Cinco de Mayo

Not Mexican Independence Day which is September 16.

I had another tennis marathon week last week. With USTA and Thursday mixed doubles I played 13 sets and a 10 point tiebreaker. It was a lot of tennis and I had to take Sunday off to recuperate. It was a good thing to do for my body, but it also meant that I didn't get on my bicycle. So far, Unky Herb has been doing the biking from the house where we live.

My main excitement of the day (other than the tennis at Wooddale) was a long walk to Kowalski's to buy tofu, onions and Matt's chocolate chip cookies. It would be nice if I could make it exciting, but it was mainly just a nice day with the temperature in the mid-60's. The chocolate chip cookies are very good and a favorite of KS and are also made of natural ingredients which meets the approval of the greens in the building where I live.

Package from India

The postman bought us notice of a package about noon with the other mail. Ms KS knew that it was one of the several packages that she had mailed to herself from Japan and India. We went to fetch the package from the post office, and this is the parcel they gave up. It's the one from India. Apparently when you mail packages from India, you must leave them for a while while they wrap them up in white cotton cloth. The wrapping is sewn shut and the addresses are written on the cloth. An interesting system.



I used iPhoto to mess with the image. I obliterated part of the address on the package with the retouch option.

I played two sets of tennis tonight with Jerry and the hardcore girls. It was pretty good tennis and Jerry seems to be doing well with his treatments. He has eight more days to go. I'm in the second day of a four consecutive day string of tennis matches. I'm already a little fatigued, but I'll get a good night's sleep and I'll be good to go again tomorrow.

Cruelty Ends

"April is the cruelest month, breeding
Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing
Memory and desire, stirring
Dull roots with spring rain." -T.S. Eliot. "The Wasteland"

One of the older gentlemen that I play tennis with is a retired American Literature professor from North Dakota State University (or whatever institute of higher learning is in Fargo). Last week, when it snowed and acted like it was about to become blizzard, I repeated the "cruelest month" line as we were beginning a session of indoor tennis. Tonight after three sets outside in almost ideal weather (except for some unwelcome wind), he presented me a copy of the first page of TSE's epic poem. It's a poem he taught and has a special affinity for. I keyed in the lines for the poetry lovers out there. My gang of geezers contains some members of the literati. And a stock broker.

We move on to May and the promise of warmth and active days of summer life.

One of yesterday's photos (below) was of part of the St Paul Cathedral with U.S. and Minnesota flags flapping in the breeze. Church and state, if you will.



KS has been surveying the back yard and making plans to convert it to a native plant garden. Just hearing her plans makes my back ache. I'm hoping that the labor for her project comes from laborers below the age when Social Security checks are an option. A fervent hope.

Biking Breaks Out

Having a day off from tennis, I decided to get in my first day of biking in April. I pumped up my tires and the tires of KS's Bianchi and set off. Once around the block convinced me that my odometer/speedometer was set wrong (and that I needed another layer of clothes). I found the directions for the computer and punched in the right tire size, grabbed a jacket and set off to see if I could meet my April mileage goal (get into double figures). The photo is at the far end of my ride, at the St Paul Cathedral and takes in the long view of the Minnesota Capitol, where the legislature is in session. " No man nor his money are safe while the legislature is in session." Some Wise Fellow. I have another day to up my mileage to something more respectable, too.



It is flat tire season in Minnesota. KS took her bike to go over to Macalester to help burn the prairie grass there. She had been gone for ten minutes when she called from the Sinclair station on Grand and Hamline with bad news. The recently reinflated rear tire had gone flat and she was late for the burning. I drove over to rescue her and the Bianchi and get her to the fires. The rear tire was indeed flat. Very flat. She had to arrive at the burning in a Toyota rather than on her more greenish bicycle, but otherwise all appears well.

Goonies

Life is a little more normal today. The weather is not normal, but it is Minnesota and one must take that into consideration. Below are the younger generation gooning around in the living room, mugging for the camera, and generally being themselves.

I played some tennis tonight and it was inside the Wooddale Tennis Center. Usually we would be outside by now, but we've pushed it back to Wednesday now.

Home Girl

After a very nice day to welcome KS home, we have fallen into a weather funk. We have been able to do some essential errands - renewing driver's license, etc. - and now we have to endure April's last practical jokes. The TV weather creatures are predicting some snow for tonight. I can hardly wait.


The onset of my personal bike season has been postponed again. At least I have had one session of outdoor tennis this month. Soon the USTA season begins and it'll be mainly played in the great outdoors. I'm playing on two teams in the summer session - the mixed doubles team and the Super Senior men's league. I think that I'll be able to handle the physical demands of the schedule.

At the Airport

The Kagami Sensei has returned. The photo below shows most of the welcoming party at something after midnight last night. I was there as photographer and greeter, too.



It was a great day weatherwise in the Saintly City to welcome the traveler back to the US of A. There was no time for tennis, but we strolled the neighborhood, looking for changes, enjoying the weather, and talking about the trip to India. The details of her trip belong to her and will likely be visited some on her Xanga blog. She also has photos to share, and some jet lag to overcome. It's good to have her home.

Waiting for the Flower

The crocuses are still blooming on a fine spring day in Minnesota, while I wait for the arrival of the traveler.



She just called from Chi-town. She's on a flight - UA463 - arriving tonight at about midnight. The flight had been delayed 45 minutes, long enough for her to get in, through customs, and get a ticket change. I'm off to the airport with Unky Herb. Yay!!!

Maple Leaf Buds

The sugar maple in my backyard is sprouting these bud like structures that will soon become leaves. A horde of insects were milling about, too, but they didn't stray into the frame. These beauties are a sure sign of spring.



It was a busy day today. I actually raked some leaves and toted them off to the leaf recycling center on Pleasant Avenue. The temperature rose to 77, I think the first day in the 70's for the year. I was able to actually raise a sweat while rearranging the leaves. A first for the great outdoors this year. And tonight there is the sound of thunder in the air - our first thunderstorm of the spring.

I played tennis at Wooddale again tonight at 6:30. It was a good group and all were sufficiently motivated to make for some memorable points. We finished two sets, 6-4, 7-6, and no blood was spilled. We were visited by the hardcore Jerry, who usually plays on Monday, but took a breather tonight. He'll back in action on Thursday, he assures me.

There are only 36 hours until the anticipated return stateside of the former English teacher and part time traveler. We are hoping for good weather and smooth flying for the soon to be jet lagged KS.

First Outdoor Singles of the Spring

It was a nice day, nice enough for the first outdoors tennis.   Rich is in town and wanted to play singles so we found this court in Mendota Heights and played for a while.  There was some wind, and the sun was shining into the eyes of the server on the north end of the court, but the sky was blue, and a long ways up there.  Lobbing is a different experience outside, and so are overhead smashes.

We played about an hour of tennis before my calf cramped up (again) and we quit.  I was reminded that singles is a more physical game and requires a different level of fitness.  And a few more ibuprofen as preventative.  It was nice to be outside on a day like today.