The end of the 2010 Winter Olympics

It was exactly fifty years since the US men's hockey team had won gold in Squaw Valley in 1960. The game between the favored Canadian hockey team, playing in Canada, and the US hockey team was a classic. The Canadians went up 2-0 in the first period, only to have the US tie them with 25 seconds left in regulation. Then the teams came back on the ice and the Canadian Sydney Crosby, probably the best player on either team, scored the winning goal in overtime.

I watched the US team line up for their silver medals. They weren't happy. But they should all hold their heads up with pride. Particularly, the goalie, who let the last goal in, but stopped so many. I will remember all the saves, not the last, sad one. He played so well. He was great when they played against each other in the opening round 5-3 victory. Then he played so well as they won every game except the last game. Oh well.

I wish I could send each player a note to tell them how fantastically I thought they all played. They came so close. It was a lot of fun.

An evening out in PTC

Yesterday and today were quite profitable and after a client arrived in the morning, unannounced, and paid me $75 in cash, I decided to take Cindy and Kate out for supper tonight to Ted's Montana Grill in PTC. Ted's is one of my favorite places and the atmosphere, food and service are all quite good.

Kate and I picked up Cindy at Griffin Tech around 5:30 and drove over to PTC. We drove over to Ted's and were seated at a table in the restaurant decorated with Bison head, paintings of bison on the prairie, and dark paneling and tin ceiling. I really decided to enjoy myself and ordered a Knob Creek on the rocks, one of my favorites. I sat there among the visions of the Rockies of Montana and tried to quietly enjoy the bounty of Kentucky. After awhile our server brought us wedge salads with ranch dressing, bacon and chunks of blue cheese. It was so fresh and crisp and wonderful.

Later, the server brought my bison burger, with sauteed mushrooms and onions and american cheese, my favorite with a little mustard. Even the handcut french fries were delightful.

At the end, I wished for a bed in the back. It would have been perfect.

The server asked us if we wanted dessert. We ended up at Starbucks where they were giving samples of chocolate brownies, which were the perfect ending.

A brief drive back to Griffin and I am home. I look forward to a good night's sleep in bed with the cold wind kicking across the corners of our house outside our bedroom.

It is already Winter dark and the clouds of another front are swirling above our heads. I am getting sleepier and the living room is so cozy.

Spring colors

My wife and daughter are the artistic photographers who immortalize me from time to time in a photograph. This picture was taken by Kate at the High Museum after we had finished going through the exhibit of Leonardo DaVinci. A lot of the drawings which were drawn by DaVinci and the prints themselves were owned by Her Royal Highness, Queen Elizabeth II. This is just a good example of how successful the English were in their Empire days of identifying art and culture and extracting it from wherever it was found and bringing it back to the British Museum or wherever they decided to store it.

But anyway, we were waiting to leave the exhibits and I was taking an opportunity to sit and enjoy the quiet at the end of a hallway. Kate caught me in a moment of thought or solitude in my yellow cotton sweater. Kate has a nice touch.

I like color. I can't wait for the coming of Spring. On Saturday the daffodils were beginning to flower, even though their stems were immature and quite short. There were a few crocus, which are the earliest of the Spring flowers, usually flowering in February and just poking their faces above the cold ground.

I feel we are coming into the Spring now. The afternoon sun holds the day a little longer. It just feels like its around the corner.

Can't wait.

A warm, fun weekend in late February

Friday I took off early so we could travel up to the High Museum in Atlanta to see the Leonardo DaVinci exhibit, which had Davinci's and a Donatello statute and more. Afterward, it turned out that it was Jazz at the High Friday (the third Friday) and we settled into a spot to watch a young bunch of guys playing some really tight jazz. The leader of the band was a young guy from Atlanta who played three different saxaphones and then impressed us with his signing abilities. The band was quite good.

Afterward, we drove down to Trader Joe's on Monroe Drive to pick up some stuff for Cindy and a 20 ounce package of blueberries from Chile which was sold for the amazing price of $5.49. What a deal. I was psyched.

We then drove down to Memorial Drive to eat supper at Six Feet Under. We had a gift card from Kevin and Susan and we got there around 7:30, but the place was so crowded that we couldn't get a table until 10:00. Fortunately, the service personnel were really accomodating and we ended up eating quickly after we ordered.

At supper I ate a large bowl of seafood stew, with cod and shrimp and scallops and mussels with big chunks of tomato and curry spice. It was hot enough that it cleared out my sinuses and throat from the cold I have been nursing for several days.

On Saturday morning I had a meeting with some new clients to sign wills and Cindy and Kate were my witnesses and afterward we picked up Cissie Perry and drove down to Callaway for the day. Beforehand, we bought barbecue and biscuits and chicken for a picnic in the gardens.

The flowers weren't up yet, although we did see a few young daffodils and crocus coming up among the brown pine straw. But the temperatures were so mild and the skies were solid blue. It was a delightful day in West Georgia.

In the afternoon we drove back home from Pine Mountain and after depositing Cissie at her home and Cindy and Kate at home, I drove over to the Days' house for a meeting with one of our missionaries.

This morning I went to church, then drove over to Ingles and bought trout crusted with pecans and some risotto and came home to fix our supper. Everybody seemed to like it even though it didn't quite turn out the way I wanted. I'll try it again.

Rain returns tomorrow.

Klar nacht

I walked beneath the stars tonight
And Orion sheathed his saber
In the quietude of the hour.
God's peace passed across
The still life of the neighborhood
For no one stirred at this hour.
The cold wind wrapped itself
Around me beneath the silent symphony
Performed against the blanket of starlight.

All ist klar; alles shlaft.

Cold February morning, no stress

I got word this morning that my trial was postponed
Until the first week in March
And there was an immediate relaxation
And I walked downstairs to my car,
In the February cold and wind,
And I drove down College Street
Toward the First Presbyterian Church
And I noticed how crisp the air was this morning
And I saw two women, all bundled up,
Jogging down the sidewalk,
And you couldn't tell who they were,
With their scarves and sunglasses
And knit hats and sweatshirts and leggings,
And it was so nice feeling the heater in the car
Blow its warm sustenance of air on my legs
And driving down the street, seeing the leafless trees
Etched into the bright blue of the sky
And there were even little fleecy clouds
To blanket the horizons
And it was so delightful to relax
And be free from the stress for the moment.

Now, hurry Spring.

Early February Friday morning

It was wet and dreary this morning and I could have slept late if that was an option. Now I am at the office, listening to the cars speed through the accumulated rainwater down Hill Street. I thought about opening the shutters on my windows, but I am afraid that would lead to greater melancholia.

I feel anxious about this trial on the calender for next week. I have been pondering on it for weeks, ever since the pretrial order came back from the court. I don't feel confident. I plan on spending most of tomorrow at the office building my confidence.

It would be great if I had an extra open week available with which to relax.

Last night we went to the Reahard's house and it was a small crowd. Robin had prepared some homemade tomato soup and bread. It was perfect sustenance for a rainy, dark evening. The company was delightful and we ended up spending a large part of the evening at the Reahard's house in Williamson before we headed back into the night toward home.

I have promised to make beef barley and mushroom soup for next Thursday. I hope I don't get stuck in court that day. I would much rather put the case off until the first week in March.

We shall see how it goes. It is still cloudy, wet and dreary.