It is Spring, no matter what the weather, when baseball season opens for real.  Of course, we have been following the newspaper accounts of what the Mariners are doing, but it doesn’t mean much until the season games begin.
        The opening game this year was a beauty.  That means our team won and they did it with style!  Felix Hernandez put on a pitching show to make one’s heart glad.  12 strikeouts with only 2 walks is mighty impressive.  He’s a “keeper”.  Mariners won over the Oakland A’s, a nice way to begin. Final score: M’s 4 - A’s 0.
        (Inserted later..) Too bad they didn’t continue in that vein.  At present (late April) we have just had our fifth trouncing in a row. Looks like our hopes are tied to Felix being able to come back from an elbow injury to pluck us from disaster…    John-Robin and his Dad, Paul, were in the Opening Day crowd.

John-R and Leslie paid us a welcome visit one afternoon, spending a goodly time with us… telling us about their house and the plans they have for making changes in it to make it truly theirs. 

        Hildy’s Dan is presently visiting their daughter’s family, Heather, Thomas, Skyler, and ‘Tasia, in Maryland.  His last words to me were, “I can hardly wait to get my hands on those grandchildren!” so I’ll bet there’s a whole lot of hugging going on.
        He is also meeting up with some other Viet Nam veterans, back there.

Hildy put together a new planter for our porch, to replace the one that died during the bad weather we experienced during the winter.  It has a pretty, variegated-leafed plant in the middle, and she jazzed it up with oversized, colored Easter eggs… As I write this, the coming Sunday will be Easter.

Happy Easter to Everyone

APRIL BIRTHDAYS
 Christopher Paul Nordstrand, Paul’s youngest son (This will be his 21st)
 Christa Maria Nordstrand, Dave’s daughter (She will be 21, also
 Paul Richard Nordstrand, Our youngest

        It doesn’t matter how many birthdays he has, he will always be our baby, and what a sweet guy he is!

April 14.. Dave rowed in his first race in a shell.  I think it was in a “quad”.  They came in 2nd.  Lake Sammamish was choppy and he said it took a lot of effort, but, of course, it suited his competitive nature.

Our flowering crabapple put on an especially gorgeous show this year.. One huge ball of rose, pink, and white flowers about 30ft x 30ft.  That is a very old tree.  I think we planted it about 55 years ago. 
Our magnolia is loaded with blooms and our three lilacs are doing their thing.   The “Unique” rhody by our main door is a mass of pale yellow blossoms.  Everything in the yard seems to be trying to make up for the mostly rotten weather of the winter. The weeds are looking healthy, too, of course.

Following is a note from Thomas’ uncle Frank Withrow: He lives in Virginia

Dorothea
I always enjoy your Dixie Press.  The kids Thomas Heather etal and Dan are coming over on Sunday.  They bought some Kiddy kitchen furniture off E-bay and its only a couple of miles from here.  Had my son Yaw Nsiah and his family here for last weekend.  Their three children are very nice to be around.  Kwaudo the seven year old is interested in everything.  Afua the 9 year old girl is a darling and Kofi the 11 year old is the quiet silent type. Kwaudo told me his teacher thought he was amazing. He became interested in prosthetics and told the class about them. He has been interested in spelling since he was about two.  He once asked me how to spell enormous so I said B I G  which he rejected and informed me I had spelled a little word big and he want the enormous word. He observes everything that happens and is eager to share his knowledge.

I did a little puppet show for them.  Anne brought me back from Italy Captain Orlando Polselli who is my royal guard and a favorite of the kids. I also created Professor Roberto Polselli.  I have about a dozen marionettes now.  Irma McFudd is the star of the show and mistress of the house. There is also an elephant, donkey and ostrich.

Irma McFudd

Captain Orlando

Professor Roberto Polselli

The brass band

Well all of us older kids are still having fun. I am building space shuttle simulators for museums and schools.  You might want to check out our web site. http://www.spacexplorers.com

Uncle Frank Withrow

        I wrote the following in answer to a note from Yvonne Piper, who is putting together this year’s Big Smoke which will contain my story about Uncle John Gierhofer.  She wrote that one of the proofreaders had commented on my remark about falling in love with the Oregon Coast and that she had done the same thing….especially Mo’s café at Florence.

   I love reading those proofreader's comments.  I also remember Mo's in Florence.  One of those silly “what makes this moment in time memorable?” things happened there.... We went two days in a row to Mo's chowder place and both times saw the same seagull sitting on an outside railing. We called him Charlie Pegleg and wondered how he kept his balance on the rail since he had only one leg.... That followed with discussions about fitting him with a wooden leg; worrying about whether that would leave him waterlogged when he landed on the water; wondering if he would tilt sideways when in the water: and trying to visualize a seagull swimming sidestroke…
    Another short story... When I spoke with Kermit Swartz last year and we talked about his time in Tiger, he told me a story that had nothing to do with Uncle John, but I thought you might enjoy:
    The Swartz family lived next door to a place that had a pet goat and a shed with a slanted roof that came almost to the ground.  One day Mr. Billygoat scampered up the roof but, instead of coming back the way he went up, he jumped off onto the fabric top of Mr. Swartz' automobile which was parked beside the building..  All four feet knifed through the fabric and he was left with his tummy atop the roof of the car and his legs hanging down inside. He was stuck there bleating his head off.  Kermit said, "Between the bleating, Dad cussing, the kids howling with laughter.. it was a day to remember!"
    I guess so!
Dorothea

Yvonne Piper wrote back:

 I ‘ve read a few goat stories since I started doing Big Smoke, but yours is the best.  The stories have made me very glad we didn't end up with a goat.  En route home from California one year, we stopped at a Santa land, a petting-zoo and rides affair, several of which proliferated for a while down there.  This one had pygmy goats running around.  My sister wanted one.  My father gave the okay.  When they came upon Mother, she was engaged in pulling the corner of her coat out of a goat's mouth.  Instead of rescuing her, Daddy took movies.  No goat boarded the car with us.

Following is an e-mail from Liz..(received on the 17th)

Good news today - Paul got two thumbs up at his cardiologist and regular Doc's appointments.  His cholesterol numbers are great, his blood pressure is fine, and he is losing weight.  He's being a (fairly) good boy, although he plans to bad on his birthday!  His anxiety attacks have almost ceased due to his medication, and things are going well.  Now we just have to pay for all the care he received!
Zoe had an interesting trip to NYC where she played with her orchestra at Carnegie Hall.  Among her adventures were a few highlights, such as the tour bus getting hit by a car, her chaperone having a nervous breakdown (no, it was NOT Zoe's fault), and going to see Spamalot on Broadway!  She took nearly 400 pictures with the camera Molly and Chris gave her, and she is now busily scrapbooking her memorabilia.  I am pleased to see she inherited my and Molly's love for architectural photography - she got some very nice shots.  Her favorite thing about the trip?  Getting her own cell phone!
Christopher turns 21 tomorrow.  Paul and I will take him to the Northlake Tavern and buy him a beer while we wait for our pizzas (which we will take home so everyone can have some.  Paul is in a fever of anticipation...
Plans are proceeding for Molly's wedding in late August.  Thanks goodness she is being sensible about what she wants, and is watching costs closely - otherwise I wouldn't be able to provide the kind of "do" she wants to have.
We had a nice Easter celebration at John and Leslie's home.  Aside from a sumptuous dinner, we had pooping chicken races and played Apples to Apples.  A really nice time.  I am glad John survived his first ham experience.  He must have called me ten times over the course of two weeks asking "How many pounds per person?"  "Should I get a bigger one if it has a bone?"  "When should I buy it?"  "What temperature should I cook it at?"  I really thought I would die every time he called with another ham question.  By the way, the ham turned out absolutely wonderful.  I must give good advice... - Liz

(I would like to know how one can have “a really nice time” playing with something called pooping chickens”)

Following is a note from Heather to her Dad, Dan, who is just home from a 20 day visit with her and her family in Maryland.

Hi Dad,
I wanted to let you know that Skyler did something really interesting a couple days ago and I wish I had a video camera at that time.  Skyler, without knowing I was watching him, did a hand salute then twirled 180 degrees around facing me standing at attention- heels together, hands to his side.  Sound familiar?  He was watching you while you were here!  It was soooo cute.
Hugs,
H

(when I asked Dan, he said he showed Skyler how to do a British army salute ala Monty Python)

April 28..
        Almost the end of April, a gorgeous day outside, and a day to make my heart soar with joy.  The last members of my wonderful family have just driven away after giving Vern and me the best gift imaginable… a day’s work in our yard to start the outdoor season with a garden tidied up after the winter’s onslaught.  Weeds have been pulled, overgrown vines brought under control, a viciously-thorned shrub dug out and replaced by a kinder one that had outgrown its current placement.. Two of the new (to us) rugosa  roses have moved in to replace the tea roses that didn’t survive our wicked weather over winter.  Nancy’s “dinky door” has been set against the trunk of our pink dogwood tree, all ready for a garden gnome to move in..
        The weatherman had said our morning would be showery.  Well, phooey on him. Today dawned sunny and bright… One of those days that make living in our beloved part of this country such a delight!
        If my count is right, there were twelve precious gardeners working around our yard at various times.  Much camaradarie and teasing and a good picnic lunch, too.
        This morning, a neighbor came over and told me she and her husband spent a lot of time at their window watching the activity and thinking they might invite their family to come to a picnic…….and to bring their gardening gloves.
        A neighbor I have never met came and asked me this morning where I found the crew that was here….. he needed that kind of help.

THANK YOU ALL   YOU ARE WONDERFUL

Kurt & Hildy

Gwen & me

John, John R, & Leslie - planning the attack

Paul

Dan

Dave

(Plus Anne W & Nancy,
who managed to avoid the camera!)

Thought for the day:  “I myself am made up entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.”
-Augusten Burroughs

Dixie/Dorothea, Senior Editor

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