The last lonely pile of snow finally melted.  I saw it just last week lurking in the woods by our parking lot.  Several days of rain played a major role in bringing the first hint of spring.  A few brave daffodils and crocuses are blooming and the weather pronosticators are promising temps in the 50's.  We've been lied to before so I'm not making any fair weather plans just yet.  In fact, my long awaited Bahama cruise begins on Monday and I have the good fortune to fly out of the cold and dampness in 3 days.  When I get back from 85 degree weather, the people here will be bragging about the one day of sunshine they had that produced 61 degrees.  Wow!!   But within the confines of MicroWorld, it's always 80 plus degrees.  The seasons are merely pictures we look at through our windows, as one day flows into the next on our weekly schedule of samesness. 

Granny's Got a Car..or, Maine in the Rearview Mirror

I found every granny's dream car....a cadillac!  Now for the road trip to Maine to look at real estate.  For curiosity's sake, I looked up today's temperature in Westfield, Maine, the town my Dad was born in and where I lived as an infant.  It's April and it's 19 degrees! Do they know it's spring and most kids are on Spring Break!  We are still looking at piles of lingering snow but at least the temps are in the 40's during the day and little shoots of early spring flowers are desperately pushing their way through the soil.  The roadtrip to Maine has been replaced with a Bahama cruise.  Only 20 days before embarkation.  But that is not a roadtrip.  Besides, I need to test my heated seats, cruise control settings, and introduce myself to my Onstar Virtual Advisor.  MicroWorld residents are pushing me out the door.  My vehicle purchase choice has won everyone's approval and peaked conversations of bygone vacations.  Since many of our residents live vicariously through Granny Ray, it's my obligation to the hit the highway and bring back tales of adventure.  Today's roadtrip will be a visit to Frank Pepe's Pizzeria in New Haven, CT.  I saw this place on the TV show, "Diners and Dives".  It opened in 1925 and before that, Frank Pepe was selling his "tomato pies" on the street.  The reality of the trip today will be an uneventful and boring interstate 91 drive to New Haven and following our mapquest directions to the restaurant.  We will park, order and eat pizza and leave with our own opinions of this "best pizza in the world".  But MicroWorld will be treated to a tale worthy of it's own movie.  Check the upcoming blog and read all about "Cadillac Granny and the Pizza Pie".....or "Cabin Fever Road Trip to Binge Eating".  As for real estate in Maine.....There is a reason it's so reasonably priced.  This Granny is going to point her 8 cyclinders south.

April Fools! or It's Not Nice to Fool Mother Nature

     Well it's April first again and all day long the halls and walls of MicroWorld will be ringing with "April Fools!", as the inhabitants try to trick and outsmart one another.  But Mother Nature has a little trick of her own this morning.  Once again our lawns and trees are covered with the fluffy white stuff.  Come on!  A few brave daffodill leaves are cautiously peeking out of the ground and some overly eager crocus tried to jump-start Spring, but Mother Nature is having a big laugh today.  Don't try the old line, "Hey look outside, It's snowing!...April Fool's!"  Mother Nature beat you to it and stole your best joke of the day.  You'll just have to use, "Hey look, your shoe is untied"....too bad, so lame. By the way, I plan to avoid all the banality and go shopping.