Quack-quack.

If I were a duck, this past weekend would have been heavenly for me. But maybe not, even. Because we had three days of non-stop heavy rain and wild winds, and maybe the weather would have been too wet for even a duck. All I know is that we had no water in our basement as far as I can tell, thankfully, and the only damage we sustained (again, as far as I can tell) is one of the gutters on our garage falling off. If that's the worst of our damage from this raging storm, then so be it.

But what does one do when the weekend weather is so gross? Well, as mentioned, one hangs out with friends inside a nice, warm building, listening to the nice, soothing sounds of an orchestra. We joined these friends for dinner and a little culture, and we had a fabulous time. Have you ever seen a concert or event in the Great Hall at Faneuil Hall? It's on the second floor, above the room with all the little vendors. It's in the actual Faneuil Hall building, and it's a beautiful, intimate space. Apparently it's where new citizens are naturalized in Massachusetts, and let me tell you, I'd be proud to be an American if I were naturalized in that room.

Other than marveling at the history of Boston and reveling in a little Tchaikovsky, on a rainy weekend one does craft projects, right? Of course! So I made a little more progress on my current undertaking. I'm attempting a t-shirt quilt. I say attempting because I only know how to make two things - bibs and curtains (and even those I don't know if I make well, considering that the only two sets I made I had to cut holes into in order to remedy a mistake) - and a queen-sized quilt seems like quite the advanced sewing project. But let's throw caution to the wind and just try it. I've only got time and money and potentially a finger or two to lose, right? Bring it on.

And while you're at it, bring on the corned beef. Not only was this weekend great for crock pot cooking, but it was great for a little Irish-American cuisine. Doug and I enjoyed our St. Paddy's Day feast on Sunday. It's amazing how good corned beef can taste - so salty! So what if you have to strip each piece free of its sinewy fat before you can dip it in bright yellow mustard and chew it up. It's worth all the mess and all the hassle, because it truly is a treat. It ranks right up there with creamed dried beef in a puff pastry shell, and that's a true delicacy. I'm serious.

Life can get a little cozy when it's raining for three days straight and you have no desire to venture outside. You bond with your couch. You snuggle with your cats. You read, you eat, and you feel a little slow. The sun's back out now, though. Today was a beautiful day, and it should be beautiful all week. This is great news, because it would be terrible to have rain on your birthday, and it's my mom's birthday this week. Her 65th birthday, actually. Maybe she doesn't want you to know that, but I think she should be proud of being 65. She doesn't look 65 and she certainly doesn't act it. I've always said that if I could be like her when I'm her age then I'd be lucky indeed. And I still feel that way. Now I just have to figure out a way to properly celebrate her. I have made plans to do some celebrating with her and my sister (who is also celebrating a milestone this year) in May, but we can't wait until May to celebrate a March birthday. I got a fantastic birthday gift from MVD and Curt this past weekend and I've still got a couple of weeks to go before my birthday, so I've got to do something a little more timely for her. Happy birthday, Mom! I'll think up something good for you, I promise.