Grandma’ couldn’t go the cocktail party last Thursday evening for a super-valid reason…three of her grandsons were playing in the Dayton Area High School Basketball finals…on opposing teams!

Ahtie & Trevor Heitz play for Alter and John McGinnis, he’s Felix’s son, plays for Chaminade-Julienne. Laura McGinnis Heitz said she and Jay picked ‘Grandma Weezie’ up for the game. “And Mother had arranged to sit on one side of the arena for the first half of the game – and then change to the other side for the second half. Alter did win and ‘we’ (Alter) play in the Regionals this afternoon at the Nutter Center…vs. Graham…a high school north of Dayton.  

“Max Plunket, Nick Romer, Jenera White comprise Alter’s team…plus our twins. John McGinnis plays with Nick Royer, Tony Boyle, and Ryan Figgins. The family competition has been wonderful. Oh, and Alter’s Girls Basketball Team is in the State finals in Columbus…they’re playing Shaker Heights.”

The aforementioned ‘cocktail party’ last Thursday was at Sally and John Fisher’s to introduce their new house – to their old friends.    Coming up the 4-wheel-drive-drive guests were greeted by ‘Dicey’ the Jack Russell, and by ‘Midas’, the orange tiger-cat. The house is at the top-of-the-world with a stunning tree-top view. And it would require many pages to describe how the Fisher’s have remodeled and decorated this already charming house.

Connie Breen, new neighbor but old friend, came around the corner from Echo Springs. Connie has been a part-time resident of Maine for forty-some years and has had many friends visit her on Mt. Desert Island. The Rev. Joseph Goetz has become a ‘Maine-iac’ so the …’when are we going to Maine this year?’ question was discussed with Father Joe and another couple present.

Somehow the Taft name was mentioned and Bob Margolis has a delightful anecdote of a personal conversation with Charles Taft. Father Joe countered with his experience with Robert Taft when Joe was a Freshman at Ohio Wesleyan University.

The ‘big snow’ was beautiful!  It did cause a lotta cancellations and re-schedule-ings. But, wasn’t it beautiful!  The robins did return at least a week too early.  And it did cause the ‘Pileated Woodpecker’ to compromise his vow to never approach a bird-feeder – like the other ‘common’ birds.  By Friday morning Mr. Pileated was gorging himself on the suet feeder and keeping the ‘Red Headed’, and the ‘Downey’  at bay.  

Friday afternoon ‘BLUE SKY ’ was ‘heard’ in the driveway!  ‘BLUE SKY ’ is in caps – cause they’re everybody-in-Oakwood-who-has-a-bad-driveway's…best friend. “I know it’s still snowing – but I figured I had to get started on this mess now,”  was his answer to: “Would you like to come in for coffee and get warm?”  “Oh, and how was New York?” he asked.

Cox Arboretum delivered a lovely pot of tulips during the snow.  The enclosed card said they were (would be) yellow and also said ‘thanx for your membership.’  

Did you get your clocks ‘sprung forward’ on Saturday night? It was hard to ‘think spring’ with the white-out. At least one clock in the house is ‘correct’ – cause it’s one of those ‘fancy things’ that no-one here has ever figured out how to re-set ….so it’s eternally daylight savings time!  

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