Joy has not yet received the pathology report from her recent surgery.
However, everything is pointing to a promising outcome, and her
recovery continues at a good pace.  She was out of the house this
weekend and slowly returning to activity.  Thank you for all your
support.

We journeyed to Quincy on Saturday to pick up Miranda at college.
She's home for a week doing her teaching practicum in the Pepperell
school system.  (Nice how that worked out, doncha think?)  Anyway, we
got back with plenty of time to do some outdoor chores before our
evening activity. We have several compost piles; two very large ones
of just leaves.  I took a small rotortiller to one of them turning it
into a mass of coffee-ground-colored soil that we will till into the
garden in the coming weeks.  The other pile will percolate till next
year.

Donna Allen was nearby - I could feel it.  She was in the area for the
final quiz meet of the year so Emily and Jessica got to see her.
(Emily took home a high-placing trophy at 9th place overall.) It must
be kizmit or something because this was the weekend I brought the
Allen's lawn tractor out of its winter slumber.  The battery was
underpowered but fortunately my father-in-law had us anticipate this
by getting us to buy a battery charger.  As you may remember, the
Allens are in Montana for a year setting up a ministry for young
women, and I have agreed to keep their Deere well-fed and in good
working condition.  I was only too happy to help out.

Saturday evening, Joy, Miranda, and myself were guest hosts at the
Keene Church of the Nazarene.  Pastor Reilly invited us to run the
First Keene Chapter Toonerville Rook Tournament.  It went as well as
could be expected with a novice crowd but they soon got the hang of
the game.  It was fun for me to see the tension in the lead players.
I was an also-ran long before the mid-point of the game.  Several new
Lowell people have indicated a desire to kick-start some local
tournaments again, and perhaps we should.  Maybe someday we'll have a
cross-district Toonerville Rook competition.

It was gratifying for me to look around my dinner table yesterday and
see all chairs occupied with family.  For a little while, we're six
again.  We hope Miranda has time to finish her mural on the barn wall
but understand the other time pressures she has these days.

New England has been ahead of schedule on the mild weather and the
bud-watch is showing up on plenty of plants, trees and bushes, (even
in the far reaches of Pepperell-land).  It's a time I enjoy, nippers
in hand, finding the dead and errant branches to prune out in
anticipation of blossom time in "Mayberry."

Mark
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