on PBS to catch The Red Green Show and was treated instead to a special about The Clash. !?!!


Including live concert footage. !!!!


This, from the network that consistently brings such lukewarm mealymouth perennials as Andrea Boccelli and that bloody awful violinist with the insipid smile who seems intent on inflicting waltzes upon the world. (Personally, I don't have any use for the Blue Danube waltz unless there's a life and death struggle between man and machine in outer space.)

But this offering is *LOVELY*!!! It's just so unlike PBS to broadcast something musical that actually appeals to me. (they seem only to choose eras post-Beethoven, or Lawrence Welk. Too recent or too icky, respectively, for the non-modern sections of my tastes.) I hope they continue this out of the ordinary programming! I think I will have extra sweet dreams tonight!

Good to Know

We had wings for dinner tonight. This handi-wipe came with our food. Don't you love it when packaging is actually helpful?

 

SmooooOOOooooth

My sweetest has such good form! And it's all for charity. We are bowling for JA. (If you're reading this and would like to make a contribution, just make a comment and I'll give you the link.)

 

Bowling for Youth

The Squire, Sanders and Dempsey tech staff bowl for Junior Achievement. Rick's got his highest game yet! Swen's totally kicking ankle, clearing just about every pin. This is so much fun!

 

I am SO. LUCKY.

I am so in love with my husband.

He's in the shower right now singing the soundtrack to "A Year Without A Santa Claus". On March 1. How adorable is that?

If it didn't take my hair so long to dry (it's still drying now, and I washed it last night) I would give him a hug and a smooch right through the shower spray. But I'll hold back this once only because we have to do this charity bowling thing for JA today, and I don't want to drip all over the lanes.

He's AWESOME. I'm sooooooooo lucky!!!