All these buggies parked around the baseball diamond can only mean one thing: 8th grade graduation! It was really hot on Friday afternoon, but I did walk out to take this picture, which is not very good, because I needed a wide-angle lens, and maybe, also to walk out by the road to get a better view, but, like I said, it was really hot.

School is over and I have a week off before I start teaching summer school. Here is a list of most-often-asked questions posed to me, in an effort to divert my attention from poetry:

Mrs. Pillers....

1. What do you drive?

2. Are you married?

3. Do you like football?

4. Do you like Led Zeppelin?

5. Did you watch Glee last night?

6. There's a test today? What? Are you freaking kidding me right now?

7. Are you a tea drinker, because I can picture you sipping tea

8. Do you drink?

9. Do you think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone?

We took the May Queen and her husband to dinner Saturday night to celebrate her 27th birthday. We went to Oceanaire, downtown, Indianapolis. The food was wonderful, as usual, and Brent overheard a conversation among the staff about the Andretti party. We weren't sure if they were there Saturday night in a private room, or were going to eat there on Sunday. Anyway, we didn't see any Andretti's. We came back home and enjoyed the Dairy Queen cake that Brent purchased for the occasion. Here's a picture of the May Queen, just before she left to pick up her Race Day lunches at Marsh. They were seated at turn four for today's Indianapolis 500.

I've been dealing with a health issue for the last month, but some out-patient surgery last Saturday, has remedied my problem, and I am on my way back. But, I've still been teaching full-time and tutoring two nights and week and TRYING to teach aerobics, so it's been draining, not that I'm whining, mind you, well, perhaps it might sound like I'm whining. Yes, it definitely sounds like whining when you read it back.

To make me feel better, my lovely, charming, (and generous) daughter treated me to a facial on Saturday morning. She had the deep tissue massage. After our spa time, we had lunch and then she went on to Becca's surprise bridal shower and I went home and took a nap (which I've been doing a lot of lately).

One of my sophomore students works at a place called Mr. Ed's in Topeka. ( I mentioned it a few weeks back) and he insisted that we come in on a Saturday night when they are serving prime rib. So, on Saturday evening, Bob and I went over to the art show at West Noble High School, then drove to Mr. Ed's. I ordered the baby cut and Bob got the queen, which he estimated to be about a pound and a half of meat. We couldn't believe it. We had it for supper again tonight. It was delicious and my baby cut (probably one pound) was $15.99. We recommend it if you happen to be in the mood for a big hunk of meat.

And, just for the heck of it....... I was taking pictures of the Spring Fling for the yearbook and caught this kid in his volleyball costume. The head looked to be fashioned out of paper mache. He also has a cape. I didn't get it, but I liked it. Crazy kids!

After church this morning, I went to the Vera Bradley Outlet Sale at the Coliseum in Fort Wayne. I don't know why I thought I needed to do this. I've been to it once before, but not on the last day of the sale, so I guess I just thought I had to see if they really marked things down at the end of the big event. I wish I hadn't gone.

After selecting purchases, we all register ourselves and then we are directed to the room where we must pay for our items. We are herded like sheep up and down aisles - sheep carrying pink garbage bags; many of us, sheep, wearing pink. (it never crossed my mind to wear pink). Finally I arrive at my designated paying counter - one with orange balloons. We are kept waiting a long time, because processing credit cards is taking forever. They tell us it's because the Alan Jackson concert, scheduled for this evening, has just screwed up everything. They are asking people if they can pay without using their credit cards. The lady in line ahead of me is also named LouAnn, but with no "e" she points out. She discovered this because our helper-lady, Suzie, is checking my photo I.D. She is very excited to have stumbled across another LouAnne, and tells all her shopping friends about her big find. Behind me is a lady with dark hair - she seems nice enough. She asks me what I think these things are that other LouAnn is buying.

"I think they're lanyards, aren't they?'

"I didn't know what they were." she said. "They're only a dollar."

She asks other LouAnn if she can see one. She studies it for awhile.

"Do you need all of those?" she asks other LouAnn, who has about eight of them.

"You can have that one," other LouAnn is gracious.

Lady behind me studies it some more then hands it back and says,

"Oh, never mind. I don't need it. I'm trying to be better about impulse-buying. Just because something is cheap doesn't mean you should buy it. I've given more stuff to Goodwill. Yep, I'm finally getting smarter. Just because it's cheap, doesn't mean you should buy it."

"It's easy to get swept up in it all," I sympathize.

Other LouAnn takes her eight lanyards and tosses them into the "I-changed-my-mind-box" underneath the counter and says, "You're right."

Three more minutes pass and lady behind me says: "You know, I could give those lanyards to my nieces."

She dives down into the discard box and comes up with other LouAnn's eight lanyards!!!! What was that - Some diabolic maneuver to get her hands on those lanyards? Other LouAnn has been duped! How clever. HOW VERY CLEVER.

Other LouAnn keeps apologizing to me because neither her credit nor debit card will go through.
"Oh, stop." I say, "it isn't your fault. It's Alan Jackson's."

Two men come by pushing a big cart that contains more "I-changed-my-mind-I-don't-want-this" items. Women are holding onto the sides of the cart and diving down inside to get one last shot at something they might have missed. They're flapping and squawking like a bunch of chickens all after the same grasshopper...... I write a check. I am embarrassed to be a woman.