There were 23 FEMA lots in New Hartford after the flood of 2008 ... people in these homes could either not afford to rebuild or have enough insurance to rebuild or just gave up on another flooded home...it means they took a 'buy-out' from FEMA ...so those lots can never be built on again...this was a 500-yr flood & affected many homes that never ever have flooded...but many of those that took the buy-out had flooded before ...but not on the main levels like this 2008 flood! So, when FEMA buys you out ...say like $25,000 or something I think may have been an avg (I don't know for sure)...then it becomes property of the city but cannot be built on to live in or have a business. The lots we are restoring have been this Vets Memorial, 4 Season Perennial Garden, Town Square Gazebo lot & a Community Gardens lot. We have written grants, raised money ...many of it donations & that's how we are doing it...we are wearing down as it is many retired people working long & hard...but we promised our community that we would have the 3 lots done by 1st week of June for the local yearly 'Beaver Creek Days.' It's all very worthwhile to all of us & brings a sense of pride back into the community. Thanks for asking, luvs & I appreciate all the comments from you 'Holiday-ers!' Jeanne S.

We are going to the beach with two other families. My kids have a four day weekend, so it will be nice to get away. We're going to drive out onto Assateague Island one day where we can get away from the beach crowds and have a bonfire late into the evening. The kids love that. We'll come back Sunday night to beat the traffic. I'm hoping to do some gardening on Monday and have a laid back cookout with the neighbors. Kitchenwitch, I LOVE Cape May. My neighbor's parents have owned a summer home there for years. It is unbelievable - about 8 bedrooms with several bathrooms and a huge wraparound porch. I haven't been in years, but dh and two of my kids are going to be away later this summer so I'll be alone with my two youngest. She invited me to go up with her kids for the weekend and I can't wait. Such a cute little beach town. I drool over the houses there and wish I could afford to buy one! Have a great time!

The food will be just as good eaten inside or out, and it's meant to be casual, so keep it such. You just want to be sure to have strong paper or plastic plates as you want to keep spills to a minimum. At our family picnics there was always a group who played cards anyway...penny ante poker or may I or whatever. Or maybe scrabble. Or a jigsaw puzzle ... depending on the crowd. There's also a game called "heads up" which is an iphone app....sort of like charades that looks like fun as anyone can join in. But my family gatherings, people seem to be happy just to chat. Or you can bring or have others bring some old family photo albums which are always fun to go through.

It's grilling weather here (74° and sunny), but I've chosen to cook inside because I plan to make the Normandy chicken recipe that Islay posted because Kevin bought the dry English cider, and I bought chicken thighs yesterday. We'll also have broccoli and rice with a mushroom sauce for both. I was going to make a beet salad as well, but I don't think we'll need it. I used to crochet when I was very young - Aunt Marie (who was Alsatian like my grandmother) taught me how to do it to make doilies when I was four or five. I also used to play croquet at that age, up until I was about ten. I haven't played badminton since I was about 13, but my sister and I used to play that quite frequently. I only played horseshoes at summer camp, although we did have horses, along with horseshoes, at home. I've never played bocce, however, although I've seen people playing it in Golden Gate Park. We had spicy grits with sausage and cheese for brunch today. I add peppers, celery, herbs, chicken broth, and frozen corn to the grits as well while they are cooking. We've never had a Memorial Day tradition, but one year I drove up to San Francisco, and it rained heavily the first day I was there. I also forgot to pack pants on that trip, and so in addition to having to buy an umbrella, I had to buy pants.