A Quiet Chilly Day

• I heard on the news this morning that the weatherman is predicting 3/4 inch of rain in the Phoenix valley over the next couple of days. Sure enough, it clouded up and the temperature dropped into the high 60s. People were walking around with sweatshirts and jackets on. So far, we haven't gotten any of that promised rain. It's just been a very quiet blah day.

• We've been watching the Mariners play Cleveland on Opening Day at Safeco Field in Seattle. It's the top of the ninth and the score is 12-1! What an ugly game! Cleveland just seems to hit every pitcher the Mariners put out there. They got a whole bunch of hits off of starter Vargas in the 4th (after a home run in the first!) for a ten-run inning, and it hasn't gotten any better.

• We've been getting a lot of use out of the built-in scanner on our HP printer the last few days. We did a lot of back and forth with our accountant getting both the ranch and our personal taxes done; then the last few days we've been emailing and scanning documents with the Farm Service Agency for some CRP acres that we needed to re-apply for. It's great that we can get documents by email; we can sign them; scan the signed documents; and then email them back.

• I got my copy of the March/April issue of timbrel, the publication of Mennonite Women USA, in the mail a couple of days ago. I was very excited to see that the article I had written for them ended up as the feature article! I've done some occasional writing in the past. I actually wrote and narrated the script for a couple of training films for the nursing school as well as a handbook on community healthcare organizing many years ago. But, I've never written something for magazine publication.

• Just got a news update on my iPhone -- the Congress has finally reached a compromise (at almost the last possible hour!) and the government won't be shutting down tonight after all. Joke I heard today: If "pro" is the opposite of "con," what is the opposite of "progress?"

• Score of the game ended up 12-3....