Today was Pine Wood Derby Race Day.

This was Katie's last year, so instead of going for design which she had done in the past, this year she went for speed!

And she did a good job, as she came in 3rd. She now has 3 trophies, 1 for first place in design, one for 2nd place for design and now her 3rd place trophy for speed.

Pine Wood Derby races are such fun, the kids get so excited watching their cars speed to the finish line....

This is another of the pictures painted by a dear friend. Who today is getting on a plane and moving across the county. Now we will only be able to chat on the phone and write letters.. She is not a computer person and does not have one... She has lots of free time...........

When I look out over my garden I would like to see something like this starting to pop out of the ground, but there is still some remaining snow on the ground, and where there is not snow, there is mud...

Snow was easier to clean off the floor, mud is not my favorite thing about spring, nor is the idea that one day I could wake up to a foot of snow again. Spring in the midwest is an iffy thing, it can be warming up nicely and then all of a sudden it snows.

I have managed to find a bit more time in my life, I have stayed off the computer....and thus have gotten a few things done that were on my to do list. I am by no means half way through the list, and the bad thing is that as the list starts to shrink, I find more things to add.

Well here I am behind again, the only way I am going to ever get all the things done that I want to is if I write up a strict schedule, and stick to it! but.....................if I did that I would miss so many of the pleasures of life.
Like spending a day with an old friends and listening to their stories of long ago. Of times when they did not have any more time than I do now. Stories that should be written down and preserved and carried over to the next generation
Or watching the joy on a child's face when they win an award for a job well done.
Priceless memories that only come once...if we miss them they are gone forever..
So I will always be behind in the things I think I need to finish....But I will have such precious memories, and the things I need to do will be there waiting when I get time for them....................Things I need to finish will wait, special moments do not....................................

Mr. Killmouski keeping in shape.

Since Mr. Killmouski is celebrating a birthday this month.

I thought I would post a few pictures of him up until his birthday...

That is if he will stand still long enough to get a few pictures. He won't even cooperate if food is offered... He just gives you this look...like he can not be bothered, or he just wants the whole thing over with. He is also one of those cats that hates to be held.

Another petty painting.........

I found an interesting quote with a lot of truth in it.

"The real art of conversation is not only to say the right thing at the right time, but also to leave unsaid the wrong thing at a tempting moment"

Many times I have opened my mouth and out has come the one thing I should never have said .......but then it is too late.....you can never erase the things you should have never said. You can be forgiven, but the comment will forever be out there... Those precious minutes of time, that were forever wasted, never to be gotten back.

Time spent with an old friend is the best time of all, catching up on each other's lives, and chatting about shared adventures.
I got to do just that a day ago, my dear friend has decided to move to be near her children, clear across the country from where she is now.
She has lived here all her life, but moving nearer her children, is a good thing. As she no longer drives.
So we spent a day together, and will hopefully spend more before we have to say goodbye....
But part of her will always be with me, in the memories of the times we spent together and the paintings she has given me. We will still chat on the phone, an write to each other, but that is not the same as hanging out together.
I love her paintings, and she let me select the ones I wanted to have.
This one of the barn is one of my favorites. She has sold many of her painting throughout the years. So I feel proud to own some of them.
I told her now that she is moving out west she will have so many more things to paint out there. And so many more adventures to experience.
I will post more of the painting as time goes on...

As usual I have managed to run out of time before I ran out of stuff I have to do. My to do list seems to grow longer instead of shorter.. I am slowly making progress. I have started to spring clean, I figure at the rate I am going I should be done in time for fall.

I no sooner start something, than someone needs me, or the phone rings, or I see something that needs doing more than the thing I have just stated...

But such is life, without all this activity, I would be bored..............................

This is where I would really rather be, if given the chance...But there are still months to go before the cold and snow and ice and gloom make way for the warm sunny days, and time to sit and watch the sunrise.
I am not sure which I like better the sunrises or the sunsets.
I love to take a cup of coffee and drop into a lawn chair just before dawn and watch the sun creeping up over the horizon, spilling it's summer gold over the water. The sparkling diamonds of color spreading out over the calm water as the fog and mist lift...Just so beautiful, too beautiful for words.
So I will hurry and get all my projects done, so when the summer arrives I will be ready for it..ready to sit and take it all in and enjoy all it's splendor. While time just seems to stand still....

Will he see his shadow? YES or NO?
That seems to be the big question of the day.
Well he won't be seeing it here, it is snowing! And what does it mean anyway...that we have to wait at least 6 weeks till spring...That would put spring as starting in mid March...Gee, we have had snow in May!
I just look at the whole thing as having to really get busy and get all those projects that I want to finish before it gets nice out DONE!
If I want to enjoy the warm weather got to get a move on now. See there is that time issue again....