Don't Mess With Tradition

Sunday Special Coffee Cake

Streusel Mixture:
1/2 C. brown sugar
2 T. flour
2 T. cinnamon
2 T. butter
1/2 C. nuts, chopped

Batter:
1/4 C. butter or margarine
3/4 C. sugar
1 egg1/2 C. milk
1 1/2 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
Combine streusel mixture and set aside. Cream butter and sugar, stir in egg, then milk. Add rest of ingredients. Spread 1/2 of batter in a greased 9″ square pan, cover with 1/2 of streusel mixture. Add rest of batter and top with rest of streusel. Bake at 375 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze. (optional)

Stick with the tries and true

Okay, what's wrong with this picture? I tried an experiment today seeing that we have company, a new coffee cake recipe. The picture on the left looked so good, hmmm, what happened to mine. I followed everything it said, even worried extensively that it would come out of the pan without a mishap, but it just doesn't look the same. Could it be false advertising, a touched up photo like in all the magazines with models or should I have just stuck with what works. It didn't taste too bad, a slightly nutty flavor which got mixed reviews here. It was a bit fussier than my usual recipe so my verdict is stick with what works.

The Easter Bunny Came

Ahhh, the poor Easter Bunny is all tuckered out after his long night of Eastering. Here he is exhausted... Actually Joseph, our long time rabbit pretty much looks like this all the time.

Opening Day at Last

Opening Day took place this afternoon. This time the weather cooperated. I didn't watch the whole game but I did watch the opening festivities. For me the high part was watching Ted Kennedy throw out the first pitch. He rode out in a cart with another person. He walks slightly stooped now and with a cane. He seemed frail but very happy to be at his beloved Fenway Park. The gleaming Kennedy teeth shown proudly as he smiled ear to ear. They drove him close to the mound and he handed his cane over to someone because he wanted to walk on his own. His throw was weak and not very far but it managed to make me tear up a bit. The Kennedy family is royalty especially in Massachusetts and Ted has faced a lot this past year. I admire his courage and tenacity. In the end the Red Sox won 5 to 3. We're on our way to the pennant.

Opening Day and other April Favorites

Today is Opening Day for the Red Sox at Fenway Park, but it looks like our weather may push the festivities to tomorrow. April weather can be cruel in eastern New England, but there are a few annual events in addition to Opening Day that always make April a little easier to take.

One event I enjoy each April is The Masters Golf Tournament. The course always looks like it's in full bloom, providing a preview of what we can expect next month here in the northeast. The commercial free coverage of the competition for the green jacket is always good too.

We also have a local Monday holiday in April, Patriots Day, to commemorate the first battles for freedom at Lexington and Concord. It is also the day each year when the Boston Marathon is run. This year marks the 113th running of the race. Diane and I attended our first Marathon in 1981 and have followed it ever since.

Each of these events has a long history and strong sense of tradition associated with them. They recur each April, through good times and bad, and I'm glad they do. (As a post note, the news just alerted us that opening day is postponed until tomorrow. The first pitch goes out around 4)

Kids and Lost Weekends

Another weekend gone and I'm sitting here wondering where it went. Let me recap. Friday I worked, came home for a few hours and then it was time to pickup Derek. Greg came home a little early so he could come with me. When we pick up Derek on Friday's, unfortunately it's at the worst possible time, 5 pm. He has ensemble practice until 4:20. He has to move his drums back to his practice room and usually has to make it a mile back to the dorms on the east campus. The traffic is horrible at that time but it is what it is. This past Friday was a horrendous rain storm with some thunder and lighting thrown in just for added fun. The main thing is we made it back uneventfully be it ever so slowly.

Saturday was a full work day for me. Hopefully Greg got some relax time. He attended a juggling show at a nearby college in the afternoon. He seemed to enjoy it. Our typical Sunday routine starts at 7 am at the grocery store. It was a little different today because they are starting a new program. If you want to you can grab a computerized scanning gun at the start, scan and bag your items as you go and turn the gun in at the end to pay. It was interesting and we'll probably try it again. Next on the agenda was taking Emily for a driving session. I have to say it's one of my least favorite things. I find it absolutely unnerving to hand the keys over to someone with no experience. Emily has been a very hesitant driver needing to be pushed to go out. Today was the first day we ventured out onto the road. We had been doing parking lots prior. She did okay. No speeding tickets there as she barely made it past 20 mph. We need to get more practice in before she can go with the driver's ed portion. They want the kids to have at least some experience. So think of us every Sunday morning.

This afternoon was time to take Derek back. I told Greg I would go so he could relax. At least the traffic is better at 2 pm on a Sunday. So off we went. We got to his dorm without any trouble. Derek headed in with his clean laundry and other belongings. The plan was to go to south campus so he could practice his drums. A few minutes after he went in he came out carrying his stuff. When I saw his laundry bag I knew that wasn't a good thing. He had forgotten his dorm key. So I called Greg and we met half way to give us the key. He went back home to recapture his peaceful Sunday afternoon and I tallied on with my mission which remained uneventful.

And there you have it a weekend at our house.

April Fool's Day 1997

April 1st, a time of spring and joking around but we have a different April 1st memory. It happened 12 years ago, the worst blizzard we can remember. Here is a link to a story written on the 10 year anniversary. 10 Years Later

Greg managed to get into work that morning but coming home was more challenging. I recall the wind whipping violently and Mark going out into the yard to check it out. He came running back in because he heard a loud crack at the same time that the lights went out in the house. He had seen a large tree bring down power lines. There it was 3 kids, us, a dog, a well and septic tank in the worst storm ever and no power. We all went to bed early that night and the next day woke up as pioneers. We had a little camp stove and began the task of melting snow so that we could raise the water levels in the toilets to flush them. It seemed like the day was spent doing survival tasks. By the afternoon Greg had had enough and we piled into the minivan and headed to Sam's Club. We bought a generator. We now felt like we were living in luxuary as we could hook up the microwave, a small heater and a tv to see what was happening in the world. In the end we had several feet of heavy snow and were without power for 28 hours.

I'm very happy to report this April 1st is of a more traditional nature.