The Fabulous B@ker Blog

Last night we held a Christian Passover Seder, an activity that Annalisse and her mentor planned for her confirmation project. I must say, it was a very different experience, and a very interesting one. Annalisse and Chris, her mentor who is also our next door neighbor, went shopping for the elements of the meal (an egg, bitter herbs [horseradish], green herbs [parsley], salt water, and Haroseth [a mixture of chopped apples, nuts, cinnamon and wine - we used Walldorf salad as a substitute]. Chris printed out the speaking parts for the ceremony, and I prepared "the paschal meal." For the meal I cooked a leg of lamb, a rice dish, and spinach. Chris brought a tossed salad and the Walldorf salad (which we used for the Haroseth ). In addition to Chris, we invited our Associate Pastor and our neighbors Morey and Ann. There was wine and Matzoh all around, and we all participated in the speaking parts. Next, Annalisse will create a PowerPoint presentation about the experience, ...

Last night the clouds belched forth what I hope will be the last snowfall of the winter. It's very pretty, and, in my opinion, tolerable, since the calendar tells me that spring has got to come one of these days. There are some visible signs of spring...Mr. & Mrs. Mallard are back and they've been hanging around Morey & Ann's cedar tree in their front yard. Last year they (or another set of mallards) roosted under that tree right next to their front porch, but Mrs. Mallard abandoned her eggs and they never hatched (or she abandoned them because they would never hatch?). Oh well, we'll put up with it a little longer...do we have a choice?

Annalisse is single again. She's back on the market after Sawyer broke up with her today. According to him, his mother said they had "gone out long enough." That's a new one! She's not too heart broken - she's already got her eye on someone else. I hope this is not what the teenage years will be like for her...it's really okay to NOT have a boyfriend when you're 12! It does make for some funny stories, though!

...it must be time for a new template. Enjoy!

According to Annalisse, the reason Jesus was able to walk on water was because of suction cups. Mystery solved!

Whew! That weekend went way too fast! Start with a quick overnight trip up north to Massena , throw in all the regular weekend catch-up (laundry, shopping, vacuuming up the VOLUMES of dog hair that plague my house daily), Easter Sunday Church, Easter dinner, a couple of walks, a trip to up the field, and you've got...Monday Morning. The kids and I had a nice trip up to Massena . Even though it was quick (Mark couldn't go at the last minute because of work), I was able to visit my Aunt whose health has not been great, and my Uncle, whose also had a lot of health challenges in the last couple of years. I spent some time with my mother, took her out to dinner and dropped her off for a few hours at the slots (her favorite activity - I'm merely the ride...). My poor little town...between the recent downtown fire, empty store fronts, rampant unemployment, and aging relatives it bears little resemblance to the great Village I grew up in. Still, there are hints and reminders that f...

Finally you have returned, old friend! Happy birthday to Mom Shiao!!