Yesterday and Today

Yesterday we had a normal start to. the day - working on our word games - Spelling Bee and Wordle both of us and for Ellen, Qaurdle (the same game as Wordle but with four games going simultaneously)- but we were anticipating meeting Mark Kennedy and Cathy Rude at the Putney Coop at 11:30a.m. Mark and Cathy live up north in South Hero, VT - about as far north as you can get and not be in Canada- but they were driving south to Connecticut to visit family, and wanted to stop by and see us. I first met Mark in - I think- 2002, at the Vermont Conference Annual Meeting. As I recall, we sat at the same table at a meal got to talking and really hit it off. Back then I was still grieving the loss of Shirley, and eager to meet new friends. Back then, Mark was married to Judy with two children, Anne and Joseph, 10-12 years old (I think). Not long after that initial meeting, Mark and his family went through a traumatic time, the break-up of Mark and Judy's marriage. I won't go into detail, but I got to know and appreciate Mark and his children under unusual circumstances for a couple of years. Meanwhile I met Ellen, Mark met Cathy, things settled down and Ellen and I attended Mark and Cathy's wedding up north. Since then we have visited them once in South Hero, but mostly they have visited us down south here - usually on their way to see family farther south. Of course by now, Anne and Joseph have gone to college and are leading independent lives in other parts of the country. We got a call from Mark saying they were running a little late and would arrive at the Coop at noon. They did, and they treated us to lunch in the Cafe there. We had a good visit and learned about Anne and Joseph, and also Paul, Cathy's son. Anne works at Camp Pinewoods in the summer - the camp I went to the summer after Shirley died in 1998; Joseph lives in Littleton, CO, not far from Katie, and Paul is learning to fly! Not sure i will ever see them again, but you never know! Yesterday was actually Joseph's birthday, so our lunch was in celebration of him.

Cathy, Mark, me and Ellen at the Putney Coop******************************** Today, we went to an all-Balkan concert that Mary Cay and Magda put on at the Westminster-West church. Two accordions and two marvelous voices, beautifully matched and blended. W-W church was as full as it could be and still provide some physical distance between people, all wearing masks. A lovely concert, many of the songs familiar to us and we had a word sheet and could sing along. It was fun! Eliza and Nancy T were also with us. And Robin was there selling Ukrainian eggs - her efforts, and Carole Crompton's, have raised $4500 for the International Rescue Committee work with refugees in Poland. Wow!

Magda and Mary Cay******************************************* Tonight, it is UNC vs. Duke in the Final Four and we are headed to the Bergh's to watch. Kansas is whopping Villanova as I write, so if the Heels win, they will meet Kansas in the Championship game.