Stay Put

Hello World, The thing about April is that you really don't know what to expect from one day to the next, so it really does keep you on your toes, so to speak. At least we've gotten past the infamous Income Tax day on April 15th, and hopefully lived to tell the tale, so that's something right there. I was out early on Friday and spotted a mourning cloak in the bushes, which is the first butterfly to come out in the spring, and a more welcome visitor would be hard to beat, try as I might. On the other hand, the week before last, I heard the unmistakable sounds of the ice cream truck around the corner, and as it was a bracing 40 degrees and raining at the time, I found it somewhat incongruous to say the least. Of course, I don't work at the Employer of Last Resort anymore, which was always the first place that I heard ice cream trucks on their rounds, so they all might have been rambling around for weeks already, for all I know. Around the old homestead, it only took a few beautiful and sunny days this week, and everything in the yard exploded in a colorful panoply of blooms and blossoms to cheer the soul. There are sunny yellow daffodils everywhere you look, not to mention blue windflowers and creamy white anemones all over the place - some of which are not even actual places, but coming up between the cracks in the culvert along the driveway, for instance. I haven't spied any blue squill, but there's glory of the snow (a misnomer if ever there was one) cropping up every which where, while the forsythia is putting on a show of its own. I even stumbled over one very early hyacinth already, in the backyard by the kitchen door, where the tender shoots have been used to coming up early under the heat from the clothes dryer vent, oddly enough. I have yet to see a dandelion, but I did notice a bumblebee in the flowerbeds when I was putting out the recycling, so things do seem to be moving along right on schedule. I have reason to believe that our rampant alien mutant poison ivy spends the winters in Florida (it's too much of a diabolical genius to stay up here in all of that miserable snow) so I'm prepared for its imminent return at any time, no doubt courtesy of Nefarious Airways ("Fly The Evil Skies!") I shouldn't wonder. On the sports scene, the NHL playoffs are underway, with the surprising New York Rangers in the unusual position of favorites to win the Stanley Cup for the first time in, well, forever - after running off with The Presidents Trophy for the best record overall. Their 53 wins and 113 points are the most in franchise history, just edging out the 52 wins and 112 points from the 1993-94 season when they last won the Stanley Cup. And speaking of Lord Stanley's famous chalice, the defending Stanley Cup champions, the Los Angeles Kings, who handed the Rangers a heartbreaking Game 7 loss last year, missed the playoffs entirely this time around, so that's one less thing to come back and bite the Blueshirts in the backside. It's gotten to the point where the 16 contending teams basically have to get at least 100 points during the season to make it into the playoffs, with Calgary just squeaking in with 97, so the Kings at 95 points didn't stand a chance. For the pride of Broadway, they've got their work cut out for them, especially when it comes to putting points on the board, because although they are solid in net with their league-leading goaltender (affectionately known to the Garden faithful as "King Henrik") they lag behind many of their playoff rivals when it comes to putting the puck between the pipes. Their offensive star, Rick Nash, scored 42 goals (which was good enough for 3rd in the league) but was more than twice as many as anyone else on the team, including Martin St. Louis, who they had traded for previously and ostensibly for his offense, but apparently as Jon Stewart always says, " ... not so much!" But they're a scrappy bunch, and desperately hungry for success after coming so close last year, so there's a chance that things could go their way at this point, and give the hometown fans a reason to celebrate again after 20 years. It's a well-known fact that we bleed Rangers blue around here, but as for myself, you know that I'm not turning my back on the evil spirit of Affirmed, that's for sure. Meanwhile in baseball, the Mets have turned things around, shaken off a rocky 2-3 start, and gone on a 5-0 tear, to lead their division at 7-3 in the second week. This may not hold up, but so far, the pitchers are pitching well, the hitters are hitting well, and the fielders seem to have the whole fielding thing down pat, so that's a good sign right there. One potential improvement might be the stealthy move by management in the off-season to bring in the fences again at cavernous Citi Field, as a way to help pump up the offense, since their pitching was already expected to be top notch. (For years, everyone complained about the colossal dimensions of the old Shea Stadium, which historically led all parks in fewest homeruns hit out of it, with the possible exception of Yellowstone. So it made no sense at all when they built the new stadium, literally in the shadow of the old behemoth, that the fences were even farther out than they had been before, believe that or not. After a couple of years at the new place, the front office very quietly had the fences pulled in a bit, and now it seems that they have pulled them in a second time, hopefully with better results than last year.) Of course, the problem with moving in the fences is that it can turn out to be a double-edged sword, and obviously helps the opposing teams offense as well as the home club, which is certainly not something that you want to encourage, not by a long shot. So it should be interesting to see if the supposedly new and improved offense can take advantage of the new and improved dimensions at home, without the added disadvantage of giving up too much opposition offense in return. Here I'm thinking, if only the evil spirit of Affirmed was in charge of this franchise, instead of the bird-brains they have running it now, they would have come up with a way to move the fences in when the Mets are at the plate, and back out again when the other team is hitting. Talk about joy in Mudville, with Cracker Jacks on top! In other local news, a friend of ours stayed overnight at the Doral Arrowwood Hotel in scenic Rye Brook, and invited us to join her there for a visit, so naturally we jumped at the idea. This is a far cry from your typical urban lodgings, where they plunk a towering structure right on a sidewalk, surrounded by concrete and steel on every side, and there you have it. This place is lovingly ensconced in over 100 acres of rolling countryside, including a world-class golf course and all the outside amenities that anyone could hope for, such as tennis, basketball, squash and racquetball. In fact, they sell memberships for the population at large, so people can come and enjoy their facilities without being guests at the hotel at the time. This is a good thing, because their facilities are out of this world, and worth the trip, I don't mind saying. There's a spacious fitness center, with rows upon rows of equipment, plus rooms for steam, sauna, massage, and exercise classes with personal trainers to boot. They also have a recreation center with ping pong and billiards, arcade games and other activities for youngsters and oldsters alike. Whew! I get tired just thinking about it. My absolute favorite part was an innovative indoor-outdoor swimming pool, with an underwater hatchway, so you can swim from the inside to the outside, or vice versa, and how cool is that! There's also a hot tub, which is just what the doctor ordered for weary travelers after a long day, and I ought to know. Actually, the Doral folks don't call themselves a hotel, but rather a conference center and resort, and I wouldn't argue with them a bit. Interestingly, when you drive into the complex, you can't even see the hotel, and it turns out that most of it is underground, built into the side of a hill, so you enter the building on what is actually the 5th floor, but which is ground level on that side of the hill. They have elevators, of course, but an even more inviting feature is the array of wide and elegant ramps, to move effortlessly between the lower floors, rather than plain old exhausting stairs. There's quite a variety of dining options at the place, including a full-service restaurant, room service, Mulligan's Outdoor Cafe, The Pool Bar - as well as our choice for dinner, The Pub, where you can relax and watch your favorite sports, while enjoying a delicious meal, drinks, and decadent desserts. Anyway, between the pool, hot tub, and dinner, we certainly had a delightful time while we were there, and no complaints, I can assure you. Even better, on our way out, I spotted a display case with a small scale model of the whole compound, with all its little trees and tiny cars in the parking lots, and I just love stuff like that, so please be forewarned that I have the pictures to prove it, and I'm not afraid to use them. Ever since we left, we've been trying to come up with a reason to go back, and if we don't come up with one soon, it won't be from lack of trying, believe me. Please feel free to go right ahead and visit their web site at www.doralarrowwood.com and see for yourself - and if you'd like to make a reservation for a couple of weeks, I'm sure the President's economic advisers would be extremely grateful. Why don't you book an extra room for us while you're at it, and if you get there first, please save me a spot in the hot tub! Elle