Blossoms, bunnies, beaches and basking!

Spring is still definitely hanging around North East Ohio! But we have learned to never take the good weather for granted! A cold front is headed our way, and some forecasters have not ruled out the possibility of a little snow! So that is why we made the most of the glorious weather! On Friday evening Nathan and myself headed for our local Home Depot and bought some things for the lawn. When we got home, I immediately fired up our grill and barbecued us some delicious bratwurst sausages for dinner. These are the closest things you can get to boerewors here, other than making it yourself! And the taste was pretty darn close to the original South African version in my opinion. Oh yes..... the lawn also received its first mow of the season...... sigh!

On Saturday, it was another glorious day, and Nathan and I spent most of the morning in the yard! Firstly, I spread some fertilizer over the the lawn. Then Nathan and I got to work loosening the soil in some bare patches on the lawn, as we prepared it for some patching up! That was about the time we stumbled upon a couple of baby rabbits who had made a home for themselves under one of our trees! They are the cutest creatures, and tame enough to allow Nathan and myself to stroke them! This was Nathan's highlight of the weekend! He even had to fetch Liesel so he could show her the bunnies :-)

Later that afternoon, after a poor attempt at enforcing a siesta, I took Nathan to a playground, and then drove to Huntington Beach. It was great to get down onto the sand again and look out across the blue waters reflecting the cloudless sky! We could even see the Goodyear blimp hovering over Cleveland's baseball stadium.

Sunday had me up early so that I could get to church by 7:45 for band practice. Later on that day, Nathan and I headed outdoors to water our "patched-up" grass, and then went looking for our furry little friends. We couldn't find them anywhere, so I hope that nothing happened to them overnight :( However, the weather was still near perfect - so we got some games out and were playing some "golf" in our back yard. After a tiring round, Nathan thought it was time to put his feet up and have a drink alongside his mom - who was also soaking up the sunshine!

Seasons and Symptoms

One of my most trustworthy signs that Winter has relinquished its grip on Cleveland, is when I start using my car's air conditioning again! This week we were really blessed with warmer weather. Literally, all the trees had sprouted new green shoots overnight! Blossoms appeared magically, all because the weather had turned warmer! Even Liesel's tulips are blooming, adding some much needed color to our garden! Friday evening was such a beautiful evening, that I uncovered my grill and grilled us some hamburgers in the 84F(29C) air! It was the perfect way to mark the end of my 3 months of lectures, as I soon enter into a new season of my career!

Saturday saw us going to one of Liesel's favorite shops, Old Time Pottery. We needed to buy a few things for the house, and as we browsed this store, I just thought how much our mothers would love it as well! It has everything you could ever need for decorating your house, from outdoor patio stuff, to kitchenware, silverware, tupperware, candles, paintings, bathroom accessories, curtains, bedding etc. We found what we needed and made a pitstop at Krispy Kreme donuts. This is where they have the donut "factory" that Nathan loves observing. Then it was time to head home for lunch! Later that afternoon, Nathan and I made our way to the Westlake Recreational Center to play in the playground for a few minutes before the raindrops started falling!

At around midnight, Nathan awoke crying, and told us that his ear was sore. Liesel gave him some medicine and that seemed to help him until he woke up screaming at 4:30am. Obviously the effect of the medicine had worn off, so Liesel and I took turns to sit with him, while the other tried to salvage some sleep. Liesel took nathan to a Doctor at 10am and he was diagnosed with an ear infection in both ears, and given some antibiotics. So the rest of the day we spent mostly indoors with Nathan, making sure he was comfortable and taking his medicines at the right times. His condition did seem to improve slightly in the evening, but he was still fragile. Let's hope that he returns to his normal happy self soon!

Below is a photograph of Terminal Tower, in downtown Cleveland, courtesy of one of my fellow Java REACH program participants, Kelly. Kelly is one of 3 employees who live in Albany, NY (9 hour drive) and is now staying in a hotel in Cleveland for the duration of our program! They have been here now for over 3 months, and are looking forward to returning home in two weeks, after our period of exams and practicals draw to a close!

sNOw way!

As I have mentioned in many earlier posts, the weather in Cleveland is unique! Yesterday afternoon, as I was watching the Indians baseball game (seems like I am converting to a true American!), Liesel and Nathan shouted it is snowing outside. And sure enough, it was! There were huge snow flakes falling to the ground! When I turned back to watch the game (which was being played in downtown Cleveland), you could clearly see the snow blowing around the baseball stadium! I did not envy those players at all! I should not be surprised at all about the snow, because last year we had a huge snowfall around Easter - which was also in April! However, the snow this time around was very short-lived, as it disintegrated upon contact with the ground - due to the ground and air-temperature being warm-ish.

This weekend was a very quiet and relaxing one. Nathan had picked up a cough, so we tried to keep him indoors as much as possible! But we started the weekend by making use of our recently purchased grill! Liesel had marinaded some chicken pieces and I got to fire up my grill for our first ever, self-initiated barbecue (braai)! The chicken was cooked in about 40 minutes and then devoured in 5! But it was good tasting some fire-cooked meat again!

Saturday was another lazy day for us. We spent most of the day doing washing and cleaning the house. It was just after our bed's sheets were washed, and the bed was loving made by yours truly, when Nathan had a coughing spell. Unfortunately, he was sitting on our bed when the spell started, which then turned into a major lunch expulsion event. The poor guy threw up on himself, his soft toy animals, the bed, the pillows, Liesel, myself, the carpet and then the bathroom floor :( It was not pretty! Thankfully he was fine after that, but Liesel quickly went into damage control mode, while I evaculated Nathan to the safety of his bedroom....

Once life seemed to have a hint or normality again, Liesel and I could lie back and watch a DVD together.

On Sunday, I had a good chat with my sister, whose youngest son turned 3 on Friday! She was also very happy to report that her husband was doing very well and was not suffering from any of the side-effects of Chemotherapy. We also got a lovely surprise visit from one of our friends that afternoon. Her and Liesel had a good time together, while I made sure Nathan wasn't destroying the house, at the same time as keeping one eye on the baseball game!

And that friends, neighbors and countrymen, was our quiet and uneventful weekend! I have one more week of class left on Java before heading into a 8 day period of testing! So I should soon be set free into the real (business) world again with my newly developed skills! Until next week................

Date nights and outdoor dining!

I have figured out a very simple way of telling what season we are currently experiencing in Cleveland. If both minimum and maximum temperatures for the day are below freezing, it is Winter. If one temperature is below freezing and the other is above its is either Fall or Spring - and if both temperatures are above freezing, you know you are in Summer! So by my calculations we are currently in Spring!

This is confirmed by the sounds of birds chirping filling the morning air of North East Ohio again! The sun rises earlier and sets later, allowing us more time to savor the sights, sounds and smells of the season!

As for the McCarthy's, we had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend! On Friday evening, we arranged for Nathan to play with some friends, which allowed Liesel and myself to go the movies and enjoy a delicious meal at Aladdin's (an awesome little Middle Eastern restaurant.) Our New Year's resolution of having a date night at least once a month still seems to be on track!

On Saturday - another gorgeous day - we had time to visit Nathan's favorite playground! Later that day, I went off in search of a gas griller, so that we can take full advantage of the upcoming season and braai (barbecue) outside. Our new griller is actually a belated house warming gift from Liesel's parents, and we are very grateful to them for their generosity! We wish you could be here regularly to taste the meat that will be cooked on that grill. There is an open invitation to all our friends and family to come and share a barbecue with us if you are in the area!

That evening we returned the favor to our friends, the Talmages (who looked after Nathan the day before), and we looked after their two daughters, and let them have a date night too. Nathan just loves playing with their girls and they keep each other busy most of the time. Their artistic sides came out in full force, as they decorated our patio with beautiful colors - courtesy of pavement chalk. Here they are proudly displaying their artwork to the camera! Along side that photo is a picture of our new gas grill!