ACC Tournament Time!

Yes, it's ACC time, but since UNC doesn't play until Friday, I've been pretty laid-back about it so far. The hardest part right now is waiting to see how quickly Tywan Lawson recovers from his foot injury. Not too many of my readers are bit sports fans, and those that are have better sources of sports news, so let me update on some other things.

Sunday was a pleasant day. Had a super church service at Manor Care Nursing Center, then came home to watch the Tar Heels give a basketball clinic to Duke (oops, how did I get back to basketball)?! Actually, Duke is scary good and that game could have gone either way. It will take some luck for the two teams to face again in the ACC championship. I predict it won't happen. We'll see.

Monday I attacked my woodpile with the splitter and ax-maul. Wednesday I finished up the logs that could humanly be split. The few remaining ones are twisted or gnarled so badly that each one will be a "project." If a hydraulic splitter can't handle them, I don't feel too bad if I have trouble. When one finally succumbs to my ax there is a slight euphoria.

Also on Monday I was able to arrange a survey of our front property line as a prelude to putting the old Loyd place on the market. Yup. You heard it here first! Except those of you who already knew. We hope to relocate not too far away by the time Brianna and Claire start kindergarten, I start drawing Social Security, and Daddy turns 100. We're not in a hurry.

Tuesday was one of those days we had to go to Chapel Hill, and we always find a way to make medical days more fun by doing something special. So on the way up we lunched at the General Store in Pittsboro. The rest of the day went smoothly, and we don't have to go back until. . . uh, Monday. But this is the time of year Chapel Hill is more lovely with each passing day. Even the weather report is improving, but we have no control over that.

Moving on to Wednesday, besides finishing most of that woodpile, I got a haircut at Eastwood. I met my barber's grandfather who grew up on a tobacco farm in Mount Airy. He had some good tales. Maybe he'd been drinking some of that hair tonic.

From there I headed to the hospital to play the piano in the lobby for awhile. A man who volunteers there had been wanting me to learn a Big Band song called "Moonglow." I finally found the music and learned it, and after I played it for him he told me why it was special to him. Years ago when he worked in New York, he and his wife would drive over into Canada to a dance hall they knew about. "Moonglow" was always the last song the band played before calling it a night. I love stories like that. He also said the Andrews Sisters had made a big hit with that song.

Today I got outside early to clean up the area where I've been sawing and splitting that mammoth white oak tree. I must have raked up at least three bushels of wood chips and sawdust! But finally I can drive through that space to begin the process of hauling wood I piled up down in "the swamp" last fall.

Thelma joined us for lunch today and Amanda will be coming tomorrow. Judy and I love having the leisure to have these special mid-day events. We may go non-stop with grocery shopping, wood cutting, or chores, but that intentional noon slow-down is food for the spirit as well as the tummy! What a pity our American work ethic assigns guilt to any thought of relaxing until a full eight hour day is registered. I don't want to segue into an upcoming blog post, but I will always believe that the time I spent reading great literature to my students after lunch was some of the best time of each day. It refreshed the students and made any activity that followed more productive. More on that soon.

Well, two games of the tournament are history. UNC will play a dangerous Virginia Tech team tomorrow (Friday) at noon. Right now Judy and I will cheer on the N.C. State Wolfpack--since they're not playing our Tar Heels!