Experiencing the Super Bowl

Indianapolis has been preparing for the Super Bowl forever it seems. We've been hearing about the Super Bowl Village, concerts, zip line and other activities so today we spent the afternoon strolling the streets of Indy. We couldn't have asked for a nicer day, temperature wise. The temperature was in the high 50s and at times the winds kind of breezy but the sun was shining and the crowds were having fun.

Our first stop was to see the Roman Numerals:

The display is on the circle in the heart of Indianapolis

We wandered around for a while and came across some ice sculptures and then stopped in a local restaurant for lunch.

The sculptures were dripping in the warm temperatures, but they make new ones every day

Even though this is Super Bowl Week, Indianapolis couldn't resist making a race car connection with the event. A day or two ago there was a display of 32 race cars (one for each NFL team) plus one car for 2012. We didn't get to see the full display but saw these three cars in the Village.

The NFL Giants car

A section of Capitol Street is called the Tail Gate Experience with corn hole games and bags. The girls won the first game and the guys the second game. Of course, the rubber game had to be played and again female power prevailed!

Ray, Max and Pat

There was even a demonstration of curling, an Olympic winter sport.

Not sure if this was real ice or not

We walked a short distance to get a photo of Lucas Oil Stadium where the big game is being played on Sunday. It's hard to see in this photo but a crew was hanging the Patriot's banner on the left side of the Roman Numerals. They are standing on a rig much like window washers use.

At one time I thought I would experience the zip line, but the lines are long and the wait can be up to three hours or more, so I opted out. The walk up the stairs to the launch area can be intimidating for anyone with physical problems or fear of heights.

See the guy riding the line

At another spot, little kids were playing games on some artificial turf. Looks like a lot of fun for these youngsters.

Getting ready to play tag

There seemed to be dozens of photo opportunities, but at this location people were standing in line to have family members take a picture.

Our friends, Max and Pat Walker

Ray and me

Before we headed home, we walked four or five blocks to get a photo of Indianapolis' newest hotel all decked out with a Super Bowl motif.

The party continues downtown this evening with concerts, but we are home and ready for bed. An experience like we had today doesn't happen very often and I'm glad we had the opportunity to be there.

Annual meeting

The predicted light snow didn't materialize so it was easy driving to church this morning. This morning's sermon was based on the story of Jesus demonstrating power over demons. In today's world there are many personifications of the Devil -- cartoon or fiction? Demons are evil, fallen angels who try to take away our faith and are followers of the Devil. Surprisingly, demons believe in Christ and must obey Him. Even though demons believe, they don't have faith or love, but hate Him. Christ came to free us from the Devil's power. We are set free to serve the Living God.

We made stops at Home Depot and Sherwin-Williams on the way home since we wanted to look at some possibilities for updating the back splash above our kitchen cabinets. It's time to spruce up these areas.

Soon it was time to head down the street to the annual meeting of our homeowner's association. The association is responsible for maintaining our street and the bridge that everyone passes over to get to their homes. The last several years discussion has revolved on when to repave the street. This year discussion was mainly directed to the integrity of the bridge. In the end it was decided to hire an engineering firm to assess the needs concerning the bridge and also the road. Another meeting is planned for April to bring the results to the homeowners. Even though many thoughts were expressed and several ideas set forth, the discussion was polite. There was no shouting or arguing. A very civilized group, I must say!

A little bit windy

The weather forecast for this morning was a rain/snow mix and as we left the house at 7:15 a.m. there was a bit of snow on the ground and some swirling in the air. Surprisingly, it didn't last long and by the time we reached the highway, there was no more. We were headed to Arsenal Technical High School for the Legacy Loop 5K at 9:00 a.m.

This event was one of the events planned for the kick-off of Super Bowl Week. As part of the legacy project sponsored by the organizing committee, a new community center was built on the campus of the high school. Also, many homes in this near east side of Indy were rehabbed and some new ones built. In conjunction with the walk, the organizers held a mammoth health fair called Health Bowl. There were games and activities for kids, too, as part of the NFL's Play 60 program. We brought home two hula hoops and jump ropes for the two youngest members of our family. Lots of people came out for both events. Tech High School has two gyms and both were very crowded.

Ray came along but didn't compete. When we woke up he thought it would be too mushy or slick from the snow and rain. But that was never a problem on the course. It was a little wet as it might be after a rain shower, but the wind was the biggest obstacle. The funny thing about running is when the wind is at your back, you don't even notice it. In fact, it might push you a little. But I did have to run into the wind during some sections of the course. (Later, I heard we had some gusts today as high as 40 mph but I don't know at what time of day that happened.)

Usually, races have 5-year age increments. However today's race had only three levels for each gender: 50 years and above, 30 to 49 years, and 29 and younger. So there were six prizes awarded. Each winner received a large plaque and an X-Box!

My official time was 30:35. I finished 471st out of 866 finishers.

Wind damage

A couple of days ago we had strong winds. We didn't realize the damage left by the pesky gusts until some hours later.

Trellis is leaning dramatically

It's not major damage by any means, but this Sweet Autumn Clematis vine was supported by a trellis that is barely visible. The vine is heavy and the wind apparently pushed the trellis over. We could have avoided this if we had pruned the vine at the end of the growing season! Need to make a note for next fall. The clematis is a vigorous vine and and reaches up to the gutter in one season. In late August or early September the vine is covered with tiny white flowers. We often see it growing on fencing which is probably better than a trellis. Time to get outside and do some pruning!

Preparing for Lent

So far this week has been ordinary--at least nothing extraordinary has happened.  For the last several weeks I've been collecting supplies and making plans on the best method to complete a banner for Lent. Pastor gave me the design earlier this month. I had a couple of missteps in the process but today I finished the project.

2012 Lent Banner

For the rays I used a foam brush to apply fabric paint. At first I thought I would also paint the butterfly since I had the use of an overhead projector. As I was thinking about this possibility, something Ray said gave me the idea to try using an iron-on transfer. I found the perfect Monarch Butterfly online and enlarged it until I had the size I needed. The complicating factor was that an iron-on transfer is only 8.5 x 11 in size but this butterfly is about 13 by 16. I had to crop the enlarged image and print it using three different sheets of transfer paper and then match the sheets up before ironing. Actually, I messed up on the first one, but usually there is a way to cover up a mistake which I was able to do this afternoon. (I don't want to know how much ink I used. Painting might have been cheaper.)

Lent doesn't begin until February 22 so I'm happy to have this finished before the end of January.

A little bit of snow and ice

After the very light snowfall and some freezing rain on Friday night, we found the roads to Greenwood were in good condition this morning. However, our driveway and street were a bit slippery.

The church choir sang "Follow" -- a beautiful rendition. The sermon was based on the Old Testament reading from the book of Jonah. God had called Jonah to preach to the people of Nineveh but Jonah didn't want to because he hated the Ninevites. They were enemies of Israel. Jonah ran away, but God didn't allow Jonah to drown just as he won't allow us to drown in our problems. With a changed heart Jonah went to Nineveh to preach to its citizens and they believed and turned from their evil ways.

We changed our routine and went to the Rec Center at noon and used the indoor track for about 25 minutes before our yoga class. The sub for the regular instructor was very good. She was new to us. We're planning on taking a day off tomorrow.

When we returned home, I took a photo of our driveway showing the snow and ice beginning to melt. What makes this photo different?

Unfortunately this photo doesn't show the conditions of the driveway earlier in the day. The drive was totally white with no tracks showing even after driving out. Usually, when we have snow, the driveway melts especially after it is cleared while the lawn is still covered in snow. This photo is a reverse scene -- clear lawn and snow covered driveway. This morning the drive was like a white ribbon instead of being all black. I thought it was kind of unusual.

Two day's ago I posted a baby photo taken when Bart was only a few hours old. He commented "Wow. That is one ugly baby." I disagree. For one thing, it was our baby and we thought he was beautiful. Only a few hours old after a vaginal birth, babies just aren't ready for entry in the most beautiful baby contest.

But I think everyone will agree that just six months later, he was photogenic. In fact, he was awarded "Most likely to win them over" at a baby contest.

I rest my case!

Free lunch

As I probably mentioned previously, we have the opportunity for a free lunch twice a month at the Rec Center. Approximately 30 people show up each time. When it's convenient we like to attend; after all, what is better than a free lunch!

Today's topic was presented by the owner of Horizon Hospice Care. I've heard of Hospice but never understood it fully. Hospice is a program that is covered 100% by Medicare for eligible patients and is one of the least used benefits. Hospice doesn't have a facility but provides its services wherever the patient is.

It's my hope that we won't be needing to use this benefit for a long time. I just wish I had known about Hospice after my mother suffered a stroke and was dependent on skilled nursing care. I'm not sure if it was available then.

Oh yes, the lunch was from Chick-Fil-A and quite delicious. Fruit with caramel dip and cookies too! The lunches are provided by Sugar Grove Senior Living, a retirement community not far from the Rec Center.

Celebrating 45 years

Continuing with last evening's post...

Thanks to my BIL, Tom, I learned that in the first Super Bowl in 1967 Green Bay was victorious 35-10 over Kansas City.

Ray and I watched that first Super Bowl together and later that evening I awoke to contractions. Since I was almost two weeks overdue, I knew that soon we'd have a little baby. In the '60s we didn't know whether that baby would be a boy or girl. Eventually we drove to the hospital and checked in. Sometime after noon, we became the parents of a baby boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, BART!

Holiday

Our version of the Martin Luther King holiday went like this: we got up at the usual time, had breakfast and went to the Rec Center for our Monday workout. When we were finished we didn't go home, but stopped for two quick errands -- ink at Staples and had the low tire pressure warning system fixed on the car. Sometimes the system won't turn off even after the tires are filled so it has to be reset by a mechanic.

Then we went to see a movie: The Descendants with George Clooney. We didn't get to see a movie on Christmas Day as we had planned, so today was our first opportunity. Clooney received a Golden Globe last night and it was well deserved. Quite an emotional story. It's R-rated because of language (especially in the first half) and that's always a little bothersome, but otherwise I would give it a thumbs up.

The movie started at 11:05 so we had lunch after that and then made stops at Joann Fabric and Hobby Lobby before returning home. Late this afternoon we watched another episode of Downton Abbey on our local PBS station. We're hooked. We saw the first season and the second season just began.

Looking at the calendar, I realized that today, January 16, is the anniversary of the first Super Bowl. I remember that Green Bay was the winner, but I'd have to do a search to see who they played. More tomorrow...

Indoor Sunday

Now that our "real" winter has arrived, it's nice to stay indoors. This afternoon has been all about NFL football games. Of course, there were two games yesterday, too. We were sorry to see the Saints lose. But San Francisco hasn't been in the playoffs for nearly a decade so it's a nice win for them. I didn't expect the Broncos to beat the Patriots, but it would have been nice if the game had been closer.

Last evening we spent an evening with our neighbors for our quarterly dinner. The theme was Asian and most dishes were Thai. My contribution was coconut shrimp soup and cucumber salad. Both dishes had ginger and fish sauce in common. When I was at the grocery store I was surprised to find all the ingredients I needed for the Thai dishes I planned to make. Since I didn't have time or inclination to make the soup in advance, I was glad that it was pretty tasty. We even had some leftover for today's lunch. Our hosts set up a l-o-n-g table for all 10 of us. There was lively discussion at the table. Somehow the topic of most interest was about our jury system. Lots of opinions expressed!

The sermon this morning was based on the story of when Philip invited Nathaniel to meet Jesus. Nathaniel wanted to know if anything good can come out of Nazareth. Philip's response was "Come and see." Like Philip we are urged to invite others so they too can come and see.

As we thought possible, the Packers-Giants game is pretty interesting. The outcome is still in doubt and may be through the 4th quarter. The Texans lost to Baltimore. In another week we'll know who is coming to Indianapolis for the Super Bowl on Feb. 5.

What a difference a year can make!

Today's warm temperatures in the 50s and bright sunshine is in sharp contrast to a year ago. On January 11, 2011 I took photos of the snowfall we had that day. It really was beautiful as you can see. So far this season we've had about 3 inches.

These snow pictures were taken through the window

Just a day or two ago I noticed some cattle grazing in a pasture field. Cattle owners are probably loving this weather. Saves on feed and hay. When snow is covering the ground, where can the cattle find grass?

This afternoon I took these photos outside our front door. Quite a contrast from a year ago.

50 degrees and bright sunshine

Blue skies and bright sunshine against the west side of our house

Late in the afternoon the shadows get long

Yesterday, I wrote that we were hoping to see the LSU Tigers win the national championship, but, as we now know, that didn't happen. Congratulations to Alabama. They were the superior team last night.

College Football

Months ago when the college football season began, we decided that this would be the perfect year for Oklahoma to play in the national championship game. As we all know now, this didn't happen. Instead Oklahoma played in a minor bowl game and we didn't make the trip to New Orleans for tonight's game. Bart assured us that we could stay with him if OU played for the championship in NO. We'll be cheering for LSU, but I believe Alabama is going to play hard and aggressive to get some revenge from an earlier loss.

I was looking through a cookbook and saw a recipe for slow cooker lasagna. I had some no-boil noodles in the pantry so I thought this was a good time to use them. I started browning the meat some time after lunch and assembled everything in the crockpot and left it cook for about four hours. Looked delicious when I served it. We'll enjoy this for many meals. I plan to divide into serving portions and freeze for later use.

Lasagna made in a crockpot

Time to say good night and watch some of the game. Go Tigers!

Is this really winter?

I have noticed a number of places with posts installed as markers to protect lawns from snowplow equipment. We even have posts on our driveway. So far there's been no snow; I guess I should have compassion for the people who plan to earn a little extra each winter using their snow blades. We're all wondering if this weather will hold for the entire season and for the week before Super Bowl XLVI.

The theme of today's church service was the Baptism of Jesus. The pastor began with the story of a young soldier who coined the term "Alive Day." I believe I had heard this story before -- perhaps on 60 Minutes. The point is that this soldier who sustained very serious injuries didn't feel sorry for himself or whine and complain. He called the day he was wounded as his Alive Day -- the beginning of the rest of his life. He now visits other wounded soldiers to spread the message that they, too, can celebrate their Alive Day and a new life.

As Christians we can think of our baptism as our Alive Day, the day when we receive a new life with God. Baptism gives us a new spiritual life.

On a sad note, I learned from church members about the death of a woman I met about 40 years ago. She was killed in an automobile accident yesterday near Seymour. She and her family were members of Concordia back then. For one year I was a before school babysitter for her three children. They spent an hour or so at my house before they got on the school bus. My recollection is a little fuzzy, but I believe her youngest who is the same age as my son was too young for school and spent the day with me while the two older kids went to school. I've lost touch with the family, but her death has been on my mind since I heard about it. It is so sad for her family.

Anniversary

First of all, happy anniversary to my sister-in-law and her husband. Bob and Veronica are celebrating 61 years of marriage today. Last January we joined them for a celebratory dinner and I made these scrapbook pages. 

 In the bottom photo (above) back row: Howard, Carla, David, Ray, Laura, Karen, Carl and me. In the front row: Rebecca, Veronica, Bob and Joel

The text is hard to read in this small copy, so here it is: We were invited to the Wildfire Restaurant in Lincolnshire, IL to celebrate Bob & Ron's 60th anniversary. Also there: Carl, Karen & Laura Scafidi, Bob's brother Howard & David, Carla, Rebecca & Joel.

It's been an interesting week. The weather has been very mild for January, but that won't last long. We changed our workout routine today and went to a yoga class first, then at 9:30 went outdoors. I was able to get in four miles in perfect weather for a run: high 40s. We don't often get days this nice in January.

Ray continues to spend about an hour or so each afternoon cracking black walnuts. With this warm weather I was wondering if the sap would be running. Since it's going to cool off we won't have time to test the idea. The usual sap run is in mid-February.

This afternoon we finished watching Les Misérables, the 1998 version, with Liam Neeson. Enjoyed it a lot.

Bowl Games

It really seems odd to have the Rose Parade and some of the big bowl games on January 2 instead of January 1. We went to the Rec Center early and were on our way home by 10 a.m. A sudden snow squall made the conditions a little tricky but not too bad. Later we heard that there were dozens of accidents on the Interstates because the sudden snow was like a "white out." There wasn't much accumulation and thankfully no major injuries.

I was able to see the Rose Parade when we returned home. It's one of the traditions I enjoy on January 1. Since then we've had continuous bowl games playing. We were glad to see Michigan State win. My great niece in Grand Rapids was happy for the win. Poor Wisconsin. I lost track of the number of touchdowns scored in this game against the Oregon Ducks. Relatives of mine in Wisconsin/Illinois aren't happy this evening, but another great niece who lives in Eugene is probably celebrating right now!

Ray spent some time in the basement cracking walnuts. Black walnuts are notoriously hard to crack but we had a bumper crop this year so he picked up quite a few last October. After removing the outer shells last fall the nuts have been curing in a warm spot in our sun room.

It takes a long time to fill one small jar with nut meats.

I'll probably be using them in quick breads and cookies. First, we need to finish eating leftover Christmas cookies.

Happy New Year 2012!

We realized New Year had arrived when fireworks woke us last night at midnight! Should have stayed up since we didn't need to get up early. Since it was a holiday, we only had one church service at 10:30 instead of the usual two services.

There will probably be a story in tomorrow's newspaper about the first baby born in 2012. The story undoubtedly will include information about the name the parents chose for their baby. In Jesus' day, a name was very important. Eight days after his birth he was taken to the Temple and given the name Jesus. The meaning behind his name is "He will save His people from their sins." As believers, we also have the name "Christian."

As I write this, the regular NFL season is nearly complete. Playoffs begin next weekend. This is the first time in many a year that an Indianapolis team won't be playing. I think it is really a let down for the current players and next year's team may look a lot different. I guess we'll have to get used to the changes.

Instead of football, we can concentrate on basketball. IU defeated #2 Ohio State Saturday in a very tight game. The Pacers are also looking good at 3 and 1 in their young season.

This past week was pretty quiet here on Oak Creek Drive. Little by little I removed and stored Christmas decorations. Finally, on Saturday morning I tackled the tree and by mid-afternoon we had most everything back in storage. It's strange how things fit differently in the boxes after the season and the boxes don't even fit on the shelves the way they did when they were first taken down.