If you saw my little island/giant flowerbed, which is currently filled with an abundance of yellow flowers (yellow Asiatic lillies and marigolds, soon to be joined by yellow day lillies), you'd think that I like the colour yellow. Ordinarily, you'd be right - it's such a sunny, cheerful colour. But right now, not so much. For the past few weeks, this part of the world has been blanketed in cough- and sneeze-inducing pollen. There has been yellow pollen everywhere, getting into my eyes and dust whenever I'm outside (making walking and working in the garden rather unpleasant, instead of enjoyable). The abundance is apparently thanks to the many days of rain we had in the winter months. It's lovely to see so many trees flowering and covered with green leaves, but enough with the pollen, already! We had quite a bit of rain yesterday - hopefully that has washed away the bulk of the powder.
The flowers are looking pretty and very colourful, but weeds are also flourishing because of the recent rain we've had, so I'm going to have to launch a counter-attack. Some neighbourhood cats seem to think my flowerbed is a huge litterbox just for them, which is extremely aggravating (not to mention disgustingly smelly), so I'm also trying to outsmart them. I read something a few weeks ago about using pine cones to keep cats out of gardens, because the thorns hurt their paws, so Jonathan has been collecting pine cones from our backyard to put in the island.
Bruce and I bought "Seeds in a Blanket" two weeks ago and are now waiting to see if it works. The "blanket" is a roll of flower seeds that you unroll and lay on a bed of earth and then water twice a day until the seeds start sprouting. The assortment of flowers are supposed to attract butterflies and hummingbirds. We put it in the sideyard in order to add some colour to that bare spot, but that area is not very sunny because of two big trees, so I'm not sure if the seeds will get enough sun to flourish. Since this is an experiment, I might find another growing spot next year if this one isn't a success. But I enjoy the experience of planting something and waiting to see what happens, so even if this doesn't work, at least I'll have learned something.
We went to the Dogwood Festival with the Jacksons last Sunday morning. The Dogwood Festival (http://www.dogwood.org/About_Us.php), an arts and crafts exhibition/sale at Piedmont Park in Atlanta, is one of the biggest of its kind in this part of the country, according to Bruce. There were some really incredible pieces on display/sale - made me wish we had oodles of money. There were beautiful paintings, photographs, glass lamps and wall hangings, woven aluminium, pottery, jewellery ... among my favourites: paintings of African wildlife by a woman who draws large portraits of different animals (giraffe, zebra, elephant) and then fills them with tiny drawings of everything relevant to that animal. For example, in a close-up of a giraffe's face, which in itself was beautifully done, she drew a small giraffe in one of the eyes, symbolising the mother's connection to her baby, who was reflected in that eye. She drew the trees that the giraffe pulls leaves from for food, aboriginal drawings found in caves near where the giraffes live, a drawing of a lion, which is the main predator of the giraffe ... the details were amazing and beautifully rendered. If I remember correctly, she even made the parchment, on which the animals were drawn, herself.
Another woman painted lovely depictions of people on hammocks, and then took that a step further by attaching the ends of real hammocks to the edges of the painting, so that they looked like they were joined to the painted hammock in her artwork. That's the same sort of theme in another of my favourites, that I've seen before - a husband and wife team combining painting and photography: the husband takes photos (nature shots) and frames them, and then the wife carries the photo outwards onto the frame by painting the same rocks, trees, etc. on the frame. Such a good idea and very well rendered.
The weather made it a perfect day to be wandering around outside - clear blue sky, warm (but not hot) sunshine and a cool breeze to keep temperatures enjoyable. I'm glad we were there in the morning, before it got too crowded. I don't particularly enjoy having to push my way through throngs of people in order to be able to look at art.
I had more thoughts, but I'll save that for another post - this one is already a week late and Beau is nagging me because it's already almost 10:00 in the morning here and we haven't got walking yet.
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Colour, colour, everywhere ...
... and spring once again renews spirits dulled by cold, gray winter.
I spent hours this weekend in the garden, digging up weeds and uprooting the encroaching grass in the little island that is my oversized flower bed. For months now the island has been looking brown and sad, covered by dead leaves and leafless branches. I left it unraked because my theory is that leaves fall and coat the floor of a forest all winter to protect the bulbs and roots in the ground until the earth warms as spring approaches, so they shouldn't be removed until winter is over. Of course, with the way temperatures have been jumping and then diving in the last few weeks, it didn't seem very safe to go by the calendar when deciding if spring was actually here towards the end of March. We usually have warmer temperatures followed by a day or two of below freezing temperatures in April, so I'm never sure when it's safe to plant spring flowers. But the last week has been so warm, with temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s F ( (about 25-27 Celsius), that I couldn't resist the incredibly colourful flowers any longer.
Bruce and I bought several different kinds of flowers (not enough, in his opinion, but since I was the one doing all the digging and planting, he didn't really have a say in the amount) - three yellow Asiatic lillies, two bunches of purple petunias(with white borders), 18 little bunches of yellow marigolds and a mixture of red, pink and white impatiens (also 18 small bunches of those). There was one more tall flowering plant with pretty orange flowers, but it had no label so I'll have to find out what it's called when we buy some more.
There was such a lot of raking to be done that I decided to do it in small amounts. I raked and cleared an area in the island and planted several bunches of flowers, watering them as they were planed. Then I moved on to the next area. It was tiring, back-hurting work and my legs & shoulders are aching now, but because I did the clearing, digging and planting (not to mention watering) over two days, it wasn't too bad and the beautiful flowers were definitely worth the hard work. It is amazing what a difference flowers make to a garden. The colours are so cheerful and the garden suddenly looks so different. I love looking out the window now, and also love the way the garden looks as we drive towards the house.
We're trying something new this year. One of the stores is selling seeds in a blanket-type thing. You are supposed to unroll the "blanket", lay it on the ground where you want the flowers and then water it. The embedded seeds are supposed to grow over several weeks and then suddenly you have a flower garden for butterflies and hummingbirds! It sounds too good to be true but I wanted to give it a try, so that will be my project next weekend. If it works, I'll post photos. I'll take some of the flowers I planted this weekend, as well - wanted to give the plants a chance to take root.
I spent hours this weekend in the garden, digging up weeds and uprooting the encroaching grass in the little island that is my oversized flower bed. For months now the island has been looking brown and sad, covered by dead leaves and leafless branches. I left it unraked because my theory is that leaves fall and coat the floor of a forest all winter to protect the bulbs and roots in the ground until the earth warms as spring approaches, so they shouldn't be removed until winter is over. Of course, with the way temperatures have been jumping and then diving in the last few weeks, it didn't seem very safe to go by the calendar when deciding if spring was actually here towards the end of March. We usually have warmer temperatures followed by a day or two of below freezing temperatures in April, so I'm never sure when it's safe to plant spring flowers. But the last week has been so warm, with temperatures in the high 70s to low 80s F ( (about 25-27 Celsius), that I couldn't resist the incredibly colourful flowers any longer.
Bruce and I bought several different kinds of flowers (not enough, in his opinion, but since I was the one doing all the digging and planting, he didn't really have a say in the amount) - three yellow Asiatic lillies, two bunches of purple petunias(with white borders), 18 little bunches of yellow marigolds and a mixture of red, pink and white impatiens (also 18 small bunches of those). There was one more tall flowering plant with pretty orange flowers, but it had no label so I'll have to find out what it's called when we buy some more.
There was such a lot of raking to be done that I decided to do it in small amounts. I raked and cleared an area in the island and planted several bunches of flowers, watering them as they were planed. Then I moved on to the next area. It was tiring, back-hurting work and my legs & shoulders are aching now, but because I did the clearing, digging and planting (not to mention watering) over two days, it wasn't too bad and the beautiful flowers were definitely worth the hard work. It is amazing what a difference flowers make to a garden. The colours are so cheerful and the garden suddenly looks so different. I love looking out the window now, and also love the way the garden looks as we drive towards the house.
We're trying something new this year. One of the stores is selling seeds in a blanket-type thing. You are supposed to unroll the "blanket", lay it on the ground where you want the flowers and then water it. The embedded seeds are supposed to grow over several weeks and then suddenly you have a flower garden for butterflies and hummingbirds! It sounds too good to be true but I wanted to give it a try, so that will be my project next weekend. If it works, I'll post photos. I'll take some of the flowers I planted this weekend, as well - wanted to give the plants a chance to take root.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!!!
I am so tired of ignorant people. People who won't think for themselves, who won't ask questions and find answers for themselves instead of only listening to rumour mongers. Perhaps I shouldn't be fed up and irritated. Perhaps I should feel sorry for them. It could be they are not educated enough to read/listen and comprehend what they read/hear. But I think it's just laziness - people want to be fed summaries of the day's news, preferably by biased commentators who mirror their own anger and ignorance. Or maybe it's ADD (attention deficit disorder). People have such short attention spans that they want to be fed the news in short bursts (which probably explains the appeal of Twitter or, better yet, Cliff notes - why actually read a book when you can buy a summary?).
What brought this on is the Healthcare reform bill that passed yesterday. People protesting it in recent days and weeks have reminded me of those who call for the banning of books and movies. I can guarantee the majority of people demanding that books be banned are like the mother who wanted all Harry Potter books banned from her child's school library - she hadn't read a single Harry Potter book but she just knew they would be bad for her daughter because they were aboutwitches! And wizards! Why bother finding out for herself what the books were actually like by reading them? Why bother listening to the hundreds of thousands of parents who were delighted when their children were finally enjoying reading, who had at last discovered the magic of books and the power of the imagination because of J.K. Rowling's delightful compositions? Why would anyone want to listen to another viewpoint or understand something for yourself when it's so much simpler to let others do the thinking for you? Ugh!
I am just as certain that the majority of people ranting and raving about the bill today (whatever their political leaning) have not read it from start to finish (including all the amendments). They are working off the soundbites of some news commentators - not newscasters or journalists, mind you, just opinionaters. People who deliver their opinions with a strong bias that was in existence before they even understood what was in the bill.
I don't doubt there are things in the bill anyone and everyone will be upset over, because no one can please everybody. But people latch on to one or two points (usually lies) highlighted by their favourite news commentator - e.g. "They're creating death panels to kill off old people so they won't have to look after them as they age!!!" or "The bill supports public funding of abortion!!!" (both so wrong ), and that sets them off. They organize rabid meetings and marches, where they yell hurtful, sick things at people they now regard as their enemy, not fellow citizen, they rant and rave like crazed creatures ...
Over and over again, biased commentators have been saying "73% of Americans don't want this bill!", even though the most recent poll showed that the divide was almost even - something like 46% against, 45% for. The way people cherry pick what they do and don't want to highlight bugs me.
Before yesterday's vote, the Republican party said the bill should be completely dismantled and everybody should start from the beginning. That suggested there was absolutely nothing in the bill they could agree with - even though some of the items in the bill were things they had suggested. They were in power for eight years and did nothing about healthcare reform, after defeating it when Bill Clinton was president, because the fact was they didn't want healthcare reform. So it was clear that no matter what was in the bill, they would have protested and would never have voted for it. Yesterday proved that. Yet they kept trying to pretend that they would be supportive if everyone went back to square one. Square one, where they have been for decades.
People in America are free to protest. I think that is amazing and wonderful. It's definitely a right Americans should be proud of. But is it too much to ask that they protest with a little intelligence and understanding of the full story, not just one or two soundbites? Would President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats have had to resort to passing the bil the way they did if the Republicans have been more open to change?
It seems to me, as I read different reports, editorials and opinions, and as I watch what Republicans have had to say, that some of them are going to say no to anything the president says just because he's a Democrat. They are determined to be back in power, so they are going to do all they can to scare their supporters. And that is what is driving the angry, protesting people, in my opinion, be they Republicans, Democrats or Independents - they are afraid, and fear is a powerful motivator. But it's not fear of evil, it's fear of change, fear of the unknown. Plain and simple. People are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing the way of life they've known, and they've decided that healthcare reform and Barack Obama are responsible for all their woes. They don't fully know what the healthcare bill contains and they don't want to know. They can't be bothered to understand what healthcare in this country will be like in a decade or two if nothing is done. They are the people who don't want their cheese moved (http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/ - a good book that, guess what, I actually read, all by myself, without having someone else tell me what it was about).
I still think Barack Obama is a good president, that he really is trying to be president and representative of all the people, not just some, and I think he's the right man for the job, despite his citizens. Yes, despite them, because I don't think many of them understand just how intelligent and far-sighted this man is. I know they have no idea how much he has to deal with. If more Americans would read a little more, if they would get out of their insular worlds a little bit, they would begin to understand how many expectations people have of their president and how much they, and people from other countries, demand of him, of any American president. I just wish people would read more, listen more and think more. More students need to be taught to think and to listen to different viewpoints before forming an intelligent, educated opinion.
What brought this on is the Healthcare reform bill that passed yesterday. People protesting it in recent days and weeks have reminded me of those who call for the banning of books and movies. I can guarantee the majority of people demanding that books be banned are like the mother who wanted all Harry Potter books banned from her child's school library - she hadn't read a single Harry Potter book but she just knew they would be bad for her daughter because they were about
I am just as certain that the majority of people ranting and raving about the bill today (whatever their political leaning) have not read it from start to finish (including all the amendments). They are working off the soundbites of some news commentators - not newscasters or journalists, mind you, just opinionaters. People who deliver their opinions with a strong bias that was in existence before they even understood what was in the bill.
I don't doubt there are things in the bill anyone and everyone will be upset over, because no one can please everybody. But people latch on to one or two points (usually lies) highlighted by their favourite news commentator - e.g. "They're creating death panels to kill off old people so they won't have to look after them as they age!!!" or "The bill supports public funding of abortion!!!" (both so wrong ), and that sets them off. They organize rabid meetings and marches, where they yell hurtful, sick things at people they now regard as their enemy, not fellow citizen, they rant and rave like crazed creatures ...
Over and over again, biased commentators have been saying "73% of Americans don't want this bill!", even though the most recent poll showed that the divide was almost even - something like 46% against, 45% for. The way people cherry pick what they do and don't want to highlight bugs me.
Before yesterday's vote, the Republican party said the bill should be completely dismantled and everybody should start from the beginning. That suggested there was absolutely nothing in the bill they could agree with - even though some of the items in the bill were things they had suggested. They were in power for eight years and did nothing about healthcare reform, after defeating it when Bill Clinton was president, because the fact was they didn't want healthcare reform. So it was clear that no matter what was in the bill, they would have protested and would never have voted for it. Yesterday proved that. Yet they kept trying to pretend that they would be supportive if everyone went back to square one. Square one, where they have been for decades.
People in America are free to protest. I think that is amazing and wonderful. It's definitely a right Americans should be proud of. But is it too much to ask that they protest with a little intelligence and understanding of the full story, not just one or two soundbites? Would President Obama, Speaker Pelosi and other Democrats have had to resort to passing the bil the way they did if the Republicans have been more open to change?
It seems to me, as I read different reports, editorials and opinions, and as I watch what Republicans have had to say, that some of them are going to say no to anything the president says just because he's a Democrat. They are determined to be back in power, so they are going to do all they can to scare their supporters. And that is what is driving the angry, protesting people, in my opinion, be they Republicans, Democrats or Independents - they are afraid, and fear is a powerful motivator. But it's not fear of evil, it's fear of change, fear of the unknown. Plain and simple. People are afraid of losing their jobs, losing their homes, losing the way of life they've known, and they've decided that healthcare reform and Barack Obama are responsible for all their woes. They don't fully know what the healthcare bill contains and they don't want to know. They can't be bothered to understand what healthcare in this country will be like in a decade or two if nothing is done. They are the people who don't want their cheese moved (http://www.whomovedmycheese.com/ - a good book that, guess what, I actually read, all by myself, without having someone else tell me what it was about).
I still think Barack Obama is a good president, that he really is trying to be president and representative of all the people, not just some, and I think he's the right man for the job, despite his citizens. Yes, despite them, because I don't think many of them understand just how intelligent and far-sighted this man is. I know they have no idea how much he has to deal with. If more Americans would read a little more, if they would get out of their insular worlds a little bit, they would begin to understand how many expectations people have of their president and how much they, and people from other countries, demand of him, of any American president. I just wish people would read more, listen more and think more. More students need to be taught to think and to listen to different viewpoints before forming an intelligent, educated opinion.
Friday, February 12, 2010
It's back!
There is a wintry wonderland outside, and I believe it fell today specifically to celebrate Mummy and Yaso's shared birthday. Snow has been falling steadily for about six hours, and it's actually settled this time - there is at least two inches of snow all over our neighbourhood. It's on the grass, bushes and trees, and everything looks so lovely.
Bruce and I both work from home on Fridays, and happily the snow waited until today to get here. That meant we didn't have to contend with the crazy people on the roads who get nervous and think any snow on the road is dangerous, even when temperatures are above freezing and there is thus no ice on the road yet. Tomorrow, however, will probably be another story. Temperatures are now at about freezing point, or slightly below, which means roads will most likely be icy in the morning. It should melt by the time the sun has been up for a few hours, though, since temperatures are expected to be above freezing. And at least we're not in Washington, D.C., where they've had record snowfall and are only now beginning to dig out of the mess. I don't think I ever want to live that far up north.
Happy birthday to the two February 12 gals - we'll have fun in the snow on your behalf!
Bruce and I both work from home on Fridays, and happily the snow waited until today to get here. That meant we didn't have to contend with the crazy people on the roads who get nervous and think any snow on the road is dangerous, even when temperatures are above freezing and there is thus no ice on the road yet. Tomorrow, however, will probably be another story. Temperatures are now at about freezing point, or slightly below, which means roads will most likely be icy in the morning. It should melt by the time the sun has been up for a few hours, though, since temperatures are expected to be above freezing. And at least we're not in Washington, D.C., where they've had record snowfall and are only now beginning to dig out of the mess. I don't think I ever want to live that far up north.
Happy birthday to the two February 12 gals - we'll have fun in the snow on your behalf!
Monday, February 8, 2010
Touchdown!
Bruce and I had SUCH a fun Sunday!
Yesterday was Super Bowl day here in the land of that other football - the final Americal football game of the season, featuring the two teams that hung on to the very end. The favourites to win were the Indianapolis Colts, but sentimental saps like me were rooting for the underdogs, the New Orleans Saints. The sentimentality was there because of the devastation caused in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, from which the state is still struggling to recover. A win for them would have been fabulous for the people of New Orleans. Add to that the interesting fact that the quarterback for the Colts is actually from New Orleans, so he was playing against his hometown. Ooh, the drama!
For that reason, I was actually interested in this year's Super Bowl, even though t it isn't real football. Despite having lived here for eight football seasons now, I hadn't yet watched a Super Bowl. But yesterday, Bruce and I did. And I understand now why it is such an event here. It was such a good game!
But first, a summary of the rest of the day ...
The last time we went out with Bruce's mother, Nell-Ann, and his stepfather, Benson, was a couple of weeks ago when we had lunch at Penang (the restaurant, not the state) with them, the Jacksons (and their daughter Sarah), Jason, Caroline (his wife), Jonathan and Claire (his girlfriend). That was a highly enjoyable occasion, and Bruce's mother expressed a wish to have that sort of a get-together again and also see the house that Jason and Caroline are renting (because they'll be moving in August to a smaller place). Jason and Caroline live in Athens (the one here, not in Greece - that would have been quite a drive), which is a student town that I like a great deal.
Nell-Ann appointed me the social director and assigned me the task of getting everyone together in Athens. Everyone was free for lunch yesterday, so that's when we did the deed (with the exception of Claire, unfortunately, who is away at university). Jonathan rode with Bruce and me, and we stopped at Conyers along the way to pick up Nell-Ann and Benson. The Jacksons (with both their daughters this time - Sarah and Nikki) met us at Jason and Caroline's place. After we had all seen the house and played with their dogs, we left in a convoy for the restaurant (Mama's Boy) , with Jason leading the way. The food was yummy and the conversation was good (and noisy, as you can imagine, with that big a group - 11 of us in total). It was an excellent get-together and that in itself would have made for a lovely day, but there was more.
While we left for Conyers, to drop Nell-Ann and Benson off at their home, the Jacksons and Jason went into Athens to look at some of the shops. Amy and John were then going to come back to our house to spend the evening with us. When we got to Conyers, Benson gave us a little tour of some mansions that had recently been built. Conyers is a lovely town but it's out in the country and not quite where you'd imagine a bunch of mansions being built. As Benson said, it'd make more sense for them to be in Atlanta. However, there they were. Not just mansions but almost mini castles, in some cases. They were huge. A few were so pretty. Starting sale price? $12 million. Yes, million.
After that dream detour, we went to Nell-Ann and Benson's house. We spent a little time there - Bruce and Jonathan had some coffee and we chatted for a while - then the three of us left so that we'd be back in Snellville before the Jacksons reached our house. That was a nice treat. Usually, when we're in Conyers, it's for Christmas and the house is full of people and conversation, but we don't actually get to talk very much with Nell-Ann and Benson, so we enjoyed the extra time we spent with them.
Then we were at home, joined shortly by Amy and John (Sarah and Nikki had other plans), and soon it was Super Bowl time. We had a blast! Amy is exactly like Leela is when she watches football, so Amy and I were making lots of noise cheering (when the Saints did well) and groaning (when the Colts took the lead).
The biggest difference between American football and the real thing is how much longer it takes to play a game of American football. They keep stopping! But that makes watching the Super Bowl on TV fun - the TV commercials become almost as big a deal as the game itself! There is a commercial every few minutes, but because it's the Super Bowl, these specially-made advertisements are usually interesting, funny or unusual. Although it can take several hours before you get to the end of the game, the commercials keep you entertained.
So, the Colts were ahead. But then, woo hoo! The Saints came back with a vengeance! First one touchdown and a nail-biting conversion that they were finally awarded after much deliberation, putting them ahead of the colts, and then an absolutely astounding, eye-opening, scream-causing touchdown that pushed them 14 points ahead of the Colts. The Colts would have needed two touchdowns in less than five minutes to catch up with the Saints, and thank goodness they didn't get there.
It was so exciting! And so much fun to watch the game with Jonathan and the Jacksons! I can understand now why people have Super Bowl parties. Watching sports with other people makes it that much more enjoyable. And the Jacksons are always such good company, anyway. Plus, this was a particularly good game, I think. I don't know if they are all that nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat exciting, but this one definitely was worth spending several hours on.
So, yesterday was a splendiferous day, one that Bruce and I will probably remember for a long time.
Yesterday was Super Bowl day here in the land of that other football - the final Americal football game of the season, featuring the two teams that hung on to the very end. The favourites to win were the Indianapolis Colts, but sentimental saps like me were rooting for the underdogs, the New Orleans Saints. The sentimentality was there because of the devastation caused in New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina, from which the state is still struggling to recover. A win for them would have been fabulous for the people of New Orleans. Add to that the interesting fact that the quarterback for the Colts is actually from New Orleans, so he was playing against his hometown. Ooh, the drama!
For that reason, I was actually interested in this year's Super Bowl, even though t it isn't real football. Despite having lived here for eight football seasons now, I hadn't yet watched a Super Bowl. But yesterday, Bruce and I did. And I understand now why it is such an event here. It was such a good game!
But first, a summary of the rest of the day ...
The last time we went out with Bruce's mother, Nell-Ann, and his stepfather, Benson, was a couple of weeks ago when we had lunch at Penang (the restaurant, not the state) with them, the Jacksons (and their daughter Sarah), Jason, Caroline (his wife), Jonathan and Claire (his girlfriend). That was a highly enjoyable occasion, and Bruce's mother expressed a wish to have that sort of a get-together again and also see the house that Jason and Caroline are renting (because they'll be moving in August to a smaller place). Jason and Caroline live in Athens (the one here, not in Greece - that would have been quite a drive), which is a student town that I like a great deal.
Nell-Ann appointed me the social director and assigned me the task of getting everyone together in Athens. Everyone was free for lunch yesterday, so that's when we did the deed (with the exception of Claire, unfortunately, who is away at university). Jonathan rode with Bruce and me, and we stopped at Conyers along the way to pick up Nell-Ann and Benson. The Jacksons (with both their daughters this time - Sarah and Nikki) met us at Jason and Caroline's place. After we had all seen the house and played with their dogs, we left in a convoy for the restaurant (Mama's Boy) , with Jason leading the way. The food was yummy and the conversation was good (and noisy, as you can imagine, with that big a group - 11 of us in total). It was an excellent get-together and that in itself would have made for a lovely day, but there was more.
While we left for Conyers, to drop Nell-Ann and Benson off at their home, the Jacksons and Jason went into Athens to look at some of the shops. Amy and John were then going to come back to our house to spend the evening with us. When we got to Conyers, Benson gave us a little tour of some mansions that had recently been built. Conyers is a lovely town but it's out in the country and not quite where you'd imagine a bunch of mansions being built. As Benson said, it'd make more sense for them to be in Atlanta. However, there they were. Not just mansions but almost mini castles, in some cases. They were huge. A few were so pretty. Starting sale price? $12 million. Yes, million.
After that dream detour, we went to Nell-Ann and Benson's house. We spent a little time there - Bruce and Jonathan had some coffee and we chatted for a while - then the three of us left so that we'd be back in Snellville before the Jacksons reached our house. That was a nice treat. Usually, when we're in Conyers, it's for Christmas and the house is full of people and conversation, but we don't actually get to talk very much with Nell-Ann and Benson, so we enjoyed the extra time we spent with them.
Then we were at home, joined shortly by Amy and John (Sarah and Nikki had other plans), and soon it was Super Bowl time. We had a blast! Amy is exactly like Leela is when she watches football, so Amy and I were making lots of noise cheering (when the Saints did well) and groaning (when the Colts took the lead).
The biggest difference between American football and the real thing is how much longer it takes to play a game of American football. They keep stopping! But that makes watching the Super Bowl on TV fun - the TV commercials become almost as big a deal as the game itself! There is a commercial every few minutes, but because it's the Super Bowl, these specially-made advertisements are usually interesting, funny or unusual. Although it can take several hours before you get to the end of the game, the commercials keep you entertained.
So, the Colts were ahead. But then, woo hoo! The Saints came back with a vengeance! First one touchdown and a nail-biting conversion that they were finally awarded after much deliberation, putting them ahead of the colts, and then an absolutely astounding, eye-opening, scream-causing touchdown that pushed them 14 points ahead of the Colts. The Colts would have needed two touchdowns in less than five minutes to catch up with the Saints, and thank goodness they didn't get there.
It was so exciting! And so much fun to watch the game with Jonathan and the Jacksons! I can understand now why people have Super Bowl parties. Watching sports with other people makes it that much more enjoyable. And the Jacksons are always such good company, anyway. Plus, this was a particularly good game, I think. I don't know if they are all that nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat exciting, but this one definitely was worth spending several hours on.
So, yesterday was a splendiferous day, one that Bruce and I will probably remember for a long time.
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