The morning was crisp but clear--perfect weather for the members of the Harrisburg Young Professionals to attack one of their top projects, the beautification of the center divider of Forster Street in the 200 block. They have been tending this area for the past several years and we in the neighborhood are certainly gratified by their efforts; I suppose our daily commuters are as well. I especially appreciate the couple of "Knock Out" rose bushes which seem to bloom profusely right up to Thanksgiving . . . Despite the weather we had a very quiet day at the store. We miss you. Being sidelined has certainly been costly for us--we took in less than half what we needed for the month of April . . .

Most readers will already realize that Bob did yesterday's post without giving himself credit . . . I was waiting for the peak moment to photograph the beautiful flowering trees on Verbeke Street but, unfortunately, the storms tore away all the gorgeous petals . . . HAPPY BIRTHDAY greetings to Ray Davis tomorrow . . . Bob and a couple of billion others rose early to watch the Royal Wedding. I was not among them, however . . . This decorative stack of cardboard boxes is $18 and each box would be a perfect receptacle for coupons, photos, etc . . .

Rain was bad enough, but what we had this morning was something else! I have this weather thing that goes off whenever there is a weather warning. Well, it started going off at 3:30 this morning. I got awake. I heard thunder and saw lightning. Iwas awake, and I cannot go back to sleep with a thunderstorm in the vicinity; besides the weather thing kept going off again and again. So I got up, brushed my teeth, made coffee, and watched the rain by the light of the local weather on TV. We were fortunate that we got no wind or tornadoes, but the storm sewer did back up bringing water into the basement. No damage....Hope all of you fared well in the mess. Tomorrow and Saturday sound like real spring weather.

Well, it is official. There will be a new restaurant in the old Zephyr Express location. Home 231 will open Monday, specializing (it was first announced) in home-cooked food for neighborhood families. Hooray! We haven't had anything like that since the demise of Castiglia's years and years ago. What a great place that was. Mom always had a big pot roast, a mess of green beans and ham or an enormous bowl of spaghetti on the back burner for those who just wanted a quick meal after work. (And Italian specialties as well, if you were in the mood or were entertaining out-of-town guests.) . . . Well, I soon realized that my trust was misplaced concerning this new enterprise. One of the specialties is to be grilled octopus. Don't sound much like a neighborhood family spot to me . . . Does anyone remember the ham spread that Kessler Meats use to make and retail at Broad Street Market. That was delicious stuff, and I bought a carton almost every week. I still remember it fondly. Bob has had various successes with his own recipes, but nothing has come close to that Kessler treat that remains in my memory . . . The kids had out their magic wands tonight, filling the air with bubbles. Bob suddenly remembered our childhood days before this stuff came along. We both had a wooden bubble pipe that we dipped into soapy water and we blew the biggest bubbles with it. Bet some of you older readers had one of those, too. They were a big item at the five-and-dime . . .

Too much of a good thing too soon. Temps near the 90s; had to dig out a pair of shorts . . . Heard my first car radio blasting in the uptown neighborhood this morning . . . It is almost inevitable--if you have baked ham on Sunday you will have a mess of ham and green beans sometime in the following week . . . No one ever told me that smoking is the primary--perhaps sole--cause of bladder cancer . . .

David Hoffman was in New York City this weekend for the premiere of a new opera based on the famous British film Seance on a Wet Afternoon. That film was highly lauded in its day and had quite a run at various "art house" theaters across the country here. Unfortunately the music in this new work is merely mediocre in David's opinion . . . Still unable to get a restful night's sleep; wide awake after an hour or two of deep sleep; terribly frustrating . . . Had a wonderful visit with former Harrisburg policeman Ralph Brown this afternoon; we go back a long way and can hash over any number of "events" in the neighborhood's past. He is working for the county sheriff these days . . . Ernie Kepner whipped up a holiday batch of his famous macaroni salad and he shared a portion with us. Ernie is counting down the days to retirement which will come early in June . . . So nice to see so many window boxes spilling over with pansies . . . This brass lady is about ten inches across and at $16 is a bargain in my opinion. Nice for the home or the patio. Just think, we can be lolling outside in the shade with a book in the not too distant future . . .