Lovely Weekend

We were blessed again with lovely weather this weekend. We spent the whole time working in the yard, and we hope it pays dividends in the months to come.



The Cherry Tree is ready to bloom...



The Dogwood is so pretty!



The Lilacs are coming along, too...



We painted the chimes (and you can see the hanger Steve made in this photo).




Mike lined the mowers up like little soldiers :)



As you can see, Mattie was helping as only he can.



We had 3 yards of loam delivered so we could rehab this area. Remember for many years it was driveway. When we got the new driveway it became dirt. We moved a tree and planted grass seed. It should be a pretty recreation in a few weeks :)



This is the tree's new home. I hate this tree; it is the ugliest tree ever. I think Mike secretly likes it; he bought it.



We moved this rhododendron from by the stone wall. This spot will be so much nicer. It has grown so much since my grandmother got it for us.



We transplanted this Dogwood from another part of the yard. It will make the front of the house prettier.



We moved this rhodie, too.



I can't remember if we shared this before. It is a sign Steve made for us. Too bad people don't do as it says :)

Have a happy day!

Overachieving Cats

I finally got some time alone with the computer (Tracy is horrible about sharing) and checked out the news at YouTube. I found all of these cats on there that are, frankly, giving the rest of us a bad name. They have talents. Who ever heard of a cat with talents? Now Mike and Tracy are going to expect me to do some cheap tricks.

I am glad we don't have a pool, or they might put me in a scuba set like this poor schmuck.


Or a piano with expectations I will take lessons (this one is a bit unnecessarily
long).


I can talk, but not quite as well as this guy (Bubba? How did your tail grow back?)...


Now that I think of it, I do have talents... I'm cute and I can train humans. Hee hee... Look at what I can get Tracy to do every night. I don't have to walk, nope. I don't walk down in the morning either. Those other cats have it wrong -- this is the way you do tricks!


Meow!

Music: The Driving Force

I wouldn't call myself musically inclined, attuned, or even musically knowledgeable. I like music, and listen to a wide variety. My tastes have changed over the years (thank God for my parents who did not like the heavy metal stage), but I have always turned to music when I want to "tune things out."

In High School the artists were Jodi Watley or Salt 'n' Peppa (even Too Short and 2 Live Crew). College included Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails. The artists change but the release, oh the release... It is still the same.

I find myself turning to my favorite album, turned up loud, during times of frustration. These times of frustration seem to happy because of work situations. When I feel particularly irritable I put on headphones and turn my iPod way up. In the car, the volume cranks so I can hear the base and sing really really loud. Maybe that is my way of getting back at the environment around me -- my singing redefines the word awful.

The role of music came to mind on Tuesday as I drove home blasting Gwen Stefani's Love.Angel.Music. The good news? I walked in the door at home with a big smile (and tired feet from walking down memory lane).

I say, whatever your outlet is, use it. We all need to free our minds and reset now and again.

Happy Days!

Daffodils are Out!

I am having a late day today, with Mike being gone... I was ready to get dressed when I looked outside to see the daffodils are out!!! I had to go out and get some pictures.


Still more waiting to come out.


Daffys in a spot of sun.

National Grilled Cheese Month

I was reading the Serious Eats Blog yesterday when I learned that April is National Grilled Cheese Month (Mmmm... Connor and Fiona love grilled cheese). **As a side note, who comes up with these months? The website I link to appears to have a relationship to Kraft, owned by Altria, AKA Philip Morris. Sounds suspiciously commercialized to me.** Apparently the Food Network had a grilled cheese Throwdown with Bobby Flay (whose show I have never seen). Two recipes are listed on FoodTV's website, and both look interesting:

The Calvert (Stink's Favorite) Recipe courtesy Connie and Bill "Stink" Fisher See this recipe on air Tuesday Apr. 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay Episode: Grilled Cheese

2 tablespoons balsamic mayonnaise 1 (5-inch) round rosemary focaccia 5 slices Monterey Jack cheese 4 ounces oven-roasted turkey, sliced 2 pieces applewood smoked bacon, cooked until crisp 1/2 avocado, sliced into thin stripsSpread the balsamic mayonnaise on the inside of top and bottom of focaccia. Place with mayonnaise sides facing up on a flat top grill at 350 degrees F. Drape 2 slices of cheese over top and 2 slices over bottom of roll so as to cover the entire surface area. Place dome over focaccia to facilitate melting and even heat. While cheese is melting, place turkey on grill to warm. Place bacon in an "x" over the turkey. Cover with avocado and remaining cheese. Once cheese is melted all around (focaccia and turkey) assemble the grilled cheese and close. Place finished sandwich in a panini grill until roll is crisp and has added squishiness! EAT!!!

Grilled Brie and Goat Cheese with Bacon and Green Tomato Recipe courtesy Bobby Flay, 2008 See this recipe on air Tuesday Apr. 22 at 9:00 PM ET/PT. Show: Throwdown with Bobby Flay Episode: Grilled Cheese

16 slices center-cut bacon, cut into 1/2-inch thick pieces 2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature 8 slices Pullman bread, sliced 1-inch thick 8 to 12 ounces really good quality brie 2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/4-inch thick Watercress 8 ounces soft goat cheese, cut into 8 slices (recommended: Boucheron goat cheese) Salt and freshly ground black pepperPlace the bacon in a large skillet or griddle and cook until golden brown and crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Break each piece into fourths and set aside. Heat a cast iron griddle or cast iron pan over medium heat. Spread butter on 1 side of each slice of bread. Layer 4 of the slices of the bread with 3 to 4 slices of brie, 2 tomato slices, watercress, 2 slices goat cheese, and 4 slices of broken up bacon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place the remaining bread slices on top, butter side up and cook on the griddle until golden brown on both sides and the brie has melted.

Reading these recipes prompted me to search FoodBlogSearch for other grilled cheese recipes. Simply Recipes (you know this is one of my favorite sites) has a recipe that sounds de-lish:

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Bacon and Pear Recipe Filed under Sandwich A few months ago I had the pleasure of accompanying Amy of Cooking with Amy and Brett of In Praise of Sardines for a light bite to eat at the Arlequin deli in Hayes Valley, San Francisco. Amy highly recommended the grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and pear, and it was, true to Amy's suggestion, fabulous. The sweet pear worked beautifully with the bacon and sharp cheddar. A great combination. Bartlett pears are just now finally making a show at the markets and I made these sandwiches for the family this week. We also tried them with ham, in place of the bacon. The bacon won. There is a debate here as to whether gruyere would do well in place of the cheddar. "No, no, no, it would overwhelm the pear." We haven't tried that combo yet, but if you do, please let us know how it goes. French or Italian loaf bread, sliced Bacon, cooked Bartlett pear Sharp white cheddar cheese (high quality) Butter, softened and spreadable 1. Heat a cast iron skillet to medium high heat. Layer your sandwich - bread slice, cheese, pear slices, bacon, bread slice. Spread butter over the top of the sandwich. Place the sandwich top side down (butter side down) on the hot pan. Butter the exposed side of the sandwich. Let cook for a minute and then use a metal spatula to turn the sandwich over to its other side. 2 While you are toasting the sandwich on the remaining side, press down on the sandwich with a spatula. Alternatively, you can mimic a panini press (albeit without the ridges) by heating a smaller cast iron pan on a separate burner. Use the weight of this pan to press down on the sandwich from above. The sandwich is done when the sides are toasted and the cheese is melted. Cut in half and serve.

This one was just interesting to me... It sounds so different. From YumSugar:

Honey-Basil Grilled Cheese Original Recipe INGREDIENTS 4 slices multigrain bread (I used Vital Vittles 12-Grain) 6 strawberry tomatoes, thinly sliced 3 oz. part-skim mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced with a sharp knife 10 slices fontina cheese, cut with a cheese slicer 12 to 16 large basil leaves Honey to taste Butter (to coat bread for grilling) DIRECTIONS Makes two sandwiches. To make each sandwich, spread one side of each slice of bread with desired amount of butter. On the opposite side of two of the slices, spread a generous amount of honey, just enough to cover the surface. Divide the tomatoes between the two sandwiches and arrange the slices on top of the honey. Then, lay four slices of fontina cheese on top of each tomato-topped slice. Divide the basil leaves between the two sandwiches and lay atop the fontina. Then top each basil-covered slice with the sliced mozzarella. Top with remaining bread slices, butter side up. Over very low heat, preheat a skillet then grill the sandwiches one at a time. To ensure the cheese melts evenly, cover the skillet with a lid while cooking. Grill each side for about 3 to 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

I'm sure you have your own favorites -- I'd love to hear them! One last thing, just to be clear I am not pulling a Cindy McCain -- these are not my recipes, I collected them online. Smiles!

Spring has Sprung

We were lucky to have beautiful weather on Saturday. Sunny skies (except when I took the photos below!) and 70s. Woo hoo!

We did some yard clean up, then began putting up our yardscapes.



Our pagoda and benches look so nice!



The bunnies are out :)



We put out our chimes.



Steve made this one.



Mike had to get out the big ladder for this one.



This one is so pretty. I wish I had gotten the hanger in the picture. Steve made that, too.



I restrung this one. It had been broken for three years... Guess we like wind chimes!



Aren't the crocuses pretty?

Have a happy day!

From the Mouths of Babes

Pat called me the other night to tell me some funny things the kids said... I couldn't resist sharing.

They saw a small dog at the playground. The kids pet the dog, then the dog and owner walked away. Fiona looked at Pat and Deirdre and said, "That wasn't a dog. It was a cat with a dog face painted on."

Priceless....


The kids were interviewed for preschool. The principal complimented Connor's shirt (a sailboat with numbers), saying she liked it. Connor looked at it and said, "But it's broken." The principal asked, "How is it broken?" Connor's reply? "The numbers are upside down."

Too funny!

A couple of weeks ago, we got the cutest card from the kids.


We were inspired...

Good Morning

If I could only figure out how to sleep with Mike and Tracy, I could do this...

Would You Care?

I got this in email from one of my friends yesterday. I really like the questions it asks and know my answers are the same for everyone I care about, because I do care.

Think about this for a minute.....


If I happened to show up on your door step crying,

Would you Care?


If I called you and asked you to pick me up because something Happened


Would you come?


If I had one day left, to live my life;

Would you be part of That last day?


If I needed a shoulder to cry on,

Would you give me Yours?



This is a test to see who your real friends are or

If you are just some one to talk to you when they are bored . . .


Send this to Everybody on your list including the person who sent it to you.

I just Did.....because you are my friend.



Do you know what the relationship is between your two eyes?


They blink together, they move together, they cry together,

They see things together and they sleep together,

BUT THEY NEVER SEE EACH OTHER ... that's what friendship is.


Your aspiration is your motivation, your motivation is your belief,

Your belief is your peace, your peace is your target,

Your target is heaven, and life is like hell without FRIENDS.


It's 'world best friends week'.

Who is your best friend?

Send this to all Your good friends.

Even me, if I am one of them.


See how many you get back.



If u get more than 3 then you really are a lovable person...

Hugs

Confessions of an Etsy Addict

We're all addicted to something, right? Right? Oh no, I didn't hear the response quite as loud as I had hoped...

I've mentioned loving Etsy on this blog before. It is full of neat one-of-a-kind handmade treasures. I haven't spent all that much money, but I have gotten some real gems. Among my favorites right now are JaneSays and Little Bit Funky (JaneSays turned me on to Little Bit Funky). Both offer handmade cards and are high-spirited and happy. How could I resist?!

Look at this card I got for a baby shower...

Really cute, huh? It cost me $2.75. You don't get Hallmark for that and this is one-of-a-kind.

And look at this birthday card

Also $2.75 and so very pretty!

I got other cute ones, but some of my loyal blog devotees would have their upcoming holidays ruined, so I can't show them... Hee hee! Can't wait to give them.

Our friend Steve does beautiful jewelry and chain maille.... I can't wait for him to get his Etsy shop open. He is going to rock!

Happy Smiles!

Red Sox Home Opener at Feway Park

[Updated 4/8/08, 6:01 pm)

photo copyright MLB.com

Daisuke Matsuzaka will pitch the home opener against the Tigers today at Fenway that begins at 2:05 pm. Affectionately known as "Dice K" to Red Sox fans, this is the pitcher's 3rd start of the season and things are looking far better than they did last season.

Bill Littlefield, of NPR Boston and Only a Game, recited the following poem this morning on
Morning Edition (copyrighted)

Launch in external player

If you don't want to listen, the text is here (also copyrighted):

First they traveled to Toyko, went one and one,
Then they played in Los Angeles merely for fun,
'Cause those games didn't count in the standings, you see,
(Although no one was let in to see them for free.)

They next played in Oakland, and twice they prevailed,
But it wouldn't have mattered if there they had failed,
They'd still have been trav'ling come the next day
To the third of the countries in which they would play
Before reaching the park they have long called their home...
And in less than a week, they will once again roam.

I don't mean to suggest you should pity the boys,
For they each can buy plenty of shiny, new toys
With the money they got for agreeing to start
The '08 baseball season so deep in the heart
Of Japan. Nor do I think the travel will matter
Though some may complain, moan and whimper and natter...
About the tough job of adjusting to changes
In time, food, and sleep as the whole ballclub ranges
Around and around and from nation to nation...
Hey, welcome to baseball meets globalization.

But now they've come home, that's the note we should strike,
And that most ancient ball yard beside the Mass Pike
Will once again echo with shouts and with cries
As each fan daily lives or each fan nightly dies
With the team that has taught them both grief and elation,
And taught them as well to exalt Red Sox Nation
And buy all every t-shirt and jersey and jacket...
By heaven, a sports team can sure be a racket...

But that's not the tune to be singing today,
For the home team is home, and it's been far away,
And the spring is upon us, and grass grows as well
And the whole point of baseball, as clear as a bell
Is the lovely illusion, now starting anew
That we all can begin now to do what we do
With the hope and the courage and maybe the luck
To believe that it's true that we'll rise from the muck
Of the fear that the market will crash down to nil
And the dollar, near worthless and tumbling still,
Will continue to fall until one day, it's true,
We'll need hundreds to just buy a Sox cap that's new.

Ah, no matter the problems, no matter the mess
That the greedheads have made of the nation, for, yes,
Though one nation we know is at war and depressed,
There's another big nation by which we're possessed...
And today its brave banner is finally unfurled...
So hooray, Red Sox Nation, who needs the real world?

If you are one of the lucky ones, at work without access to seeing the real game, MLB Gameday offers the game online in the virtual world. It's not Fenway, but it is as close as some can get :) Red Sox take the game, scoring 0-5.

August Rush

I remember the first time I saw a trailer for August Rush. I thought to myself, I really want to see that movie. I wasn't sure that it was one Mike would love so waiting for video was fine with me. It released on video a couple of weeks ago. We received it from Netflix on Saturday.

The movie is a romantic story about three people searching for love. Two met one night and didn't see each other again; the third was the son they created together. The movie is filled with wonderful music -- music is a central theme to the story (all three of the characters are musicians). We were totally drawn in to this movie. I didn't just like it -- I loved it. It's officially my favorite movie. That is not just a frivolous statement from me. Somewhere in Time had been my favorite movie since it came out in 1980.

The movie is really a modern day fairy tale. The story is not necessarily believable, but it is so well done that I didn't care if it was real. It was happy and wonderful -- we all need some of that! I give August Rush two big thumbs up!

Raccoon Update

This is just a quick update to the raccoon saga from yesterday. It disappeared during the night. We don't suppose it has gone far, given its seemingly lazy nature. We'll keep the trap baited and wait. More to come!

The day has bumped along to early evening. We found several messes in the barn today that pretty clearly signal the end of the raccoon. Looks like it got into some of our Cockadoodle DOO Organic Weed Control (this stuff is great, by the way), our SuperHot Compost Starter, several pounds of TomCat Rat Poison, and some old cat food I had in a Ziploc bag. We are not sure how long the feeding frenzy lasted (one night, more than one night?), but the bag of cat food was covered in blood (inside and out) and there were bloody footprints all around. The poison was put away in the potting shed and not out on the floor, so this is a case of suicide, not homicide. The stupid raccoon got into the box, took out the bag, ate a hole in it, then ate the contents.

We don't know where he wandered off to die. I suspect he is under the floorboards in the barn, which will make for a lovely summer smell. Brother. On the up-side, Mattie gets to go outside again :)

The Raccoon

Sometimes life brings a bit of the unexpected... On Thursday night, Mattie was sitting by the back door seeming irritated. I looked out there was a dog on the stoop. Oops, no, not a dog. A very large raccoon. He looked at me, I looked at him as I called Mike and then he (the raccoon) slowly lumbered away.

This morning Mike was going into the potting shed to put something away -- he'd already been in that way several times -- when he suddenly started backing up. "What is it?" I asked from the back door. Well, it was that raccoon. Sound asleep. We called the Northborough police. They came out and looked at our new friend. Yup, he's sleeping. No frothing at the mouth. Hmmm... Let's poke him with a stick. The raccoon looked at the officer and Mike (I was standing a safe distance away), then went back to sleep. After a second round of this, the raccoon went under the barn for some peace and quiet.

Steve and Helen offered use of a Havaheart trap they have, so we went to Paxton to pick it up. When we got back home the raccoon was back out and I thought it would be fun to start taping. Below is our vlog, compressed into one video with 5 segments.



As I write this the raccoon has moved into the yard and is sleeping on our discarded Christmas wreath next to the discarded Christmas tree. Stay tuned!

p.s. For those of you who are wondering why we have not bludgeoned the creature (you know who you are and so do I), you should know that Mike and I cannot bring ourselves to that. I actually think the raccoon is kind of cute and I feel sorry for it. Even though I did call the police knowing they might shoot it...

What I'm reading (April)

It has been a while (January!) since I’ve updated you on what I’ve been reading. I’ve been fairly busy. The books have been fun and light, for the most part. So, here goes. This is mostly a list without much detail, mainly because I am so far behind…

	Murder at Vineyard Mansion, Philip R. Craig In the 15th book of the series, J.W. investigates many of the established Vineyard families as he tries to find the murderer of a security man at a “Chappaquiddick Castle”. A secondary plot about the “Silencer” someone who mysteriously disables sound systems of people who play music too loudly, keeps the story moving. Typical of the J.W. Jackson series, this book evokes imagery of the Vineyard in its tale of murder and mystery.
Plum Lucky, Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum is back. She’s on the run to find (and protect) Grandma Mazur and the duffle bag of cash she’s stolen from a Leprechaun. She and Lula meet up with Snuggy, an ex-jockey [and leprechaun] who originally stole the money. It is a quick read that brings smiles. Next in the Plum series, Fearless Fourteen, is due out in July. For you New Englanders, she’ll be be at Foxwoods on June 17 for her Fearless Fourteen tour.
	What Looks Like Crazy, Charlotte Hughes I was introduced to Charlotte Hughes by the series she co-authored with Janet Evanovich. This is the first of her novels I have read. The book is light and fun. It reminded me of the fun that the Plum series (Evanovich) was when it first started. I’m looking forward to her next book, Nutcase. Charlotte has a blog that I love reading.
Snowfall at Willow Lake, Susan Wiggs In this novel, we learn more about Sophie Bellamy, mother of Daisy and Max. I wasn’t excited about this one because Sophie has seemed to cold in previous novels. I should have known better. Wiggs does a beautiful job of developing Sophie’s character – a lovely woman who has been misdirected. Her next book will not be part of the Lakeshore Chronicles; Just Breathe is a book she has been working on for a long time. Susan also has a blog that I enjoy.
	The Law of Similars, Chris Bohjalian Homeopathy is the focus of this book as Leland Fowler looks for a cure to his sickness that followed his wife’s accidental death. When Fowler becomes involved in his homeopath’s life (Carissa Lake) things quickly go beyond what Leland imagined. This book was ok, but not my favorite by Bohjalian. He, too, has a blog.
The Choice, Nicholas Sparks Travis Parker and his neighbor Gabrielle Holland meet when Gabrielle accuses Travis’ dog of getting her dog pregnant. Sparks fly, and the meeting turns out to be more than they expected. Travis revisits the memories of their relationship, especially those early days, as he is wrought with a difficult decision 10 years later. It made me turn on the tear factory, as only Nicholas Sparks can do…
	Dakota Born, Debbie Macomber Buffalo Valley, North Dakota, is a small town that is getting smaller. When Lindsay Snyder moves to town to fill the vacant teacher position (and escape her past) she brings unexpected change to the town and reinvigorates it. I loved this book; I have the second, Dakota Home queued to read and can’t wait for Always Dakota (the third) to come out in June.
Whiskey Sour, J.A. Konrath Jacqueline Daniels is a Chicago homicide lieutenant who is devoted to her job, mainly because that’s all she has. This is the first of a series of books featuring “Jack” Daniels – I am really looking forward to reading the rest. Whiskey Sour features her tracking down “The Gingerbread Man” a scary guy who likes to torture his female victims before killing them. It is fast paced and interesting. He also had a great blog.
	Innocent in Death, J.D. Robb 24th in the line of Eve Dallas thrillers, Innocent in Death introduces Maggie, an old flame of Roarke’s. Her story is really a side-line, but Eve is on her toes and we see her back go up in this one. The main story line is about the murder of one teacher, then another and the investigation into whodunit. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) is one of my favorite authors. I loved this one.
An Irish Country Village, Patrick Taylor I’m starting to sound like a broken record… This book is also part of a series, number 2 of 3 (so far). In this installment Dr. Barry Laverty works to regain his reputation in Ballybucklebo after a mishap with a patient. The book is filled with quaint characters and funny situations. Taylor has done a great job again.

Despair brings Smiles?

I got some information from one of my shopping blogs on April Fool's about a sale over at Despair.com. I'd never heard of it, so I headed over to check things out. The site is a satirical take on the motivational posters that seem to be so popular (BTW, if you like those posters, you may want to quit reading now to avoid getting offended). You know, the ones that say stuff like "Achievement" then "It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed."- Theodore Roosevelt.

Despair's take on these posters struck me as hilarious. Why? Hmmm... I put 20 of my favorites in the slideshow below (images are copyrighted by Despair.com who currently offers a selection of 97). My favorite is "Cluelessness."



This is a real site. Even if you don't want to buy anything, the messages are pretty funny.

Smiles!

Thomas the Bear and Picasa

I got this yesterday on my Google photos blog and couldn't wait to share:

It has been speculated that Google has a history of leg-pulling around this time of year. In the spirit of silliness, we wanted to share a warm and fuzzy true story about how a bear named Thomas made Picasa his home.

As you may know, Picasa has many helpful keyboard shortcuts to save you time and clicks. But there's one shortcut you may not have heard about: the Thomas shortcut.

Back in 2004, the innovative photographer and photoblogger Noah Grey was working with the Photos team on developing Picasa. He contributed a great deal to the design and evolution of the software, but one of Noah's most unforgettable contributions can be seen by pressing Control-Shift-Y while in Picasa. Continue pressing it, and watch what appears all over your screen. Given to Noah as a gift by an old friend, this bear has had a special place in Noah's life for over 15 years; and Noah decided to return the favor.

That's Thomas. And that's his bear. And that's how he became part of the Picasa story.

I wanted to see it for myself. Does this really work? AHA! It did!



How cool is that?!

Happy April Fool's Day!

Here we are, beginning the month of April already.  April Fool's day, incidentally also Mike's paternal grandmother's birthday, has always been kind of a mystery to me. I've never been one to play pranks on people, probably because I am not good at getting pranks played on me!  I must be somewhat in the minority, as many famous pranks have been played in year's past including (credit: Wikipedia):

• Alabama Changes the Value of Pi: The April 1998 newsletter of New Mexicans for Science and Reason contained an article written by physicist Mark Boslough claiming that the Alabama Legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi to the "Biblical value" of 3.0. This claim originally appeared as a news story in the 1961 science fiction novel Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.^[3]
• Spaghetti trees: The BBC television programme Panorama ran a famous hoax in 1957, showing the Swiss harvesting spaghetti from trees. They had claimed that the despised pest the spaghetti weevil had been eradicated. A large number of people contacted the BBC wanting to know how to cultivate their own spaghetti trees. It was in fact filmed in St Albans.^[4]
• Left Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side.^[5] Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old", right-handed burger.^[6]
• Taco Liberty Bell: In 1996, Taco Bell took out a full-page advertisement in The New York Times announcing that they had purchased the Liberty Bell to "reduce the country's debt" and renamed it the "Taco Liberty Bell." When asked about the sale, White House press secretary Mike McCurry replied tongue-in-cheek that the Lincoln Memorial had also been sold and would henceforth be known as the Ford Lincoln Mercury Memorial.^[7]
• San Serriffe: The Guardian printed a supplement in 1977 praising this fictional resort, its two main islands (Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse), its capital (Bodoni), and its leader (General Pica). Intrigued readers were later disappointed to learn that San Serriffe (sans serif) did not exist except as references to typeface terminology. (This comes from a Jorge Luis Borges story.)^[8]
• Metric time: Repeated several times in various countries, this hoax involves claiming that the time system will be changed to one in which units of time are based on powers of 10.^[9]
• Smell-o-vision: In 1965, the BBC purported to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odor over the airwaves to all viewers. Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success. This hoax was also conducted by the Seven Network in Australia in 2005.^[10] In 2007, the BBC website repeated an online version of the hoax.^[11]
• Tower of Pisa: The Dutch television news reported once in the 1950s that the Tower of Pisa had fallen over. Many shocked people contacted the station.^[12]

Check out April Fool's Day on the Web for more pranks.

Wow!  Apparently the origins of April Fool's are unknown, but the prevailing theory, according to The Museum of Hoaxes, is

In 1582 France became the first country to switch from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar established by the Council of Trent (1563). This switch meant, among other things, that the beginning of the year was moved from the end of March to January 1. Those who failed to keep up with the change, who stubbornly clung to the old calendar system and continued to celebrate the New Year during the week that fell between March 25th (known in England as Lady Day) and April 1st, had various jokes played on them. For instance, pranksters would surreptitiously stick paper fish to their backs. The victims of this prank were given the epithet Poisson d'Avril, or April Fish. Thus, April Fool's Day was born.

Have fun today, and try your best to behave.  For once, I will be behaving!

Easter Flowers -- Snack Time!

Part of the beautiful table ensemble on Easter at Deidre's house was a floral arrangement. Its flowers helped us feel that Spring was in the air and the colors were happy. Deirdre offered it to as as we left since she was heading back to Florida.

We took it home and put it on our coffee table. It remained undisturbed in that location until the end of last week, when Mattie discovered them. Not only did he jump on the coffee table (a NO NO), he began snacking on our floral delight! Notice his mouth is open ready for a bite in the first photo below.

Mike pointed this out immediately. My reaction? Grab the camera and try to get the cat to look at it for the cute photo. Mike's reaction, "What are you doing?!" "Well, it is kind of cute. I'll make him get down after the photo..." You may be able to picture the frown that followed my response (hint: the frown was neither mine nor Mattie's).

The photos are cute, though!