The day is closing in on us, so before Friday slips away entirely, here are my “7 quick takes Friday” entries for this week/end. (For more, go to Conversion Diary.)
1. Yeah Bruins! It’s kind of funny, because our kids go to Catholic school and among our sports rivals are the Fargo South Bruins. Through the years, however, when it comes to girls’ basketball, I’ve felt just as faithful (if not more so) to the Bruins as the Deacons, since I know several of the girls on the Bruins team. Cassie and Megan were both young girls when we moved into our first South Fargo neighborhood. One of the things that struck us during our first tour of the area was the large number of basketball hoops aligning the long, winding street. And that is where both Cassie, our longtime babysitter, and Megan started their basketball careers – right across the street from our house. We had a hoop too, and sometimes they’d borrow it. I loved looking out the kitchen window and seeing all those kids playing ball. It tickles me to no end that this weekend, those same girls are going to be playing in the state championship game here in Fargo. We went to the pre-championship game today and it was such a “blast from the past” being there, seeing those “little” girls in a different, older form. It was a great game – close the whole time. But in the end, the Bruins claimed victory. I enjoyed not only watching the game and the girls, but reliving my own years playing basketball (er…keeping the bench toasty). Seriously, though, what a thrill to be part of a state championship competition. I think I’m as excited for them as I would be if it were my own children out there on the court! Here are two photos from years gone by, as well as one from today (1. Megan, Christian, Cassie first day of school 2. Cassie and Elizabeth in the fall leaves 3. Halftime today at the Fargodome):
2. Wisdom from ‘The Shack.’ Here’s what I marked in a page recently from my latest Lenten reading material, The Shack by William Paul Young. They are words from the fictionalized voice of God: “A bird’s not defined by being grounded but by his ability to fly. Remember this, humans are not defined by their limitations, but by the intentions that I have for them; not by what they seem to be, but by everything it means to be created in my image.” Something to ponder. And ponder again.
3. St. Patty’s Day party. I made the mistake of starting a tradition a few years ago by bringing the kids to a St. Patty’s Day party offered by the Presentation Sisters. When we had to skip it one year, I heard about it for weeks. So, we’re off tomorrow for the annual shindig, which usually includes Celtic music, green punch, Irish stew and green popcorn. The event marks the sisters’ annual honoring of their Irish heritage. In promoting the event, they like reminding people that “everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.”
Another St. Patty’s tradition borrowed from my family of origin is the serving of cabbage and corned beef. If anyone out there has an Irish recipe to share, please email it to me (rbsalonen@cableone.net) and I’ll post it here in the coming days.
4. Fruit basket upset? Would you have been creeped out or cheered upon finding a smiling orange in your fruit basket?
5. Snow piles and musty castles. This was my favorite of my postings from this week. If you missed it, you can read it here.
6. Second chances. It’s looking like the Young Author Conference that was postponed due to weather Tuesday will be rescheduled for mid-May, though final word hasn’t come yet. I like the thought of traveling in spring weather as opposed to through a blizzard.
7. Speaking of the big snowstorm… We collected about ten more inches of snow on Tuesday, and only today began receiving our mail again. The city shorted us when tackling snow removal in our cul-de-sac and it was impossible to reach our mailbox for several days. Needless to say, we had quite a pileup of mail today – including a few very important pieces, like a birthday invitation and a rejection letter for a piece I’d submitted (sigh). Being mail-less for a few days has made me appreciate daily mail delivery all the more. Here are some photos of the collection of snow from the latest blast, including a few of the snowdrift wall that was created in our back yard. It’s interesting what Mother Nature can do, but we’re bracing for possible flooding now (1. out of my office window, into the back yard 2. the snow wall from our family room downstairs 3. through the back door in our garage):
I might be back tomorrow with a few photos from the weekend. For now, I’m using my daughter’s camera. It doesn’t have quite the punch my Canon did, but it’ll do in a pinch.
Have a good one!
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