A Busy Saturday in Kansas City

Marlena and her friend, Olivia

Team  Lee Summit Tigers, 4th and 5th graders

Getting Ready to Serve

Oops

Perfect passing position

It's 6:00, outside is just starting to hint at light, the house is quiet, though I could hear a chorus of birds through our bedroom window when I got up, a pleasant sound to wake up to in the morning.  Today is supposed to be much cooler than yesterday, with some showers mixed in, a high of 57. My mistake...that's Chautauqua weather.  Here in KC it's going to be sunny, with a high of 72.  Bella, their dog, is still up stairs so I am able to easily write this.  If she were here, she would be on my lap, and I  would have to pet and scratch her, until she eventually would doze off.  A good life that dog leads, getting what it wants, relaxing on my nice long legs.

As I mentioned yesterday, we were up early, Nick off at 6:30 for a soccer game in Omaha, a three hour drive and Marlena had pictures and a volleyball game at 7:30.  So by 7:15, we were all out of the house.  Mary volunteered to drive Nick, so Evie, Tom and I got to go to Marlena's game, at Lee Summit Recreation center, with two volleyball courts and indoor soccer court, a really nice facility.  The girls' teams surprised me in that they played quite well for having just learned some of the fundamentals of volleyball.  Most could serve the ball over the net underhand and they all had the idea of how to forearm pass or bump the ball across the net or to a teammate.  They played three twenty minute games, the team that's ahead after twenty minutes wins that particular game, a good way to do it.  It was fun to watch Marlena have fun and compete and there were lots of parents their on an early Saturday morning.

Tom and Nick

After the game, we  shopped for dinner at the local HYVEE, picking up chips and dip for the March Madness games. For lunch, we bought beer flavored bratwursts.  Since it was in the high 60's outside, we cleaned up Tom's grill, then cooked them outside, fighting a strong windy day.  They really tasted good, making me wonder why we don't have them more often. The rest of the day we just took it easy, not doing much. Nick and Mary did not get back from Omaha until about 4:00.  We watched TV, played games with Marlena and both she and Evie made more birthday cupcakes as Evie's sister Jean is  coming over for dinner and Saturday was her birthday.  It just felt good to relax after two days of driving.  Marlena had her good friend Ella over too, so played some both in side and out, all of us went to the playground, even played some soccer, and eventually the girls helped Evie wash the car, as they both came in laughing, soaking wet from the hose.

Spring Swinging

Tom and Bella

 For dinner, Evie made Tommy's favorite Greek lemon chicken with oregano, with lots of lemon gravy, creamed spinach, salad, and rice.  I am sure if I went back and looked at my blog each time we visited Lee's Summit, we would have had this dinner at least once.  Everyone loves it. On the dining room table is a small, clear box, with cards that have questions to start a conversation like "What was your scariest moment, "  or "What is your favorite place to visit." I am not sure where this came from but we may have given them it since I am big on conversation, families not just eating at dinner time.  Marlena usually wants to play twenty questions but this is more fun and I think she likes it too.  It got so the adults were doing most of the talking so we put in a requirement that Marlena had to be first.  It was fun, so much so that we forgot about the basketball game on the TV.  Don't worry, it was saved.

Both basketball games had exciting ends to them, frustrating in some ways if you wanted certain teams to win because, for example, Michigan played so poorly the last five minutes that they deserved to lose but did not.  I admit to getting tired of basketball and all of us took time out from the games, to either do something else or even nap.  We all went to bed around 10:15, after the basketball games, tired from doing very little except for Mary (driving), Evie (baking and cooking) and Nick and Marlena (playing soccer and volleyball.  I guess that leaves Tommy and me.

Spring has come here in Lee's Summit almost overnight, as I saw a solitary cherry tree already in blossom and most trees have huge red buds, ready to leaf forth.  Here is today's poem from The Writer's Almanac that I particularly liked....can summer be far behind?

342 It will be Summer -- eventually.

by Emily Dickinson

It will be Summer — eventually.
Ladies — with parasols —
Sauntering Gentlemen — with Canes
And little Girls — with Dolls —

Will tint the pallid landscape —
As 'twere a bright Bouquet —
Tho' drifted deep, in Parian —
The Village lies — today —

The Lilacs — bending many a year —
Will sway with purple load —
The Bees — will not despise the tune —
Their Forefathers — have hummed —

The Wild Rose — redden in the Bog —
The Aster — on the Hill
Her everlasting fashion — set —
And Covenant Gentians — frill —

Till Summer folds her miracle —
As Women — do — their Gown —
Or Priests — adjust the Symbols —
When Sacrament — is done —