And the clouds and showers

continue to come. I think that is pretty much the weather outlook for the rest of this week. There are a few sun breaks, but they are few and far between.

I either heard from or saw all four of our children on Mother's Day. Actually, Brian called on Saturday, but what with a 17 hour time difference and its either being today or tomorrow, the Saturday call made sense. He said all is going well. He and his Ops Officer are sharing a house, the rest of the guys are 4 to a house. Now the big project is for someone to get up and running with the internet so everybody else can jump on too.

Keith and Janet and the girls sent lovely flowers and called yesterday. They are feeling a bit more optimistic about the Army. If the exemption fails, apparently one can request to fill a position one is qualified for stateside. In fact Keith is aware of one at Ft. Meade that would fill the bill. So that is a glimmer of hope as well. They are busy getting ready for all the 'relations' to arrive later this month for Sarah's graduation. In addition to Ken and me, Janet's parents, her sister and husband and 2 kids will also be arriving toward the end of the month. But they have a huge house with 5 bdrms and 3 full baths. I guess Ken and I will be downstairs in the bedroom/bath that Keith built when finishing off the basement and family room.

Craig spent Sunday afternoon here along with Ken, Colleen and me. he arrived with an awesome bottle of cabernet that probably should have been left to repose in his wine cellar for a few years. It was a superb bottle of wine. My usual request for Mother's Day is that I do nothing, and someone makes a run to KFC for our dinner - which Craig did.

I went to the commissary today which is about a half day endeavor by the time I get home and get the groceries put away. While there, I saw our friends and neighbors, Jerry and Mary Ellen McKain, so invited them for dinner tomorrow night. I recently watched the Barefoot Contessa prepare a menu that included roast ducklings, and I've been dying to try it, so Jerry and Mary Ellen are the guinea pigs. I haven't figured out the rest of the meal yet, but I they are easy to please - just as long as we have the bourbon and whiskey at hand before dinner.

Mary Ellen's brother, Dick Quinn, lives in Spokane and was a mountain of support during Pat's illness. His wife, Patty, is a sweet as she can be, and Dick's family call her St. Patty. When Dick and Patty first met at a party, he was planning to become a priest and she a nun. Instead they married, had several children and adopted three.

I need to get back to the kitchen and take care of all the sacks that are waiting for me in the pantry. Keep on bloggin'.

Ciao