March 2013 came roaring in with the full spectrum of Madness.
This includes beautiful 70 degree days mixed in with 28 degree freezing rain and night thunder. Soon we'll know if there's anything to the old saying "when it thunders at night before spring there will be snowfall 7 days later".
The jonquils on Hunt Farm Road were determined, as always, to bloom through whatever weather nature threw at them. They are a welcomed sight in early March and always bring to mind one of my favorite poems. I blogged the story (on March 1, 2011) of a life lesson learned about resilience and beauty. No matter what I am going through, thanks to the poetry and the attitude of William Wordsworth, when I see these sweet flowers waving in the wind, "my heart with pleasure fills, And dances with the daffodils".
Here's a link if you want to read that 2011 blog:
Dad and I made a quick trip to Raleigh to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Legislative Building with others who have served the state in that building. Many things have changed about politics over the years and many other things are just the same. Many people remembered what Dad called his "swan song speech", delivered on the floor of the House of Representatives, when he reminded the legislators that "the world will be a better place when the Power of Love overcomes the Love of Power." Politics and Power plays go hand in hand but it's always better when the underlying motivation is not based on Fear and Hatred but on Unity and Love.
We were a part of all kinds of gatherings in March. Susan and Thomas dropped by for a quick supper one night and I didn't get a picture of that, but I did get a picture of a great tip Susan shared with me. Since I don't have cilantro and basil growing in the garden yet I have to buy it at the grocery store. The herbs come in huge bundles that usually wilt in the fridge before I use it up. Susan taught me how to put the stems in a small glass of water, cover with a plastic bag and put in the fridge to keep everything fresh for a lot longer. This really works. I love a good tip from a friend.
Another gathering broke out at our house one day. About 2 o'clock we started thinking about cooking spaghetti and about 6:30 these three pots of sauce were ready. We had no idea who would be coming but we knew we could freeze any leftovers.
There weren't any leftovers because when college kids are around word travels fast. We love feeding a hungry crowd.
That night we had a good number of boys and girls who showed up for spaghetti.
And what is March Madness without plenty of heart stopping, nail biting basketball games. We watched GWU at College of Charleston on the computer and managed to get a shot of Jay, Paul, Coach Holtmann, McAulay and teammates on the screen. Like so many of the games the outcome wasn't clear until the final seconds but GWU did get the victory.
Kevin, Jay, Kenny and David celebrated the 20th win at home on senior night - the best season since GWU has been in Division I. .
This scoreboard tells the story of many many games this year - so many that I don't know for sure which game this was. We won a lot of these close ones and lost a few but the determination and the spirit of the team made it a really special season.
The Holtmanniacs have made GWU ballgames a lot louder and a whole lot more fun. Fans do make a difference.
We were welcomed to the Big South Championship Tournament at Myrtle Beach by this impressive sand sculpture. We had a bye in the first round, won the second round and lost a heartbreaker in the third round. Still it was a great season with 21 overall wins and a bid to play in the CollegeInsider Post Season Tournament. It was a validation of everyone's hard work and preparation when Coach Holtmann was chosen Big South Coach of the Year.
It's been fun this year watching Jay learn about basketball from the other side of the ball. He has had a great opportunity to learn from some very good mentors.
There is so much more to basketball's March Madness than gametime. There are long grueling hours of drills, conditioning, Xs and Os, film, stats, planning and preparations. These are players who are also students and in many cases teenagers. There are diverse personalities behind every number on those jerseys and they have to learn to trust each other and to work together. Games are interesting but it is so much more interesting when you think about what it takes for a team to develop.
Behind every game with players on the court there are a whole slew of coaches, referees, managers, trainers, band members, cheerleaders, dads, moms, wives, brothers, sisters, fans, and friends. Long after the games are played and the seasons are over the memories and the relationships remain. We have been fortunate to meet a lot people over the years because of various sports. We love meeting people through sports because everyone is united with a common bond. We will never forget this big, fun, Texas/Boston family that we could not have known without the madness of March.
This is a beautiful sunrise over Myrtle Beach during the Conference tournament.
While we did not win the Big South Tournament it was good to know that the sun still comes up in the morning. In sports, as in everything, you have to learn to celebrate the wins and learn from the losses. It has been an exceptional season - 21 wins overall - with amazing play, hard work, some fun sprinkled in, and host of wonderful relationships to cherish.
Simba enjoyed a little March madness of his own. Every day around 6 o'clock he starts to anticipate the best part of his day. This is when someone will soon come home to take him on a golf cart run. The beep of the golf cart starts Simba's run - in exactly the same route - as the cart heads toward the pond. Simba streaks along like lightning and ends up with what is sort of like a swan dive into the pond. Sometimes there are ducks to swim with. Simba loves to swim. We love that it wears down his boundless energy.
March Madness also includes a lot of birthdays - mine, David's, Mom's, Cindy's, and many more. We were fairly low key this year with the birthday celebrations but I did find David a funny T-shirt that says, "Back in my day we had 9 planets".
I thought it was funny and then I worried that someone would ask how many planets there are now. So of course I googled that and unfortunately there wasn't a clear answer. It ranges from 8 to 100s to 10 to the 24th power. Whoa.
Libby and I discussed this via email and decided that for now we'll just go with 8 since poor Pluto has been banned from planethood. But if you want to really have your mind expanded - or blown - google how many planets are there and look for scienceblogs. The beauty and the wonders of the universe are limitless.
March Madness started out with our watching one game on TV, one on the Computer, and watching stats on the iPad. And with the NCAA's just getting rolling there is plenty more to come.
Happy First Day of Spring!
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