Christos Voskres! Христос воскресе!

Hola, familia y amigos!

Getting ready to watch Steven graduate from ASU on May 13 and again on May 14 from the College of Design. We are so very, very proud of our son for his perseverance and endurance in a highly challenging curriculum.

Vern's mom, Imazo, plans to fly to Tucson to join us for a wee vacation and to attend the commencement. I am pumped because our new President will be delivering the commencement address. This will be the first time that I have ever personally seen or heard a President speak! And what a great speaker he is. It is indeed an honor for all graduating to hear his thoughts on their future and the changes planned for our nation.

On the home front, we had guests in our front yard yesterday...a backhoe digging up the phone utility near the edge of our property under the direction of the man who owns about 300 lots in Diamond Bell Ranch (most are 1 or more acres), our subdivision, which is part of a working cattle ranch. Vern went over to see what they were doing and found out that the guy owns the vacant lot next to us. He offered to sell it to us for $25K. We may take him up on the offer to preserve the desert space and our unobstructed view of Kitt Peak and the Baboquivari Mountains. I will be paying off our credit card debt in the near future. If we can get him down to $20K, we'll likely make an offer.

After the backhoe trampled everything in its wake near the utility boxes, the driver maneuvered it thru the cacti to our backyard, where Vern had him level off a 12 x 25 ft area to place my new greenhouse. What good fortune! Now we can place the landscape timbers and concrete blocks that we are going to use for the greenhouse floor. Vern has been assembling pieces of the structure in the garage, which is overflowing and which I cannot use to park my car. Since it will be heating up in May, I'd like to have all the boxes out of there so I can park. My car is black, so it of course absorbs every uv ray it receives.

I am enjoying my new office. Feels like a throne room after the tiny one I occupied for almost 6 years.

Vern didn't get the lateral position at the corrections officer training academy, but i don't think it bummed him out any. The drive would've improved and so would the hours, but what the heck, if it is meant to be, it will be and if not, so be it.

Imazo sounds much better and stronger as she recovers from gall bladder surgery. Now we as a family are faced with our Auntie Ruby (vern's dad's sister) having laparoscopic surgery next Friday to remove a cyst on her ovary. She was diagnosed with the problem last week after spending a full day in the ER of a local hospital. There is no certainty that the cyst is benign, and if it is not, there may be further abdominal tissue removed during the surgery. Ruby had a similar cyst removed along with her other ovary over 40 years ago, and it was benign. Our prayers are that this one will be as well.

Meanwhile, we are keepin' the faith and enjoyin' spring sunshine and wildflowers. Right now we have pink, purple, yellow and orange trees, shrubs, and flowers surrounding us. Also, the trees are leafing out that lovely yellow-green color that they do as summer approaches. The 90 degree pool beckons me as I type this. Guess I'll go for a lap swim when I am through.

May the Force be with you all. Congratulations to Aunt Barbara and cousing JoAnne on their new great-grandbaby and grandbaby! And may you all rejoice in the resurrection this Easter Sunday! Christos Voskres!! Христос воскресе!

Enjoy Easter with my peeps at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSokEF1XXis

Intro is chanting...followed by Ruthenian music.


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