ASH WEDNESDAY

Yesterday of course was Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras and I had my pancakes.  The Church Youth made them, and donations were taken for their Summer Camp. I took my own sugar and lemons, and enough for Sharon.  I'd introduced her to them last year and she thinks the sugar and lemon is  refreshing.

 They are served here with sausage (yuk) and syrup over.

I love the notice.  PLEASE try your hardest not to make a mess,
signed by the Youth.

After the pancakes there was a fire outside to burn last year's palm crosses, the ashes of which were used to dab on our foreheads on Ash Wednesday. 

 This evening, Wednesday, I was back at the church for the Ash Wednesday service and imposition of ashes.  Afterwards there was a Lenten meal of soup and bread and fruit, so I didn't need to do a dessert.


There's a new cat hanging around my porch.  A very glamourous looking tortoiseshell, allegedly worth $2000, with a little collar. Definitely a cut above the usual ruffians.

 She belonged in the house on the other side of my next door neighbour Donna,  and her owner, a few weeks ago, shot himself. The gun goes off, police come, the coroner's office comes and I am in total ignorance of all this drama going on a few yards away. I keep my blinds down all the time so I don't see any comings and goings outside.

Anyway, the widow of the shot owner went away and asked Donna to look after the cat while she is gone.  I don't know if she is coming back for it, I know  Donna is teed off at having to buy cat food for it.

The big item dominating the news programmes at the moment is the soaring price of fuel.  I heard that Iran has cut off supplies to the UK, has the price gone up there?   Locally, round here it has gone up to $3.40 a gallon, but in some parts of the country like California it is over $4, and when it hits $4 it is a BIG political issue.  Like Obama should be doing something about it.  Quite what I don't know.   In states like Wisconsin and North Dakota where it comes from Canada it is about $2.50.


The Shawnee and Tecumseh police are implementing zero tolerance towards traffic violations.  I am creeping around so carefully.


Pattisue was out at 3 in the morning (I'll tell you why in a minute), there was absolutely no traffic on the road, only a cop car who gave her a ticket for making a turn without signalling.  She had to pay $175.


Her grandson who lives in Tecumseh rang her at that unearthly hour to say he could see ghosts and he was frightened (he's 18) would she come and take him back to her house.  He is not allowed to disturb his parents apparently.