Supergirl is Really a Delawarean!

I love the Delaware DMV. These are words I could not utter in California, where my last DMV excursion took three and a half hours. The CA DMV has been harassing me. I got DE insurance under my new last name, and despite my insurance company calling them AND mailing them proof of insurance, they couldn't handle it. Rather than pick my way through that bureaucracy, I decided it was time to bite the bullet. We arrived at the DMV, just a few minutes away from home, at about 9:00 A.M. and were done by 10:00. Better yet, we left with new drivers' licenses, a new license plate and registration sticker, good till '09, and a new car title! Oh, and we're Delaware Democrats now. We walked to the license desk (no line), where I changed my last name, registered to vote, was entered into the system as an organ donor, and got a new license (my CA driver's license was unceremoniously tossed in a pile for shredding). We moved on to the photo desk (also no line), where, three minutes after saying "Cheese," we received brand new licenses (I look like I have seven chins, but hey, I have a new license!). We pulled the car in front of "the shed" outdoors (no line here, either), where a friendly man verified that it's a 2005 vehicle, checked our mileage, and sent us back inside. We changed my name on the title, added Superman, transferred it to Delaware, and for the cost of registering the car in CA for two years, we not only registered it for two more years, we re-titled it, too. And whaddya know, no lines! That's how easy and pleasant a DMV experience should be.

Our weekend was a celebration of all the great things there are to do here. Friday night, we headed to a member's only viewing of Longwood Gardens' orchid show. A highlight was floral arrangements throughout the conservatory, featuring orchids and other spring flowers. We wandered around the conservatory with our wine and looked at orchids attached to trees in one garden, orchids in pots in another, with a steel drum band playing in the background. I always love being there at night, and this was a real treat.

Saturday, Superman went on a beautiful bike ride in Maryland, while I attended yoga with my friend Mary. It was Iyengar, my favorite, and the teacher was a hoot. He is the most enthusiastic Iyengar yogi I have ever encountered. Saturday evening, we hit Wine and Dine Newark with friends, where we sampled different wines and nibbled different snacks at a few of the downtown restaurants. The whole town was there--Newark gets lazy and quiet when the students are gone, and last week was spring break. While I love the vitality of the kids being around, it was fun to experience a different scene--"adult swim," I call it. We ran into several of our swim team buddies at Wine and Dine, and met our accountant's wife and friends We ended the evening at Mary and Dave's, with the best tiramisu I have ever eaten in my life. It has ruined me for all other tiramisu. Mary may become a chef someday, and if she does, she will be famous. That's if I don't hire her first.

Sunday was yardwork. There is a creeping vine we call "creeper" that likes to take over yards here and strangle other plants, who are just minding their own business and trying to look cute. We attacked it and have battle scars to prove it. My finger is housing a thorn, and Superman seems to have a rash. However, the leaves are raked, the creeper is at bay, the dead plants have been excavated, and there just might be hope for the rosebushes. The daffodils and crocus continue to bloom, and we should be seeing our basil and tulips in no time. Sunday night, my favorite eight-month-old came to dinner with his parents and finally made Poppy's acquaintance. She thought he might be a nice playmate till he got excited and exclaimed, "Bah!", at which point she hightailed it under the bed. Still, I think she likes babies.

Ice skating starts up again tonight, so it's a good thing I broke in my skates (and my legs) a little bit. Puppy class is tomorrow, self-defense class is Wednesday, and Katie and Jeff come to visit Thursday! It's going to be a great week, especially if the sunshine holds. Hope you're enjoying warm weather, wherever you may be!