Rain, Rain, Rain

We've had a lot of rain this weekend. In fact, for the first time in its 26-year history, the Race for the Cure was cancelled yesterday morning. Lightning and heavy rains meant that it was unsafe for the approximately 14,000 people expected. Other events were cancelled too, but I was able to make it safely with four other women to the LWML Zone meeting. The host congregation served a delicious breakfast and then presented information about their association with Rebecca's Garden of Hope. This is a free after school tutoring and mentoring program that they began about a year ago.

We've had some recent trouble with our TV service. Several programs did not record well and had freezes and pixilation. The problem wasn't the same as when satellite service is interrupted by weather issues. All this happened after a new receiver was installed so we were confused as to what to do. Our provider sent a tech to check out the problem but didn't leave a note (we weren't home when he stopped by). The next day, as we were having lunch, a pair of techs knocked on the door. One of the techs was from Chicago, someone who apparently has more experience, and he did make a few changes in the set up and now we seem to have better reception.

A week ago we enjoyed a free preview weekend on HBO and recorded the Oprah Winfrey movie "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." I had just read about the movie and thought it was fortunate that we could get a free showing. According to what I learned at Wikipedia.com Henrietta died in 1951 and her cancer cells were the source of the HeLa cell line, the first immortalized cell line and one of the most important cell lines in medical research. An immortalized cell line will reproduce indefinitely under specific conditions, and the HeLa cell line continues to be a source of invaluable medical data to the present day. 

George Otto Gey, the first researcher to study Lacks's cancerous cells, observed that her cells were unique in that they reproduced at a very high rate and could be kept alive long enough to allow more in-depth examination. Until then, cells cultured for laboratory studies only survived for a few days at most, which wasn't long enough to perform a variety of different tests on the same sample. Lacks's cells were the first to be observed that could be divided multiple times without dying, which is why they became known as "immortal."

The ability to rapidly reproduce HeLa cells in a laboratory setting has led to many important breakthroughs in biomedical research. 

As mentioned in the opening sentence, we've had lots of rain and now as I head for bed on this Sunday evening many of the surrounding counties are under a flash flood watch. I know we won't float away, but I do hope and pray that anyone living in a low lying area will be safe and not suffer major flooding.

Earth Day 2017

What does Earth Day mean for you, dear reader? Earth Day has been around for many years. In the early years I probably didn't pay much attention. However, yesterday, Ray and I grabbed two large trash bags, donned gloves and picked up enough trash to fill both bags from along a two block area that are empty lots that no one takes care of.

Today was our fourth visit to a state park. We drove north about an hour to Mounds State Park in Anderson, just off I-69. We've had really lovely weather on our treks to the state parks and today was no exception. I've always assumed the mounds in this area were the work of Indian tribes, but we learned that wasn't the case. The first inhabitants of this area are known as the Adena as early as 1,000 B.C. They left their mark by the earthworks and mounds they constructed. These earthen features seem to have been used mostly for astronomical observations and as a prehistoric calendar.

Beautiful log bench with the White River in the background

We had a nice long walk along the river bank

The raised area on the left is part of the
Circle Mound but it was more like a rectangle.

Bright yellow flowers cover the Great Mound

I'm not sure which park we'll visit next. We have a few weeks to decide. 

The Week of the Redbud

The Barn at Bay Horse Inn in the background

Luckily I was able to get a shot of the horse and the Redbud

Because they were at their peak, Redbuds grabbed my attention all week long. They seemed to be everywhere. Other flowering trees also added to the beauty of the season. Some of the Redbuds are native and exist under the canopy of larger trees but others have been planted as part of the landscape. We also had some very warm days and we were able to sit outdoors on our patio several times.

After the Easter sunrise service this morning, I joined Ray for a yoga class that was over by 11:15. This gave us time to return home to pick up the food I prepared to take with us to Joe and Nancy's house. Part of my contribution was Avocado Deviled Eggs.

The eggs are a shade of green because of the avocados

Jayden was invited to an Easter egg hunt across the street and came back a big winner.

In addition to candy, dollar bills filled some eggs!

Jayden & Kylie

Nancy and I traded leftovers -- we both have have some food for another day.

April Showers and Windy Days

Last Monday was prep day for my colonoscopy scheduled for early Tuesday morning. Having to go for 24 hrs or more without eating isn't fun at all. The report was positive and I won't have to have another one ever again (I hope). The sedative leaves me sleepy afterwards and I don't remember much of Tuesday morning. By late afternoon I was more or less operating at 100%.

We had our share of storms and windy days last week but we easily forget those bad days when we have a warm (70+ degrees) afternoon like today. Ray and I went to a local park and ran outside for the first time this season. There have been many nice days in 2017 when we could have used outdoor trails, but I've been running less and only indoors. I've had a few muscle issues or maybe it's just old age with attendant aches and pains so I've cut back to allow my body to regenerate but, since we are scheduled to participate in the National Senior Games in June, it's time to get serious about training.

We were having problems with our DVR and called for technical support. Short story is that we now have a new receiver--our third since we moved here two years ago. I had to reprogram the new receiver so that our favorite shows will record. We had quite a few movies on the old DVR that I recorded about the time of the Oscars. Of course, they are lost. Maybe that is just as well. I need to be up and moving around instead of being a couch potato!

On Friday evening we attended the Passion Play put on locally by a group of amateurs with several members of church in the cast. The play lasted 90 minutes and was well received by the audience.

Lazarus is raised from the dead

Jesus before Pilate

The Crucifixion

The play was appropriate for the beginning of Holy Week and Palm Sunday that we observed today.

The Cubs were on local TV today so we caught most of the innings as they defeated the Milwaukee Brewers 7-4. The season is barely started but their record is 4-2 after today's win. Good start for the 2017 season!

One-Quarter Completed

Today is the 2nd day of the second quarter of the year. What?? Wasn't it just January 17 a few days ago? Over the weekend I accompanied four other women from church to northern Indiana -- Shipshewana to be exact -- for the biennial LWML Indiana District Retreat. We left from Greenwood at 9 a.m. and arrived at our destination four hours later. I think the trip home was a little faster; we did drive a different route.

The Friday evening program didn't begin until 6 p.m. so we had several hours for lunch and shopping. We wandered through several shops in a large building. It's almost like a mall -- everything was under one roof but on three stories.

The retreat speaker, Elaine Bickel, is a retired principal and has a gift of communicating through story telling and humor. We enjoyed hilarious tales she shared about her family, students and others on the topic of "Courage." Joshua was a man of courage who was given the responsibility of leading the Children of Israel into the Promised Land when Moses died. Joshua was no longer a young man when given the charge. Another person of courage was Katie Luther, the wife of the Reformation Leader, Martin Luther. Since 2017 is the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, it was only appropriate to focus some on the life of Katie.

Katie was born in 1499 and by the time she was five her mother was dead. Her father remarried and she was sent to live in a religious boarding school where she received a good education. In 1523 she and some of her friends left the cloister by hiding in a covered wagon among herring barrels. Katie had several suitors but eventually she became the bride of Martin Luther. When he proposed he also suggested they get married the next day. Four people were at their civil wedding ceremony but a week later many friends and his parents attended their wedding celebration.

Without Katie by his side, I'm not sure Luther could have accomplished all he did. For example, early in their marriage, Katie convinced Martin to invest in a small property and turn it into a farm. Later in their marriage, Katie, managed a large estate and became a great hostess. She was a gardener, large-order cook and nurse. She raised pigs, goats, fish and fowl and became a cheese maker and beer brewer. In the span of 8 years Luther and Katie became the parents of three boys and three girls.

Early in the retreat a group of "Nuns" sang about Katie -- a parody similar to the Nuns singing about Maria in the Sound of Music.

The committee members dressed as Nuns

While I was away, we lost the ability to watch live TV! How depressing. We can watch prerecorded shows. A technician is supposed to stop in tomorrow to assess the problem and fix it! We want to watch the final game of the NCAA tournament: Gonzaga Bulldogs vs North Carolina Tar Heels. But since the game doesn't start until about 9:30 we probably won't be watching anyway. Such is life, I guess.