March 31, 2002
Spring just sort of sneaks up on you around here. March began cold and blustery, but true to the old saying, "In like a lion, out like a lamb," the weather has turned darned near summer-like with balmy skies and warm temperatures. As we write this it is in the mid-70s, bucking for the mid-80s.
We are still recuperating from a busy birthday/anniversary weekend, which saw Roni marking her 40th year and the two of us celebrating 14 years of marriage. We honored Roni in the only way befitting of a 40th birthday celebration -- with an over-the-hill party complete with black balloons, streamers and confetti in the shape of little black 40s. She was a good sport about it, although she did remark that we should save the decorations for Glenn's big four-oh a few years from now. (Contemplating a little payback, perhaps?)
For our anniversary on the 26th, we took advantage of some gift certificates Roni had and the three of us enjoyed a nice dinner and dessert at Applebee's in Antioch. It isn't often that we dine out these days, so it was nice having someone else doing the cooking and handling the dishes. A good time was had by all.
For Roni, the highlight of our long weekend was selecting the diamond ring she received as a combination birthday and anniversary gift. You may recall that a couple of years ago Roni slipped on the sidewalk in front of our home and broke her wrist. In the process she also damaged the setting on her engagement ring, which since that day has been tucked away inside a box awaiting repairs. We finally came to the conclusion that it was cheaper to buy new than to repair, so that is what we did. She chose a "past, present, future" ring, with three stones set in a plain gold band. It matches nicely with her wedding ring and sparkles brilliantly. We still have the original ring, which now Roni hopes to turn into a necklace so she can continue to wear the first diamond Glenn gave her.
Our writing projects continue to move along, albeit at a stunted pace. Roni is in the revision process, although she has been spending more time reading than writing this month. There are a lot of good paperbacks out there, and she has been reading the likes of Nora Roberts and Tami Hoag in the spare hours of her evenings and weekends. Glenn's novel currently hovers around 68,000 words, but a combination of writer's block and a desire to catch up on lost sleep have gotten the better of him for the past week. He says he is ready to go at it again in April.
Ben has been enjoying his time off of school for vacation and spring break, but Easter weekend will be the last hurrah for a while. He is looking forward to a visit from the Easter Bunny and all the goodies that come along with his presence. He has been entertaining himself by playing games on his computer and romping with his cat, Eevee. He also has become quite the chess fiend, learning some basics of the game from his dad and eagerly checking out books on the subject from the library. Could he be the next Bobby Fisher in the making? He has yet to win a game, but he does have the moves of the individual pieces down pat. Maybe the kids in his class ought to study up!
Well, that wraps it up for another month. We're off to clean up the remnants of winter from the back yard so that we can better enjoy the spring flowers that are popping up all around us. Have an enjoyable spring and remember to set your clocks ahead on April 7. We wouldn't want you falling behind!
Glenn, Roni and Ben