Sweetest Day

I had a feeling it was going to be a great day when I started on my morning walk . . . well, after I turned around and got my cell phone that I'd left on the charger.  I'd decided to take my camera with me to get pics of the "new" elementary school that took the place of two schools I'd gone to.  I was looking all around me as I made the trek, and found a few interesting things to photograph!

We're just getting to the end of April, and here come the pine cones!  That just messes with my sensibilities somehow.

This reminded me of a miniature wreath . . . Christmas in APRIL????

A couple of Irises almost ready to bloom!  This is so strange to have the plants so far along already.

I thought this was a funny angle . . . perspective IS important.

This is the new school.  It combined two elementary schools that were back to back.  I went to 2nd and 3rd grade in one, then 4th-6th in the other.  With the fencing, and the cupola, I think it looks more like a prison than an elementary school!

I love construction equipment, and this particular piece had some interesting shapes to it!

I think there is something drastically wrong with the next three pictures.  It's getting close to the end of April, when most kids are more than ready to be playing outside, yet the playground at the school is off limits.  The old playground has been torn down, but the kids can't use this lovely equipment!  I can only assume it's a liability issue since no protective/cushioning cover has been put down around and under the equipment.  I think somebody messed up their planning BIG TIME.

I liked this tree stump . . . it has the weathered and aged, interesting character look to it.

 

This house is where I attended first grade.  Back in the day, there were so many elementary school age kids that we didn't have enough schools to house them all.  So, the builder of all of the homes in the community offered the school system the use of homes for kids to attend first grade for a rental rate of $1/year each.  The houses were modified slightly to be able to accommodate approximately 25-30 students.  Many of us walked home for lunch because the only other option was to bring our own - no cafeteria here!  It was a great experience since kindergarten was not required at that time.

I got a nice 2 mile walk, some interesting pictures, plus a trip down memory lane (remembered where several friends lived when we were in school as I walked by them, and then some of the fun stuff we did).  Then I got home to find the animals ready to entertain me!  The squirrel cracked me up with the way he was perched there on the end of a branch; he kept looking for something, but I never figured out what it was.

I don't know why, but I haven't noticed many robins the last few springs.  This isn't the first one I've seen this spring, but it's the first one I was able to get a shot of.  I did finally see a blue jay in the redbud tree, but I didn't have my camera with me.  :-(

Then, just as I was thinking about getting up and going inside, a minor miracle occurred.  A red bellied woodpecker flew onto the redbud tree, closely followed by a beautiful cardinal!  It's not clear as I'd like, but I managed to get a picture with BOTH of them in it.

The icing on the cake?  When visiting Mom today, it was a pretty darn good visit.  She was joking around and laughing.  It's so wonderful to have those kinds of visits.  More icing on the cake?  I spent the evening with friends, talking and laughing and having a great time.  It's definitely been my sweetest day so far this week (and maybe this month).

Plans??

I had such wonderful plans for today . . . and the part of the day I was most looking forward to?  Postponed.  Bummer.  I had been looking forward to a short road trip w/ a high school friend to meet another high school friend and just hang out for a while.  But, life intervened again, I didn't get my way.

It's a icky rainy day here in SW Ohio, but I was looking forward to being w/ some sunny dispositions and laughing over stupid little things that girlfriends can find to laugh about.  I did get a little of that in, but not enough!  Met up w/ a group of ladies for lunch at Applebee's, which was a nice mix of personalities.  There were 5 of us, and 4 of us had gone to high school together (yes, 4/14/2012 must be high school not quite reunion day); I hadn't seen one of the ladies since we'd had a Spanish class together way back when.  Another of the ladies was the high school friend I was going with on our road trip . . .

But, fate intervened.  On my way to Applebee's, I was just buzzing along, singing w/ the radio, when the dreaded "Check Engine" light came on.  Since the last time I'd had that experience, the alternator went out, I started assuming the worst.  Fortunately, I was almost at Applebee's and the dealership that now services my Saturn Ion was just about 1/4 mile further down the road.  So, I had lunch w/ the lovely ladies, and then drove the car on over to the service department.

And just what wonderful news awaits me at the door to service?  They are only open until 3 p.m., and that's when we were supposed to be meeting our friend about 45 minutes away.  It was almost 1 p.m., so chances of making that happen were slim.  Crappity crap crap CRAP.

So, I called my friend in Indiana and explained to her what had happened, and we agreed to meet up again after she got moved and a few other things out of the way.  By that time, the other friend arrived to meet me, and I told her we'd have to reschedule.  The good news is that neither of us really wanted to be driving in the crappy weather, especially since the weather in Indiana was worse than what we were experiencing.

Instead of hanging out with friends and talking and laughing, I sat at the dealership with a few other people I didn't know who maintained their own little bubble of privacy (I'm a people watcher, especially if I don't have a book to read!).  I sat, and sat, and sat.  I drank a Diet Mt. Dew (I may regret that later tonight).  I tried to connect to the wi-fi via my phone, but couldn't get the connection to stay connected.  I had not planned the visit, so I didn't have my boredom busters with me!  Two hours later, I was finally out the door.

The best news?  I just needed a new gas cap.  It was leaking.  Whew.  At least it wasn't the alternator or something major going on.  Can't say it was exactly a cheap fix.  But at least it was easy, and not as expensive as some of the other possible issues.

Well, now what to do with the rest of my day?  Need to bake some cookies, but forgot to take the butter out of the freezer, so that's gonna be a while.  I can play around w/ some pictures of it raining.  Nothing catches the mood of an icky rainy day like pictures of an icky rainy day.

Yup.  Pulled out the camera and turned the kitchen chair around to look out the back door at a couple of puddles.  Tried a few things.  Like some better than others.  But I know a couple of things I don't want to do next time, and have some ideas of a couple of different things to try.  First off would be using the mono-pod or tripod . . . experiencing weather induced sinus headache issues is not typically a time of clear thinking.

I was SO looking forward to the day I had planned this morning.  But, looking back at it all now, it's turned out pretty good after all.  I did get to spend some time with friends and completely enjoyed it.  Although the Check Engine light freaked me out, it was a reasonable problem that was easily remedied.  Missing hanging out with other friends wasn't so great, but I got to catch up on a couple of things around the house, try a recipe for cookies using cake mix, and still have a batch of sugar cookies waiting to be made.  And, I can't forget the opportunity to try to catch some pictures of the rain.

I guess today was the forget the plan and go with the flow day.  Not too hateful after all.

Flashback

Earlier today, I posted a picture on my college alum group page on facebook.  It's not one of the better pics I took, but it is of the central point of campus.

The quality definitely could be better, and this is the scanned version of a very old picture.  But the memories it brings back are pretty vivid.  This is where I learned so much about life (laundry, sharing a room and a bathroom, working several jobs, and getting an education).

I went to a small Lutheran college in Ann Arbor, MI.  My freshman year at Concordia Lutheran College, Ann Arbor was the first year BAs were awarded (the college began as a 2 year college in 1963; the majority of students transferred to larger Lutheran colleges to complete their education).  My high school graduating class was approximately 600 students; the entire student population at Concordia my freshman year was approximately 600.

When I arrived at Concordia as a freshman, I was painfully shy and knew two people on campus.  I think I cried the first two weeks there, and then never looked back.  I was blessed to live in a dorm filled with wonderful Christian women each of my years Con-U (as we called it then), and was surrounded by people who encouraged (and sometimes dragged me into) my Christian growth.  Professors and staff members are very fondly remembered for the Christian example they lived.  By the time I finally graduated, I had been editor of the yearbook, Resident Assistant, worked on the Campus Security Department, and had worked three summers on campus in a variety of roles.

It has been amazing to get back in touch w/ many of my fellow students via facebook.  We've shared stories of the crazier things we did as students, helped other friends re-connect, prayed for each other, and helped get information from the right source at the right time.  It's been a few decades since I've seen some of these beautiful lights in my life, but almost without exception, we've picked up as if there had been no interruption.  Not where we left off, but where we each are now, recognizing we are not the same 22-23 year olds who were sure they knew everything, but more experienced in both blessings and sadness and aware of the millions of things we don't know.

Am I idealizing the situation?  Maybe a little, but not much.  I hear the refrain from one of Michael W. Smith's songs almost every time I visit the alum group page . . . Friends ARE friends forever If the Lord's the Lord of them . . .