This weekend Jason Sacran is staying with us because he has artist business in Dallas. The five of us played Ticket To Ride Thursday night. Molly pulled out a surprise victory.

Friday Caitlin and I went to the Rangers first home game. It was a beautiful, sunny, breezy day. We sat in the all-you-can-eat section so we were able to pig out on ballpark food. Good way to start the season.

We won. Beat our arch-enemy Angels in our first home game, in a close one. This is the last out... listen to the end. 48,000+ happy fans!

And a snazzy new hat to seal the deal.

Today it is gorgeous. I'm just soaking it in. This morning I did some weeding in the yard. Now watching Final Four games with all the windows open (as they have been all day.)

check this out

something I learned this weekend

I've always sort of thought that our house (and before that our apartment), being small, was not the best for having people over. This weekend changed that. I noticed over the last few days that when people were at our house, they stayed in the room with each other more often than groups of people sometimes do at larger houses, simply because there weren't many places to go. And I loved it. Now I'm happy about my small house and the way it holds people together.

Speaking of this weekend, what a lovely way to start spring break! Thanks so much to everyone who spent time with us-- we love having you here. Our little yellow house is looking oh-so-cheerful about the corners today, doubtless because it got to take care of such a goodly bunch.

Notis

We have a new reader here at Silly Old Dragons!

. . . the delightful, beloved, and everywhere welcome Kathryn Brown.

This blog was created to be private and familyish, and I still want it to be that way. But we all know what it is to have a friend who is as much family to you as if you actually had DNA in common. Kathryn is like my other sister, and after a few months of thinking on it I've decided that it's just silly for her to not be a reader.

So here's a Hearty Welcome and hip-hip-huzzah for our dear olde friend, Of Whom We Are So Fond!

So sad.

. . . just found out that the Creative Writing professor I have the closest relationship with is retiring from UTD after this semester. To teach in the Master's program at SMU, darn them.

This is Gary, only he looks older than that now. I'm calling him Gary even though he has fifty bazillion degrees because he is Californian, wants everyone to just relax and be casual, and refuses to be called Dr. Swaim. Gary is 74 and somewhat forgetful, but other than that still sharp as a tack as the saying goes. In his lifetime, Gary has worked at IT, been a certified psychiatric counselor, played tennis, golf, and soccer (he played tennis with Kenneth Koch once, and beat him badly; I think that's pretty fantastic), played keyboard in a blues band, gotten degrees in literature, philosophy, and heaven knows what else, taught at about six different universities in creative writing, literature, philosophy, and humanities, been in a coma for 3 months, been Dean of a school, lived in many different states and traveled all over the world, been married for 50 years, and (just found out today) was an ordained minister in the Presbyterian church for a while (though he doesn't talk about it, which is why I only just discovered that today). He paints, acts, and is a musician, along with being a published playwright, poet, and fiction writer.

Gary's classes are relaxed, chatty, full of personal asides and anecdotes, and sometimes kind of rambly, but he can be a pretty tough grader, especially if he likes your work. He's very much from that generation of artistic folk who matured in the 60's; he's the quintessential genial, kindly, creative soul, who can appreciate just about anything and find good in anyone. Due to his experience in acting Gary's diction is impeccable, and he loves to read aloud during class. He is devotedly fond of good whiskey and good music. He's a Presbyterian by church membership, but describes himself as a liberal and a universalist, which basically means that he believes that religion is a thing of great mystery and all religions are just stumbling toward the truth.

Gary has been very good to me, and his classes have been wonderful because since he is a Christian he creates a very non-threatening atmosphere in his classes for poetry dealing with religious themes; definitely not something to be taken for granted. Ironically, I'm not crazy about his writing, but he's a great teacher. He's one of those who has students who take anything he offers; we CRWT folk are going to miss him very much.

the newlyweds come to visit, May 21-22

Before they got married, Molly and Daniel proposed a Wonderful Idea to Dan and me. Fiddler on the Roof (Topol's last tour) was going to be playing in Dallas the week of their honeymoon, so they asked if they could come spend Friday night of that week with us and all go see it together. We were very surprised and most excited about the idea, and said 'Oh, yes yes, do!' while jumping up and down with glee.

So on Friday we got the apartment squeaky clean, turned on some lovely music, and waited for the Gooches (as we could finally call them!) to arrive.

(Aw, these pictures are making me all nostalgic for the apartment. . . dear little place, how we loved you.)

Molly and Daniel had a few odds and ends of food left over, so Daniel offered to cook supper for us.

Our delicious meal-- spiced couscous, prosciutto-wrapped chicken, sauteed mushrooms, salad, and baked apricots (my idea). We ate supper, and then somehow all managed to get ready on time in our one little bathroom (very cozy) and drove to Fair Park for Fiddler on the Roof. Dan drove the wrong way on a one-way street, but then he managed to find free parking, so he was a hero once more.

Fiddler on the Roof was wonderful! The cast had a lot of energy, and the choreography somehow managed to look free-spirited and folk-ish without being chaotic. And Topol is every bit as cool in person as you think he's going to be. Dan's been trying to figure out the wiggly dance thing he does ever since, with little success. The only not-completely-wonderful thing about the evening is that, wouldn't you know, we just so happened to have seats right next to those of a homeschool family we know who once suggested an arranged marriage between me and one of their sons. Awwkwarrrd.

The next morning, after a leisurely breakfast of berries, yogurt sauce, toast, sausage, and tea (I tried to make Claire's inimitable oven pancakes, but they didn't rise. . . Claire, I need a tutorial!), we visited and looked at wedding pictures on facebook until 'twas time to leave for DFW

At the airport. . . not really sure why Dan is standing like that. . .

Thanks, M&D, for your Wonderful Idea, and for being willing to share the end of your honeymoon with us. We enjoyed being with you so much.