Randomness to start the week

1. It is pollen season in Florida, earlier than normal, and things here under the big oak tree are driving us batty.  One daughter has issues with the pollen so she is medicated and must come home from school, strip in the garage, and immediately get into the shower or else her eyes will swell and turn an evil red.  Our cars are constantly covered in a green film requiring a daily wash, which is soon going to be illegal if we don't get some rain.  We have to keep the dog out of our front yard otherwise he tracks in the pollen attached to the fur on the underside of his belly and daughter begins sneezing and rubbing her eyes, and we can't open any windows for the same reason.  Soon it will be time to rake all of this gross stuff, but for now it just hangs in giant clumps from our tree baiting us.
2. We heard back from the homeowner's association that our front yard has too many spots that are missing grass.  Supposedly 40 homeowners received letters out of 450 homes in our subdivision.  Tom called a sod company, failed to mention this to me, and when the guy came to measure and give us an estimate I stormed outside thinking the association had sent him.  Lucky for both of us he liked the Pittsburgh Steelers and started the conversation out that way.  I eventually figured it out without mouthing off.  His estimate for grass?  $1600.  We called a landscaper who said there is nothing wrong with our grass that it just needs some TLC and he is busy working on a landscaping plan and estimate.  I told my husband that he could fly my sis-in-law and niece down at spring break and she would do the landscaping for room and board, but he didn't seem to take to that idea.  I'm not sure he thought I was serious, but I was.  I've seen her yard.
3. Our weather here has been very wacky.  One day we have to turn on the heat and the next day the air conditioner.  I like having the cooler weather until spring break, but we have been hotter than normal this season with our highs in the upper 80's.  It is rare when my closet and drawers have both winter and summer clothes out at the same time.
4. Darcy has been selected as one of 26 delegates from her school to represent the state of Florida at the Model United Nations in New York City this spring.  She is busy working with her younger partner on their project in addition to all of her school work.  I shall be accompanying her to the Big Apple and we will spend an extra day there so that she will get to experience the city since all of her time before that will be taken up with the conference.  Oh, the things I do for my girls!
5. My diet requires eating soups and I've gotten quite good at making them.  So far I've made chicken noodle, lentil, and vegetable.  I've always thought a good business would be to have a soup kitchen cafe in the winter where people would drive up and purchase containers of soup to take home for dinner on cold nights.  Now that I'm getting so good at soup making I might have to delve into this thought further.
6. We are still receiving college information daily only now the same colleges are repeating by sending us the same material only in new packaging and form.  It would be fun to explore all of these places if only my daughter knew what she wanted to be when she grew up so that we could narrow down some of the searches.
7. Basketball season has started for my youngest and this weekend Tom and I took her and her teammate out to practice.  One of the drills required me at the free throw line shooting while the two girls rebounded and Tom played defense.  Unfortunately he explained the drill this way, "When your mother shoots and misses you guys get the rebound and either pass or shoot."  I only heard "when your mother misses" and my competitive spirit kicked in and I made ten in a row even when he left his position and guarded me.  He bowed down to me.
8. I haven't blogged much lately because I'm always on my Ipad and the app for Blogger on that isn't the best.  There are so many things I can't do that I just get annoyed and give up thinking I'll get to my computer eventually.  Then I don't get there.  I also think of topics and promptly forget them.  I'm going to designate a day where I sit and write for the week and clean my desk.  Hmm...
9. Speaking of the Ipad.  I have so many games going on it that it is hard to play them all.  My favorite is still Scramble with Friends, but now I'm addicted to Song Pop and back to Draw Something.  Last night while playing Song Pop one of the songs was a song that I heard on a what was suppose to be the last episode (it wasn't) of Magnum P.I. and I could never find the name or artist of the song (remember this was before Internet).  I spent hours rewinding my VCR and writing down the lyrics.  I still have them somewhere.  'Lo and behold there was the song on Song Pop and after the game I immediately downloaded it to my Itunes.  I love technology!
10. We don't have Spring Break plans or summer plans yet.  It is harder as the kids get older to plan these things, especially in advance.  We mostly hang here during Spring Break because the flights getting into Florida are atrocious as all the other spring breakers are heading our way.  Guess we will explore our own area and hit the beach.  As for summer?  Letting my sis-in-law plan that one.