Philadelphia, March 2015

We've been to visit the Caviezels in Philadelphia so many times that I now have "must do's" for our trip.

One of the must do's is to go to the Italian Market.

Felicia bought lots of fresh vegetables for our dinner and for special juice.

DiBruno Brothers is a great deli shop with hundreds of cheeses and sausages and olives and olive oils and pickled everything.  The guys are so nice and they generously offer huge samples of anything you want to taste.  I love this place!  If you go to Philadelphia and skip DeBruno Brothers, you have NOT been to Philadelphia.

We bought an armload of cheese and salami to bring home.

Yum!  Let's get some of this!

Another "must do" that Sam and Felicia generously have accommodated for us is a trip to the Philadelphia Orchestra.  The first half of the performance we attended was Reflections on the Mississippi by Daugherty, a composer from Cedar Rapids, IA.  He wrote this piece specifically for the principal tuba player,

Carol Jantsch.  She was awesome!

The second half was the beautiful Symphony No. 5 by Mahler.  It was an invigorating piece and the fourth movement was sweeter than springtime.  Sam got us tickets in the Conductor's Circle, which means we were seated up and behind the orchestra.  We got to watch every facial and bodily movement of Gianandrea Noseda as he propelled the orchestra through this wonderful work.  Very Cool!!

Rusty's "serious" face for "serious music."

This trip we had a double treat.  The Philadelphia Orchestra performed for a children's concert on Saturday morning which Ruby was allowed to attend.

Pre-concert hugs with Daddy.

Pre-concert snack.

Post-concert--waiting for Daddy.

The Caviezels pose with Yannick.

Hearing the Orchestra is very special for us.  (Rusty checks out the score from the UNL Music Library, reads it carefully, and listens to the entire piece before we even get on the plane.)  Thank you, Sam!

A very important "to do" is to spend time just hangin' with Ruby and the family.

There's music and dancing, especially with Mr. Bear.

Walking on Papaw's shoes.

A trip to the coffee shop where Ruby ate rocks, (chocolate rocks).

Rocking, hugging and reading with GiGi.

Being silly with Papaw.

Playing card games and board games.

Reading with Papaw

Watching Ruby do her jobs, like setting the table.

Having Ruby help me with my exercises to strengthen my arm.

Playing fetch with Frannie.  The sign was a welcome sign written by Ruby.

It's hard not to do just a little "Grandma Indulging" while I'm there.  Knowing that Easter is coming soon, Felicia helped me pick out an outfit for Ruby.

Sweet, huh?

Not a "must do" but certainly a fun time is date night.

Great food, fun evening, very special company!

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with these great people!  Thank you, Caviezels!

Time with friends, some culture, warm weather

Lincoln Public Schools had spring break the second week of March, so I decided to throw a party.

We started with some wine...

...a table full of food...

tomatoes stuffed with cream cheese and bacon, pears wrapped in capocollo,
and radishes filled with butter and smoked sea salt.

...and the best part was lots of good friends!

Each one of these women taught (or are still teaching) at Irving and holds a special place in my heart.  When we gather it's always a great reunion with lively discussions.

Lincoln is home to the International Quilt Study Center and Museum.

Saturday was the celebration of National Quilt Day, so I decided to pay a visit.

The building is lovely with lots of bright sun shining on the quilt displays.

I attended several sessions on various aspects of quilt-making.

sculpture in front of the museum

We are having more seasonable weather today, but the last two weeks have ranged from the upper 60s to the upper 80's.  Yesterday we had a record-breaking 87º!

Rusty took a canoe out for a paddle one afternoon.

My tulips and daffodils are up a couple of inches.  The trees are budding with great promise.  Because it is Nebraska, I know all too well we very likely will get more snow, but the unusually warm weather makes me anxious to play in the garden.

My arm/shoulder is healing some.  I wear the sling in public but at home I'm trying to engage my arm in some normal activities.  This week I learned that if I bend forward at the waist I can apply deodorant without too much pain.  I can hold a pan of food in my right hand and gently use a spoon to encourage food into a serving bowl, which is backwards from my normal way of doing things.  Laundry folding works for underwear and sox.  If I lay shirts and pants on the bed, I can fold them with my right hand.  I can't manage towels or sheets yet.  I'm 7 1/2 weeks into an expected 12 week journey.