It's Lieutenant Dan!

Not really! It's Lieutenant Hugh!

Hugh was promoted recently, and the family attended the pinning ceremony celebrating this achievement on Tuesday evening.

Hugh had warned me that I would be doing the pinning, which was a terrible idea considering the fact that I have never managed to pin so much as a boutonniere without drawing blood.

Luckily, Oscar has a long history of bloodless pinnning, so I deferred to his superior skillset and handled the camera, which is more in my wheelhouse.

Plus, I love that Oscar gets to pin his son, given his history in the fire service. Their shared love for the work is commendable and should be recognized.

I love these side-by-side photos of Oscar and Hugh, each captured at the site of actual fires, and taken decades apart.

Congratulations, Lieutenant Dan Hugh!

Weekend Snipets

I had a busy and productive weekend, which was both necessary and rewarding.

I started by picking up my bedding plants from the nursery on Thursday afternoon. The selection this year left something to be desired, but I did manage to find some purple petunias that looked healthy enough.

On Friday morning, I commenced with power washing the porch. The project took the better part of the day, with a quick break to run into Hooterville for soil conditioner and potting soil. I also picked up Chinese take-out, so that I wouldn't have to cook dinner.

By the time I was finished, my hand was sore and stiff, as was my back, but, I had a pretty, clean porch as a reward for my efforts.

Saturday morning, I finished arranging the furniture on the porch and tackled the mess in my garden shed.

Then I got busy planting the petunias into my grandfather's old wheelbarrow.

Once that was accomplished, I headed to the garden, where I spent the next several hours amending the soil in my raised beds with the soil conditioner that Hugh and I had purchased the previous day. The Happy Frog soil conditioner that I got was a rich black color, with generous green streaks, thanks to the bat guano in it. Sounds gross, but should add a ton of nitrogen to the soil, which should improve the quality of my vegetables.

I mostly planted seeds this year, with the exception of five heirloom tomato varieties and four types of peppers. 

I had to giggle when I discovered a volunteer zinnia that had sprung up from last year's wedding flower experiment. I decided to work around it, and I'm hoping it will bloom.

I finished with the planting just in time to jump in the shower in order to be ready for dinner and a play at the community theater with Mom later that evening.

We chose to eat at a brewery in Hooterville and invited Hugh to join us, although he had opted not to join us at the play.

It was his loss, because the theater company's production of A Walk in the Woods was amazing.

Sunday morning, I slept in before grabbing a cup of coffee to savor while enjoying the view of the porch. The day was predicted to be chilly, but the wind hadn't started to blow yet, so the morning was pleasant.

I spent the remainder of the morning washing and filling my hummingbird feeders and getting them hung up before going into the hardware store to run payroll and pay bills.

Then Hugh and I went into Hooterville to make an appearance at a crawfish boil hosted by one of the firemen from Hugh's station. I am no fan of eating bugs, but Hugh was stoked.

I made him take me to Culvers for dinner after we left the party but not before stopping at a local mattress store to try out a new mattress.

Our old mattress is too soft for our aging bodies, so we were in the market for something more firm. We didn't intend to make a purchase, but wanted to know what we wanted prior to the upcoming Memorial Day sales. However, the mattress we liked best was already on sale, so we went ahead and pulled the trigger on the purchase. The new mattress will be delivered Friday.

And, that was our weekend. I'm thrilled that I accomplished everything on my To-Do List and that the porch is now ready for the season. The first event of the year-our June Bunco game-is scheduled for the 5th.

Coronation Weekend

This past Friday, Hugh and I loaded Oscar and Emily into the car for the journey to Colorado Springs, where Hugh would be accepting his nomination and induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as Official of the Year for the Colorado Chapter.

Mom, Shanti, and the Man-Cub weren't far behind us, but they had to make a quick detour to my aunt's house to pick up a surprise before arriving at the hotel where we were staying, and where the festivities would be taking place the following evening.

Once Oscar, Emily, Hugh, and I were checked in, I suggested that we grab a drink in the bar downstairs...

...and Hugh's "surprise" arrived shortly after.

Queen B and Mom had been planning this surprise for months, and they pulled it off beautifully. It can be tough to get something by Hugh, so their success is worth noting.

We had reservations at an authentic German restaurant that Oscar and Emily suggested later that evening, so we threw up the third row of seats in the Tahoe, and managed to get us all there in one car.

The Edelweiss did not disappoint! In addition to the roaming accordion player, the food was tasty and plentiful.

We started with a sampler that included sauerkraut balls, schnitzel bites, smoked salmon, melon with prosciutto, bratwurst, rye bread with honey mustard, spicy mustard, and Rahm sauce. Everyone got a little taste of something they enjoyed.

 

The traditional dinner salad included pickled beets, potato salad, cucumbers, and some salad greens, so that was a little different from what we are all used to.

I ventured away from the authentic German for my entree, choosing chicken cordon bleu instead of one of the various schnitzel options. I wasn't unhappy with my choice.

After dinner, Hugh, the kids, and I bid the grandparents all goodnight, then went to the bar for nightcaps before calling it a night, ourselves.

We slept in a bit on Saturday, then visited a local mall for some shopping before returning to the hotel to get ready for the night's festivities.

My people clean up pretty well!

In addition to our crew, we welcomed my Aunts and Uncles from the Springs and Denver area; they are big fans of Hugh and were excited to take part in honoring him.

The Association did a great job with both the awards ceremony and dinner; over five hundred people were present, and they managed to feed everyone in record time.

The drinks were also flowing, which is how I ended up with a camera roll of funny candid shots, courtesy of the Man-Cub, who had possession of my camera for ninety percent of the evening.

It was a truly wonderful evening for Hugh, and we are all extremely proud of him.

He would like you all to know that I do realize that it wasn't a coronation, however.

Eh, semantics.

Talk Derby to Me

In the spirit of this past weekend's Kentucky Derby, I donned my most festive hat for Bunco, which had a Derby theme. I quickly discovered that I am not a giant hat girlie, nor am I a fan of the Mint Julep. Also, I "won" the prize for most losses, which means that I left the party with what I refer to as the "quarter bag of shame" (five bucks in quarters that I am required to return at the next Bunco night) again this month. 

My hat was cute, though.

Also keeping with the Derby theme was this season's Pickin' at the Pea. 

In addition to the usual, quirky decor, the vendors sprinkled in several homages to the Derby, including some authentic jockey silks and a massive poster of Secretariat. It was all pretty cool, and I have no idea how I managed to miss taking pictures, but I did.

Anyhoodle, I did snap a few pictures of the things that made me smile, so there's that.

 

Like always, the Mennonite ladies were at the sale with their famously delicious donuts, and we started the day with a donut and coffee from the Mennonite family that makes it the old-fashioned, slow-drip way.

They are a lovely couple, and they remember us from each sale. This time, Hugh was officiating a baseball game, so he was unable to join Mom, Kristi, and me; the couple was quick to inquire about his absence, since he is usually the one who stands in their line for our coffees. I love living in a small community where people recognize one another and genuinely care about what you're up to.

As I toured the vendor booths, this Santa caught my attention; it was a vintage promotional display from the 60's or 70's and was in perfect condition. If I had somewhere to display him, I might have been tempted to buy him. Not for the asking price of $325, however.

What I was tempted to buy was this gorgeous painting in this massive frame. I first spotted it on Facebook, in the promotional photos for the sale, and actively sought it out when I got there. The price was a bit steep, so I decided to cruise the rest of the vendor booths to see if the urge to purchase it would pass. My mantra at sales like this is simple: if I am undecided on a purchase, I walk away for some time; if it's still there when I return, it is meant to be, if not, then c'est la vie.

While I was cruising the sale, I took in both the sights and the smells, including the sweet aroma wafting from the kettle corn vendor and the scent of lilacs from the numerous arrangements scattered throughout the venue. I absolutely adore lilacs and wish Hugh and I had been able to convince them to grow in our yard when we attempted it decades ago. Sadly, that was not meant to be.

As I mentioned earlier, the venue was decorated in the quirky style for which the Pea is known. This mannequin cracked me up. Why the giant carrot? The world may never know.

Anyhoodle, it was another great day at the Pea.

And, I did purchase the painting.

Because, of course, I did.