Tonight, one of the dreams of English majors came true:  I saw a Shakespearean play at Shakespeare’s Globe in London.  The show was sold out, but the Globe has a neat little system.  At 6:00 pm, you may begin to “queue” beside the door for the 7:30 performance.  You can then wait to see if any tickets are returned and, if they are, you may purchase them.  As ticketholders arrive for the performance, they offer tickets they won’t be using to the people in the queue, beginning at the front of the line.

Tonight’s play was A Midsummer Night’s Dream–a comedy, for any non-Shakespeare fans who might be reading this.  We got seats in the topmost (third) tier.  As we were going in, the usher asked us if we didn’t want to rent cushions.  We asked if we’d need them and she said the seats are boards.  We rented cushions and it was a good decision.

The play was hilarious!  It was like a modern National Lampoon version of Shakespeare’s play.  About 95 percent was Shakespeare’s original dialogue, but there were some updated lines like “Let’s play some Bon Jovi” following a line about having some music.  Even Ted, who was only attending to support my desire to do so, laughed aloud frequently and smiled for almost the entire three hours–it was that funny!

Queued for tickets to the performance. (I'm in the light blue jacket near the front of the line.

Queued for tickets to the performance.  (I’m in the light blue jacket near the front of the line.)

 

The Pit and the stage.

The Pit (no seats–you have to stand) and the stage.

 

We were in the second section in the top area.

We were in the second section in the top area.

Yes, the play was a wee bit naughty.

Yes, the play was a wee bit naughty.

 

Bad news of the day:  In spite of the fact that we clearly had the (really cool) red-light electronic “Do not disturb” sign lit outside our door, we were awakened at 10:00 am by a phone call to ask us if everything was satisfactory.  It was, until the phone call woke us!  Then, around 1:00 pm, the maid knocked on the door to ask if we wanted her to clean.  No, we wanted to be undisturbed.  And besides, there’s a green electronic light outside the door that says “Make up room” if that’s what you want, and ours was not lit.  What’s the point of the “Do not disturb” sign if you’re going to be disturbed anyway?  In spite of the interruptions, Ted slept 16 hours and I woke up a little sooner.  We both feel more like humans than zombies today, which is a nice change from yesterday.

Since it was 5:00 pm by the time we were showered and dressed, we had dinner and then walked around for a little over two hours (6.5 miles).  Tonight we saw the theater district and Piccadilly Circus.  We didn’t know what to expect, but you always hear about Piccadilly Circus, so we wanted to see it.  Apparently, “circus” means “intersection of many streets” because we also saw Oxford Circus and it was a similar intersection.  Piccadilly Circus had a paved plaza in the center with street performers and a fountain with steps for people to sit on.  Other than that, it was just a busy intersection of six streets.

We are staying right downtown, so the streets are busy and the traffic is loud.  Along the Thames, you can go down stairs from the street level and walk on the Thames Path, which is designated for pedestrians and goes under the intersections, thus avoiding crossing the busy streets.  It’s much quieter there, but there’s definitely a “pedestrian pace” to be maintained–and it’s not a leisurely stroll!  The downtown Londoners are all apparently on a mission and need to get there fast!  We walk pretty fast (3.25-3.75 mph, depending on our mood), but we are constantly being passed by the natives.  We assume the (relatively) slower walkers are tourists like us.

Tomorrow should be a more normal-feeling day, since we’ve slept off our jet lag.

The red, double-decker buses really are everywhere.

The red, double-decker buses really are everywhere. “The Book of Mormon” just opened in the theater here.

 

All the British flags hung on this street made it a pretty sight--in spite of the construction vehicles.

All the British flags hung on this street made it a pretty sight–in spite of the construction vehicles.

 

On our way to Piccadilly Circus, we saw the M&Ms World store. Cute!

On our way to Piccadilly Circus, we saw the M&Ms World store. Cute!

We knew our hotel room was not going to be available until after 3:00 pm today and that we’d have a long, tired day.  We checked in at the front desk, had them stash our luggage in their storeroom, and then spoke with the representative of the land tour group to get the details for that trip.  We’ll be getting a city tour of London with the tour group Friday morning and then we take off for other destinations on Saturday morning.  The lady told us we’ll have a 6:15 am wake-up call on Saturday and, because it’s a weekend, breakfast will be later:  at 7:00 am.  She is obviously unaware that I am not conscious before 11:00 am.

Our hotel is right in downtown London, so while we waited for our room, we went out hunting for lunch and then walked around (7+ miles on the pedometer) scouting things out for tomorrow.  We’ll enjoy everything more tomorrow after we sleep tonight!  We had spaghetti at a bona fide Italian restaurant (family operated and speaking Italian) just three blocks from our hotel.

Tomorrow we’ll get serious about sightseeing.  For now, we’ve been awake for 32 hours and we’re going to sleep for a long, long time.

Big Ben. We heard it chime 12:00 pm--the maximum number of bell strikes.

Big Ben. We heard it chime 12:00 pm–the maximum number of bell strikes.

 

Parliament. It's a huge building. We might see if we can get inside tomorrow.

Parliament on the Thames.  It’s a huge building. We might see if we can get inside tomorrow.

 

The London Eye. As big as it is, the St. Louis World's Fair had a significantly bigger Observation Wheel with cars as big as city buses.

The London Eye. As big as it is, the St. Louis World’s Fair had a significantly bigger Observation Wheel with cars as big as city buses.

 

Kari picked us up at 10:30 (with Paul’s Donuts) for our flight and we had enough time to eat our lunch at the airport without feeling rushed before we boarded the plane for Atlanta.  Of course, it’s summer, so thunderstorms fired up in Tennessee and in northern Alabama and Mississippi.  Instead of taking the diagonal route from St. Louis to Atlanta, we had to fly along the Mississippi River until we were south of the storms (we saw the big anvil clouds from the plane) and then turn left to Atlanta.  This added about a half hour to our flight time.

Our layover allowed plenty of time for the storm delay and for a snack before boarding the plane to London.  (The flight included dinner, but we knew that with a 7:30 pm take-off, we’d be lucky to be eating by 9:00.)  Flying along with us were at least 100 band members from a Columbus, WI high school (just north of Madison).  Their jackets proclaimed them to be the “Wisconsin Ambassadors of Music” and they were going on a European tour.  One of them told me that when they arrived in London, they’d be going to the London Eye, to Parliament, and to a production of Jersey Boys.  I didn’t get the actual concert performance information from him, but the kids looked like they were ready for a good time.

We arrived in London around 8:30 am local time (2:30 am CDT) without more than a few minutes of sleep on the plane.  After a rainy week, it was a beautiful day and we saw England from the air.  It took us two minutes (we timed it) to get through customs, and then 25 minutes to get our luggage.

Let the European vacation begin!

England from the air. It doesn't look like the U.S.A.

England from the air. It doesn’t look like the U.S.A.

 

The doorman at our hotel. We was wearing an honest-to-goodness bowler hat and looked like he played in "Mary Poppins." So very, very British!

The doorman at our hotel. He was wearing an honest-to-goodness bowler hat and looked like he was performing in “Mary Poppins.”  So very, very British!

After nearly a year of planning and anticipation, it’s finally time to take our European vacation.  We packed our 25-inch suitcases and our 15-inch carry-on duffel bags today and were pleasantly surprised to see that we have room to spare, even with 15 days’ worth of clothes plus a half dozen dinner outfits.  (The dinner dress code is “casually elegant”–a contradiction in terms if you ask me.)  The suitcases weigh in at 45 pounds, so we’re comfortably under the 50-pound limit.  A woman on our cruise last summer who was traveling for six weeks told me she was getting very tired of wearing the same outfits repeatedly.  I think we’re at risk for the same feeling. 

Kari and her kids are taking us to the airport tomorrow morning, including a Paul’s Donuts stop.  What a great send-off!

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Our house was the first one built in our plat of the subdivision.  As a result, the early morning sounds of construction were very familiar to us, with houses being built all around ours.  Now, 37 years later, it sounds much the same because many of our neighbors’ roofs are being replaced due to the hail damage from last month’s storm.  Fortunately, our roof is less than four years old and wasn’t damaged.  We’ll be in Europe for the next six weeks, so most of the repair work should be finished by the time we return.  We won’t miss the sounds of all the nail guns.  Been there, done that.

As usual, I’m reading a book.  The hero has just taken the heroine away with him and confesses that “If I’d had to, I would have wrapped you in bailing wire and carried you off.”

Obviously, the author, the editor, and the spell-checker are unaware that hay bales are held together with baling wire.  Aarrgghh!!  I hate coming across stupid stuff like this in the middle of a good plot!

This is our eighth consecutive day with temperatures in the 90s, so a cold potato salad and deviled eggs sounded like good components for dinner tonight.  That reminded me that we use more mustard in the summer than in the winter, so I checked for a spare mustard in the pantry, only to discover that it expired last year.  It made sense then to check the expiration date on the mustard in the refrigerator.  Uh-oh!  It expired 18 months ago.

As a result of those revelations, Ted and I thought maybe we should check some other items in the pantry before we leave on our European trip.  It was unbelievable!  We found quite a few things that expired between 2011 and 2015, and even one that expired in 2009!  Apparently, we don’t need to keep our pantry as well stocked as we thought.  We purged all the expired items, replaced a few, and decided to hold off on buying replacements for the rest until the current box is nearly gone.

Most of the expired items were dry foods–rice, pudding, graham cracker crumbs, Jell-O, cake mixes, etc.  I don’t think any of them would have killed us if we used them, but if they’ve been sitting unopened on the shelf for one to seven years past their expiration dates, a fresh product is probably a good idea.

A boxful of expired rejects

A boxful of expired rejects

A tour of the Chocolate, Chocolate, Chocolate factory was included as part of Teddy’s birthday gift.  Today we had the opportunity to take the tour and then (oh, happy day!) to browse in the gift (i.e., candy) shop.  Teddy’s friend, Cash, came with us, so Ted and I were treated to an entertaining and very imaginative conversation on the half-hour drive back and forth.  For example, the boys invented a new language and decided that all words with a “bl” would be included in the new language.

CCC is a fair trade business and makes and melts its own chocolate.  Having toured other chocolate factories, I was personally disappointed in the tour because it covered so little of the process.  It was a small tour group (us and two other families), and we basically stood in one corner of the factory floor while the tour guide talked.  She didn’t speak very loudly and she didn’t always talk facing the group, so I didn’t get much out of the tour.  I learned that:  (1) CCC uses cornstarch instead of something else for some reason; (2) every piece of candy has two layers of chocolate on the bottom; and (3) the top of each piece of candy is decorated by hand.  The remainder of the 20-minute spiel was fill-in-the-blank because I couldn’t hear it.

The boys, however, had no previous chocolate factory tour experience and were very happy when the tour guide gave each member of the group a piece of peanut butter and marshmallow candy.  And then we hit the gift shop.  Ted and I bought each of the boys (and ourselves) a few pieces of candy.  At $24.95 per pound, it wasn’t really kid-priced.

We closed out the afternoon with another entertaining discussion in the back seat on our way home.  A memorable  thread from this conversation was “I see a dead body” immediately followed by “I see a treat.”  It wasn’t clear to Ted or to me whether the dead body and the treat were the same thing or not.  It’s always fun to hang out with kids.

Test and Cash looking in the candy kitchen window

Teddy  and Cash looking in the candy kitchen window

 

Watching the peanut butter candy get its chocolate coating

Watching the peanut butter candy get its chocolate coating

 

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Forty-seven years ago today, Ted and I were married on a beautiful Wisconsin summer day.  One of our wedding gifts was an anniversary candle from the florist.  The enclosed note suggested that we burn the candle every year on our anniversary, and promised that the candle would still burn brightly at our fiftieth anniversary party.

We’ve burned the candle every year.  It’s a little less than half its original size, and I’ve had to move the decorative flowers downward over the years, but it looks like it will definitely be around for our fiftieth anniversary.  

The best things that ever happened to me were meeting Ted and marrying him.  Happy anniversary, Honey.

This afternoon, Ted went to visit his friend, David, who lives in a senior apartment complex in south St. Louis.  Ted started visiting David about five years ago as a volunteer for Senior Connections.  Over time, he and David have become good friends.  All was well until Ted was nearly home.  Suddenly, a red light flashed on his dashboard and the car started slowing down.  Luckily, he was near an exit from the freeway, so he turned and managed to go a few miles before the engine died a mile-and-a-half from our house.  As a result, we had an unexpected event this afternoon.  To be continued on Monday, when the service stations are open again.

Follow-up note:  The words “oil” and “manifold” came up in the diagnosis.  I don’t pretend to understand what the problem was.  Apparently all is well again and, with a far-less-than-expected cost for the repair, we are back to two operating cars.

Sick Prius

While we were in Wisconsin, I heard some unique sounds that told me I was home again.  The first sound of home came when a lady reached for something, missed it, and let out an “oop.”  (Similar to the use of “oops” elsewhere in the country.)  That might not look unusual in print, but in Wisconsin-speak, it’s pronounced like the o’s in “took.”  (Try it:  oop.)

The second instance occurred when another lady was having trouble finding what she needed on her computer and asked me to “Wait a minute while I futz around with this.”  I think I used “futz” once in Missouri.  A person who heard me asked in a shocked tone, “What did you say?!”  I explained, and she said she’d never heard that.  To avoid being misunderstood for using high-level profanity, I’ve abstained from using “futz” for many years.

It’s always fun to go home.  If only I’d heard someone ask where to find the bubbler.

To (hopefully) bring a close to the ongoing saga of Schroeder vs. PNC Bank, I checked our credit rating with each of the three big credit score companies last week.  All is well, so I’m satisfied with the result of my efforts.  I am, however, still a little resentful that PNC didn’t simply correct their failure to file our paperwork, choosing instead to file a $50 lien against our house and report us as delinquent to the credit score companies.  Would you believe that $50 reported delinquency took 125 points off our credit rating?!

After eight weeks of being nice and trying to work things out with PNC, on February 16, I reported them to the Federal Reserve, to the Missouri Attorney General, and to the Channel 4 investigative reporter.  Channel 4 responded within an hour, the Fed responded in three business days, and the Missouri Attorney General sent us a letter on May 18 (very timely–not!) to say they had forwarded my complaint to PNC and were awaiting a response.

PNC had already met the Fed’s deadline for action on April 11, so the Attorney General’s action reached PNC more than a month after official resolution of the problem.  This apparently irritated Andrea, the PNC Executive Client Relations Representative in Pittsburgh.  Today we received a letter from her with copies of:  her February 29 response to us saying she is happy to correct PNC’s error for us; her April 11 response to the Fed describing how her mess will be cleaned up; and her May 27 response regarding the Attorney General’s investigation.  

The May 27 letter includes the phrases “PNC previously responded to your complaint,” “I have enclosed copies,” and “Thank you for allowing me to clarify.”  The letter is very polite, but obviously has an undertone of disgruntlement.  Well, too bad, so sad.  I can’t help it the Attorney General took so long, and I was pretty frustrated myself for the eight weeks I tried to play nice with PNC.  How does it feel to be on my end, Andrea?

Yesterday, as we were driving back from LaCrosse, WI, we stopped at Dunkin’ Donuts for a snack.  I think the last time I had a Dunkin’ Donut was while I was in college.  Not much has changed, except that the company has become more environmentally conscientious.  Or has it?  The paper towel dispenser is right beside the air dryer which has a message telling the user that it is better for the environment than paper towels.  I guess it’s a “you choose” situation for the user.  Either way, Paul’s Donuts wins by a landslide.

 

Today I saw the foot surgeon for my last post-operative visit.  The stress fracture is completely healed, the remaining swelling is very slight, and I am good to go with no restrictions and no hammer toes.  The doctor told me to go home and put on a pair of “regular” shoes, so I did–for the first time since March 3rd.

Sitting poolside in matching footwear

Sitting poolside in matching, non-athletic footwear

I love to swim.  When I was a kid, my friends and I swam daily in a local pond.  As I was swimming my laps today, I was thinking about how swimming is the only athletic activity I can do with competence and good form.  As a child, I was usually the last or the second last one picked for any team sports activities, and I tell people that I’m best at cheering for other athletes.  (I tried out for cheerleading in high school but I didn’t make that team either.)

I took swimming lessons at a nearby lake (they’re everywhere in Wisconsin) for a number of years while I was growing up, and I can do every stroke except the butterfly.  The back crawl is my best stroke; the breast stroke is my weakest.  I even earned a lifesaving certificate when I was sixteen.  The final exam took place in a lake and required “saving” an overweight middle-aged woman who seriously fought to get away.

The larger high schools in our area had swimming pools and swim teams, but I attended a small high school (300+ students) and our school district didn’t have that kind of money.  If it had, I might have been able to make the team.  On the other hand, doing a competitive back crawl might have resulted in rotator cuff problems later in my life.  We’ll never know, but I’m glad we have a swimming pool in our back yard where I can swim laps for five to six months a year.

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On our way to Colorado last week, we drove through a series of spring thunderstorms, including some that were severe.  It’s about a 15-hour trip in good weather, but it seems a lot longer and it’s a lot more stressful driving through storm after storm for a good portion of two days.

We had a wonderful time with Jeff’s family (as usual) and were happy that we could be present for Kyra’s high school graduation, as well as for her seminary graduation.  We had good times during our visit and were sorry to have to leave.

Our drive home was much nicer.  In spite of the fact that rain had been predicted all the way across Kansas and into Missouri, the probabilities were dropped from 50 percent to 20 percent.  Although we saw some anvil clouds and rain in the distance several times, we drove in bright sunshine and low 80s all the way.  We almost caught up to the rain showers in Missouri, but they dissipated ahead of us.

As we left Jeff’s house in the morning, we saw ten hot air balloons rising in the calm early morning skies.  Then, east of Kansas City, just before the Missouri rain ahead of us dissipated, we saw a rainbow from our sunny side of the weather.  What a peaceful beginning and end to our day’s drive.

Balloons

 

Rainbow

A friend of Jeff’s has, not only a 3D printer, but also a program to print the tiles for the “Settlers of Catan” game.  The friend knows Jeff’s family enjoys the game, so asked if Jeff was interested in playing “Settlers” in 3D.  Of course, Jeff said “yes.”   The printer produces only plain white tiles, so Jeff’s family has been working on painting them.  There is a lot of detail on the tiles, and many colors of paint are required to make the tiles look realistic.

Ted and I were offered the opportunity to contribute our negligible artistic talents to the project while we were visiting for Kyra’s graduation.  We quickly learned that it takes a steady hand to paint some of the tiny details, but we turned out six acceptable tiles, bringing the project closer to game-ready.  It was an enjoyable afternoon of family fun turning blank white tiles into artistic masterpieces.  We expect to play “3D Settlers of Catan” the next time we visit.

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Master artist Jeff painting plain blue ocean tiles (he finished 7)

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Novice artists learning as we go (we each finished 3)

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The results of Ted’s and my labors (brick, wheat, and plain ocean for me; desert and two oceans with boats for Ted)

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The full set of tiles (white ones in the back still need to be painted)

We had beautiful weather today for Kyra’s graduation ceremony.  La got up extra early to stake out a good viewing spot for us, and Jeff found a prime parking spot.  With our granddaughter graduating, what more could we want?!  What a wonderful way to spend our day!

Kyra on the platform

Kyra on the platform

She's got it!

She’s got it!

Proud parents

Proud parents

Equally proud grandparents

Equally proud grandparents

 And then it was time to open the gifts.

An afghan I made for her

An afghan I made for her . . .

. . . and lots of other cards and gifts.

. . . and lots of other cards and gifts.

Last night, we attended Kyra’s graduation party at her church.  It’s a great idea.  The graduates from the congregation use tables and wall space to display items representative of themselves.  Each graduate’s family brings some food to share, and there are tables and chairs for family and friends to sit together to eat and to celebrate with the graduate.

The buffet

The buffet

Kyra's family table

Kyra’s family table

Kyra's display

Kyra’s display

Our driving weather today wasn’t quite as bad as yesterday’s.  We only drove through three squalls, but the hail was bigger and lasted longer.  The story can be told in pictures.

Hail accumulating on the windshield

Hail accumulating on the windshield

Hail on the grass at the rest stop

Hail on the grass at the rest stop

The storm with the hail behind us

The storm with the hail behind us . . .

. . . as we drove toward the next storm.

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Finally! The storms were to the east of us as we approached Jeff’s house.

We usually look forward to night driving in Kansas because it’s so dark, we can see the Milky Way and zillions of stars–a nice change from our usual suburban sky view.  On this trip, however, the sky show was lightning.

It’s spring on the Great Plains, so that means tornadoes and thunderstorms.  We had tornado watches and severe thunderstorm warnings all the way from the Missouri border to WaKeeney, Kansas where we stopped for the night.  We drove through four squall lines (red cells on the radar) and reached WaKeeney just before hitting the fifth one.  We had very heavy rain several times, as well as some small hail, and we saw impressive, almost constant lightning in all directions.  At one point, we hit a strong crosswind.  Fortunately, my car is IFR rated (right!) and traffic is light in Kansas.  Ted’s driving experience and quick reaction skills kept the car moving forward in spite of two swerves.

When we arrived at the motel, a special weather report mentioned that the squall line we had just passed through was now producing quarter-size hail and 60 mph winds.  I’m glad we were ahead of that!  It was a long, tense drive, but a great show by Mother Nature.

A shelf cloud ahead of the storms.

A shelf cloud just above the horizon ahead of the storms

A very low-hanging cloud

A very low-hanging cloud

One of many lightning strikes

One of many lightning strikes

Sunday evening, for no apparent reason, my right foot swelled to an incredible size.  On Monday, I started feeling pain in my foot when I walked, but it wasn’t post-surgical pain in my toes; it was in the main part of my foot.  I tried ice and massage, and then ibuprofen for pain, but nothing helped.  The swelling is so severe that there is no visible arch under my foot and, when I stand, my toes don’t touch the floor–they just stick straight out.  The top is well above the top of my other foot, and it’s so wide, I can’t even get my toes into a shoe!

This morning, it was still swollen and I was limping because of the pain, so I called the surgeon and made an immediate appointment.  The diagnosis:  I have a stress fracture on at least one of the metatarsels.  As a result, I’m back to wearing a surgical shoe for a week, followed by another week of athletic shoes only, and I’ll be taking an anti-inflammatory medication for two weeks.  Because we caught it early, the doctor assured me it will heal quickly and I’ll be wearing regular shoes when we leave for Europe.

I didn’t know what a stress fracture is, so I asked questions.  In the doctor’s words, a bone in my foot is “trying to break.”  Stress fractures can be triggered by medical conditions (like surgery) that weaken the supporting muscles and decrease the muscular support of the bone, resulting in extra stress on the bone.  If I didn’t have such super-strong bones, and if I hadn’t been doing physical therapy for my foot muscles for the past five weeks, I’ll bet the damage would be much worse.

One downside of this is that I bought a really cute pair of new shoes to wear with a new summer dress when we go to church with Jeff’s family on Sunday, but I’ll be wearing a black surgical shoe instead.  Bummer!

Note:  When people see the surgical shoe and ask how I injured my foot, I tell them I was sliding into home.

We recorded some Stephen Hawking specials in which he sets up theoretical problems and then has people solve them to gain an understanding of the universe.  The first show we saw addressed the possibility of time travel.  The one we watched tonight was about the possibility of life on other planets.  The people addressing the theoretical questions are “ordinary” (i.e., not Stephen Hawking genius level), but not stupid.  And yet, one of them mentioned in her analysis of the situation that the planets orbitate around the sun.

Yes, orbitate.  Where do these people learn English?!

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Hotel Happiness?

Today I was finally able to spend the massage gift certificate the kids gave me for Christmas (see my car in front of the salon/spa).  My hair stylist told me Cheryl is their best masseuse, and I can now say from experience that Cheryl has a gift.  In the interest of fairness, I hope Cheryl knows another gifted masseuse so that she can be the recipient of an equally wonderful experience.

I never thought I wanted a massage, and yet, I’ve never heard anyone say anything bad about them.  My hair stylist regularly gets massages from Cheryl to relieve the body stress of being on her feet all day.  The two of us discussed massages and I finally decided I should try it instead of deny it.

Well, you’re never too old to learn!  What a lovely, relaxing hour I had with Cheryl.  I can see how this would be good for mental and emotional health.  In fact, we could probably eliminate crime if everyone had regular massages.  Who would feel like doing something bad when the massage makes you feel this good?

Thanks again, kids, for the gift massage and feel free to re-use this gift idea.

I used to check Facebook daily until I realized it had become a chore, as in “I’m so tired, but I haven’t looked at Facebook yet today.”  Since then, I’ve rarely checked it (apologies to any of my few readers who regularly post on Facebook).  Due to my social media abstinence, I know I missed the postings of my Facebook friends on Sibling Day.  I did, however, find an historical picture of my siblings and me.

My mom always tried to make her photos of us kids look good.  One of her tricks was to move my ponytail off-center in the back, so it would show in the picture and I wouldn’t look bald.  Another one of her techniques was to have us look in a direction away from the camera lens.  See the photo below.

Happy belated Siblings Day, and thanks for the memories, Mom.

December 1960. Back row, left to right: Denny, Steve, Tom. Front row: me, Russ.

December 1960. Back row, left to right: Denny, Steve, Tom. Front row: me, Russ.

Teddy opted out of the multi-birthday celebration last weekend in favor of waiting for his “real” birthday.  Yesterday he had a birthday party with some of his friends and we joined the family for a birthday dinner.  Teddy loves pigs and wanted a devils food “pig cake” for his birthday cake.  Surprisingly, I found over 100 pig cake decorating ideas on the internet.  Who knew that many people connect “pig” and “cake” when they think of dessert?  Kari was busy preparing for the party, so I offered to make the cake for Teddy.  He had fun at the party, loved the cake, and got lots of neat presents.  It was worth waiting for the “real” day.

Teddy and his pig cake.

Teddy and his pig cake.

Teddy embracing his birthday gifts.

Dr. John A. Henschke--my mentor, friend, and partner

Dr. John A. Henschke–my mentor, friend, and partner

Before going to India in December, I’m trying to become familiar with Dr. Polineni (the surgeon who invited me to train his teachers in India), with Dr. John Henschke (my training partner whom I’ve known for at least 20 years), and with India (where I’ve never been).  One of the things I’m doing is googling the subjects; another is checking them out on YouTube.  I’ve learned a lot about the two men, less about India.

I’ve known John for a long time and was honored to have him as my dissertation chair and even more honored to have him hood me at my doctoral graduation.  My professional knowledge of him is general, but sufficient to yield no surprise when I heard him introduced on a YouTube video as a “world-renowned adult educator” and as a “renowned educational expert.”  This is what I knew:

–He studied under and was a personal friend of Malcolm Knowles, the “father of adult education.”

–He has trained adult educators in 20 countries.

–He was a delegate at the UNESCO Institute of Education at the 1997 World Conference in Hamburg, Germany.

–He was an observer-delegate at the 5th World Conference in Adult Education.

–He serves as a juror (reviewer) of professional articles in the Adult Learning publication.

Given all that, I was still amazed at the breadth and depth of his work.  His vita shows the following:

–1.5 single-spaced pages of awards received, including national and international awards.

–Over 12 pages of “selected” articles he’s published.

–5 pages of dissertation committees he’s chaired (including mine) and 3 more pages of dissertation committees on which he’s been a member, but not the chairperson.

–3 pages of academic research he’s done in adult education.

–2 pages of courses he’s developed at six universities.

–22 pages of papers he’s presented at conferences.

–He has four websites focused on adult education information.

And this is the man who didn’t hesitate for even a second before saying “yes” when I asked him to be my partner for the India trainings.  I’m working with the best and will be a much better trainer for the experience.  I don’t see myself following in his giant footsteps, but maybe this experience will lead me on a “Little John” course of future work in adult education.

We were able to attend Sky and Dylan’s spring orchestra concert and thought we recognized some of the pieces from the winter concert.  We were right!  The orchestra director said she’d intentionally programmed the repeats so we could hear how much the students had improved.  It was a very noticeable improvement, and that’s a good thing (our tax dollars at work).  The elementary, middle, and high schools all played separate pieces and then joined together for the closing number.  It was fun to be there and even more fun to watch the orchestra members rush out the door at the end to grab cake and punch before it (possibly) ran out.

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During the last “cool” piece, the kids could wear sunglasses to fit the music. Sky is second from the right in the first row; Dylan is right behind him.

 

Left to right: Elementary, middle, and high school orchestras.

Left to right: Elementary, middle, and high school orchestras.

 

The St. Charles School District sponsored an art show at the Foundry Art Center in Historic St. Charles, and one of Dylan’s artworks was selected for the show.  It was amazing to see how many different mediums were used for the exhibits.  Some of the work of the older students was good enough to sell in a gallery.  I wish I had talent like that.  Way to go, Dylan!

The assignment was to use only primary colors. From a distance, the applied layers added good depth.

The assignment was to use only primary colors. From a distance, the applied layers added good depth.

With five family birthdays and Mother’s Day falling between April 26 and May 19, we have a mega-party when we can all get together at that time.  Over the weekend, Kathy was here, and we were able to celebrate birthdays for her (April 26), Dean (May 3), and Kari (May 19).  Teddy (May 15) opted to wait for his “real” birthday and Thom (May 4) wasn’t here.  Mother’s Day (May 8) was also included, with my traditional Vienna Torte birthday cake that I postponed until I could share it with the group.  It was fun to have so many things to celebrate and to spend a weekend together.

Double birthday cakes with easy-blow candle arrangements

Double birthday cakes with easy-blow candle arrangements

 

Kari with her load of gifts

Kari with her load of gifts

 

I said I already have everything, but could probably use a bag of M&Ms. My wish came true.

I said I already have everything, but could probably use a bag of M&Ms. My wish came true.

Yesterday was my last day of volunteering at the Success School.  The kids have final exams next week and–surprise!–I’m not allowed to assist them while they take exams.  Last week the principal asked if I’m interested in coming back next fall and I told her I would be happy to do so if the teachers and students felt that I was helpful this year.  She laughed and assured me they want to see me again.  Most volunteers, she said, want to work with the little kids, so they don’t get much help at the high school level, even though there are plenty of high school students who could use some extra one-on-one tutoring.

Before I left, I stopped in the classrooms of the teachers I’d worked with to say good-bye and to wish them a good summer break.  Then I stopped in the office to sign out and the secretary gave me a beautiful bouquet of flowers and a thank you card signed by all the teachers.  She told me that everyone wanted to sign it, even if I hadn’t worked directly with their classes because “It’s a small school (ten classrooms) and people talk” (i.e., had heard about me).  What a sweet thing to do and say.  I have felt so appreciated all year, and the flowers and notes on the card still have me smiling and looking forward to next fall.

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A beautiful appreciation bouquet

Just last week, Ted and I were saying we’ve never seen golf ball-sized hail, much less two-inch hail.  Then, today, look what fell from the sky.

This stuff makes a lot of noise on the roof!

This stuff makes a lot of noise on the roof!

 

At first, I was outside, just enjoying the sound of thunder from the approaching storm.  Then I heard big plops in the pool and noticed it was hailing ahead of the rain.  It seemed like a good idea to seek shelter indoors, so I watched the big (one- to one-and-a-half-inch) hail from a window.  When the wind picked up and started blowing the hailstones against the glass, I was afraid the window would shatter, so I moved to the leeward safety of the covered front porch.  After a minute or two, these huge hailstones started falling.  Being a meteorologist’s wife, I rolled up my jeans, put on some flipflops and a waterproof jacket, and ran into the grass to rescue some hailstones for authentic documentation with my National Weather Service yardstick–even though it’s not seasonally appropriate.

Note:  Our hail turned out to be nearly insignificant.  Just a few miles away, in O’Fallon, grapefruit-sized hail was reported and the NWS office had four-inch hail.

Today, the Viking Sea was launched.  The Sea is the ship we will be aboard for our 15-day Baltic Sea Cruise in July.

Viking ship

Viking ship

Viking has been known for its worldwide river cruises and just started providing ocean cruises in 2015 with the Sky.  The second Viking ocean ship, the Sea, was just launched, and will be followed by the Sun, which will set sail in 2017.  We’ll be on a brand new ship that’s been sailing just long enough to discover and plug any leaks it might have before we come aboard.

Here’s the real ship we’ll be traveling on at its christening in London.  Accommodating only 900 passengers, it’s small for a cruise ship, compared to others that carry 2,000-6,000 passengers.  We’re looking forward to the smaller crowd.

The Viking Sea

The Viking Sea

 

Fireworks and everything for the christening

Fireworks and everything for the christening in London

The sun is shining, the air temperature is in the upper 80s, and the water temperature is heated to the low 80s.  Ladies and gentlemen, we are “go” for swimming!

Kari officially opens the 2016 swimming season

Kari officially opens the 2016 swimming season

The daytime high temperatures are finally in the upper 70s and low 80s, but the pool water temperature is only 64 degrees, so it’s time to turn on the pool heater.  We did that today.

Our two tulip trees are blooming.  The one in my pictures is Paul–Kari’s fourth grade Arbor Day tree that she named for her Grandpa Schroeder.  It’s the only one of the four Arbor Day trees the kids brought home that survived to maturity.

A close-up of some of the tulip-like blooms

A close-up of some of the tulip-like blooms

The walker I inadvertently caught in my picture is apparently admiring the tulip blooms, just as I am.

The walker I inadvertently caught in my picture is apparently admiring the tulip blooms, just as I am.

After waiting for several days of spring thundershowers to pass, we vacuumed the winter debris out of the pool.  It looks very sparkly now.