Egg-stra, Egg-stra!! Read all about it!

The Official Penguin Hall Egg Cracking Contest had been put off to a later date because of a hectic work schedule. The contestants were chomping at the bit to break some shells, so late Tuesday evening, after Mr. and Mrs. H got home, they broke open the cartons and let the smashing begin!! Colleen was an early leader, but Ian was showing some good form, until Mrs. H came around the curve. Suddenly, eggs were falling left and right, and in the home stretch, it was all Mrs. Hall, bright and shiny, with a her small and plain robin's egg blue contestant, bringing home the field!

"That extra day or so really paid off", she was quoted, after the event. "I did alot of preliminary stretching this year, and it showed in the end." Rumors of a "juiced" entry were quickly squashed; it was evident from the before and after photos that no illegal "bulking up" had occurred. Kudos all around for a fair and lively match, and to the rest of the contenders: wait til next year!

Happy happy Easter!

The sun was shining brightly but it was a fooler; the Easter bunny was wearing his long underwear under all that fur. Whatever the chill, however, it couldn't stop the residents of Penguin Hall from happily munching down chocolate eggs and spreading cellophane grass all over the floor. No one is too old for peanut butter candies and black jelly beans around the Hall!

The gentlemen opted for formal coats this chilly spring. While the baskets sported the usual nutty treats and marshmallow peeps, Mistress Colleen's basket held a humongeous yellow stuffed chicky head, that inexplicably captured Colleen's fancy. It made for some very intriguing photo-ops! After some untimely work calls for Mr. and Mrs. H, the family settled in for some great old movie classics and lots of Easter dinner: roast chickens, asparagus and a light spring macaroni salad. Shown in picture: Killer taking a brief nap in the afternoon sunshine- she looks like she may have had too many peeps!

Rx Machina Makin' a Splash!

Being a game guru and ranking player of Warcraft III is fun, but just not enough for Master Chris. Though Chris has long been known for his gaming skills, it is now possible for the local inhabitants to have the opportunity to avail themselves of Chris' computer savvy as well. Marcellus shoppers have been noticing the presence of posters around town recently, exhorting them not to give up hope; help is just a phone call away. Rx Machina is Chris’ new enterprise, offering inexpensive advice and help to the home computer enthusiast. Even if you can’t tell the difference between your RAM and your ROM, or you believed that small child when he told you that you needed to flush your gigahertz; there is someone in town who can save your microprocessing bacon. Don’t delay- call Chris now!

Get out the ice pick and chip out the Webber grill, kiddies...

Weather forecasters the country over are earning overtime this year; here is it only March (meteorological spring having started on Sunday!) and while we are still in the throws of the Golden Snowball race (http://www.goldensnowball.com/) the mercury is vying for record highs. Monday in Marcellus, the temperature soared to 61 degrees; so the word went out from Mr. H. to shovel the patio and break out the charcoal- all those cumbersome ribeye steaks in the freezer are to be destined for the fire!

Those George Foreman grills may boast of healthy grilling, and during those dark winter months it was nice to char up some salmon steaks; but nothing compares to the aroma of meat and fat, dripping on an open hickory fire! The end effect was quite satisfying- flames licking the steaks outside amidst the snow banks and icicles; family members all licking their plates spotless inside, amidst the sounds of yet another winter storm advisory on the telly. Cholestrol concerns be damned (at least for one night!)- it was delightful to have a preview of warmer times to come!