My BFF and I went to see Baby Mama today at the movie theater. I didn’t think I was going to like it very much, but I was pleasantly surprised. It was really quite a hoot. It was also very predictable. But the laughs overcame the predictability…somewhat. It’s not going to win any Oscars by any means, but it was worth watching, which is more than you can say about most movies out there.

I am happy to report that we haven’t had any more earthquakes in several days now. Hurray! From Friday April 18th until now we have had eleven earthquakes that registered over 2.5. We had quite a few that were under 2.5 but I don’t count those, although they are an annoyance if you are trying to sleep. Our strongest and longest earthquake was 5.6 on the Richter scale. But we’ve also had 4.6 and a 4.0. I don’t think I like earthquakes.

Yesterday afternoon we counter-offered on the offer that was made on our house. Today they counter offered our counter offer and we accepted it. On may 29th I will be on my merry way to MD. I did have a weird mix of emotions when we got the offer and it seemed eminent that our house would sell. I was sad in a way and scared in another and excited and happy too. All at the same time. A weird feeling to be sure. I will miss our happy little haven.



Maryland was never really a happy place for me thanks to my ex-husband. It will be interesting to see if I can make it a happy experience now that he is out of the picture. My grandfather always said that the area of Maryland we lived in was Heaven on earth and he would want to live nowhere else. I never understood his feelings at the time, but I do now. The area of Maryland I am from (and moving back to) is a mix of marshes and mudflats, of wide open fields with countless rows of corn lined up straight as soldiers. It is flatland rivers and hidden tidal pools where the great blue heron’s feed. It is endless miles of ocean as far as the eye can see. It is white marlin, blue crab, oysters, the Bay and the watermen who harvest them. It is home.



Another sure sign that you have arrived on Maryland’s Eastern Shore is the odor. Yes, the odor. The flat farmland is rich with chicken manure, which is gathered from the many chicken houses that dot the landscape. According to local theory it is the chicken manure that gives the vegetables their unique flavor. And one has to admit the vegetables grown on the Eastern Shore are like none other. The tomatoes have a richer flavor, the corn tastes sweeter, and the cucumbers are mild and delicate. Yes, chicken manure can be a wondrous thing. And on the Eastern Shore it is abundant. I guess in a way you could say the Eastern Shore is a real shitty place to be. Okay, bad pun and now I’ll have scads of Eastern Shoreman trying to hunt me down and give me a whoopin’.