East Coast Happenings

Diane Amberg · February 29, 2016, 12:11:02 PM

YAY! Taxes are finished and we're due refunds on both state and federal. Not huge, but a nice surprise.We won't take the refunds. It's just as easy to apply them to the next Estimated Tax in April. I was afraid we might owe more than I had planned but it came out OK.

Diane Amberg · March 02, 2016, 03:36:54 PM

A nice sunny but cold day. We went down to North East Md. to meet up with friends for lunch. It is a charming little old town just about on the Chesapeake Bay.
Woody's is the local seafood place. I thought I'd be smart and order off the appetizer menu and got seafood nachos. HA! There was enough for all four of us and I brought home a big box for our dinner.
We stopped by the firehouse on the way home to see the new Quint that was delivered yesterday. Really nice.
...a 75 ft. rear mount ladder and 750 gal. of water. It cost $750, 000. It replaces a very old Squrt that was worn out after many years of hard work. Can't get parts for it any longer. The boom and nozzle has had it and is no longer reliable. It might soon be a safety issue.
Now they are calling for more snow tomorrow night. I'd hoped were were done with it. Just one to three inches, but snow is snow. YUK!

Diane Amberg · March 04, 2016, 09:41:01 AM

We had dinner with one of our firefighter friend's family last night. Sam is quite a heavy duty hunter, fisherman, and every year he does a "wild" dinner for us. This time it was Bambi balls (not That kind!) with Pheasant with potatoes and root veggies in an oven baked casserole and salad. I took Cannoli for dessert. Really very good. It was such fun, and sure enough just as we left to come home it started to snow. We've got a scant three inches on the ground, but not on the streets and sidewalks.That's the best kind.We're supposed to have quite a warm up next week so maybe this is the last of the snow.I've got all my seeds and can't wait to start planting again.
It seems Frank has gone again. I wonder what happened this time.

Diane Amberg · March 06, 2016, 12:07:05 PM

I was sorry to hear that Nancy Reagan died. Now she'll be back with her Ronnie.

proelkco · March 06, 2016, 01:34:04 PM

She was a lady that is for sure.

Diane Amberg · March 08, 2016, 02:18:58 PM

AH! The beautiful weather slid in here today. It's about 75 and spectacular. We took a run to both Costco. and BJ's for provisions, slid the roof open, the windows too, and just enjoyed. Al has his eye on a nice 12' x14' screen house he wants to put up on our back deck...with the bad bugs and disease carrying mosquitoes and ticks it might be time to do that. If the squirrels and raccoons will let us have it that is. HA!
I got an interesting PM about Ross taking teachers to task for going to training conferences. I wonder what that is all about. He must not now how it works. Around here all schools and districts have training budgets, some for distance conferences also. National conferences tend to be held in places that have very large conference centers and can seat a lot of people as well as have exhibition halls where companies can show off their newest wares... A bit like a state fair for teachers. I'd love to know what he's up to, but I won't read it. I promised I wouldn't.
The house windows and sliders are all open...delicious!

Diane Amberg · March 09, 2016, 10:03:43 AM

Another beautiful day. We reached an all time record 81 for this date.
We have long time friends coming in from Davenport Washington. The wife has stage 4 cancer and wanted to see her friends one last time. She has been fighting it for several years, but this time it's final. It will be nice to see them again even though it will be her last trip.

Diane Amberg · March 17, 2016, 10:00:44 AM

It's nice to be back online. We've been off since last Friday. No phone or TV either. Verizon had problems.
I see Lois Perkins passed away.There are few left now that I ever knew.
My Washington friends have come and gone(she was really sick but loved being here) and the mother of a good friend died also. Not happy times for them.
The weather has ranged from beautiful to downright cold.The daffys are in full swing and downtown, that is warmer than up here on the north sloping Piedmont, the Redbuds and Magnolias are out. Ours are in bud. Snow showers are expected on Sunday.
One of our firehouse friends made a big pot of chicken and dumplings for lunch for all of us that were around on Tuesday.Yummy!
So who is having corned beef and cabbage today? We are, with red skinned new potatoes, soda bread and apple sauce.
I guess some will plant peas today, but I think I'll wait a bit.
Happy Day O' The Green.

Diane Amberg · March 19, 2016, 07:44:12 AM

Tomorrow is finally the first day of spring and we have a Nor'easter forming from the warm moist air coming up from the south and colliding with very cold air coming down from Canada. This will be the heavy, wet snow.
We had one of these many years ago when I was a child and lived out in the country. There were many inches of snow and school was closed for several days. I remember Mom putting a chalkboard out in the front yard snow that said," March 20, the first day of spring." We all went out and built a huge snow man and packed it tight, so it lasted for many days after the rest of the snow had melted.
We had a red sky this morning, so something is on its way.

Diane Amberg · March 20, 2016, 09:20:42 AM

It must be hiding.We had some wet sloppy stuff yesterday evening, but so far no sign of the main storm. If it ever gets organized and runs up past us, we're still expected to get three or so inches. We'll see.
We went to a neighboring fire company's buffet breakfast this morning.They have one on the third Sunday of most months.Very tasty as always. St.19, Hockessin (Hoe-kess- in) is in mushroom growing country, so they make a great mushroom omelet for their buffet.
Enjoy Palm Sunday.