What's New This Week? As you may have noticed we are coming to you a little early this week. That's because it's our wedding anniversary (Thursday the 8th) and we are off for a weekend of camping to celebrate. We started off the celebration today with lunch at the same restaurant at Carillon Point in Kirkland, Washington we went to just before Ken proposed. After lunch we went and sat on the very bench where the question was popped. Fortunately Marilyn said yes and the rest is history. It's not a milestone anniversary but we think every anniversary should be special and celebrated.

The other thing that's new this week is Mother's Day. We sure hope that you take the time to spend some time and do something nice for your mothers. We've both lost our mothers and can only reflect on the good times of years past. Don't let a single year slip away because they are so precious.

     The golf season is coming into full swing (pun intended) and there are a lot of golf nuts out there. Ken use to be one but his shoulder kind of put the kibosh on his career as a potential pro golfer. That and his swing, bad aim, sand traps, water hazards and a really bad handicap ;-)
JoAnne Gray, Marilyn's cousin and avid RunnerDuck reader sent us this interesting site for all you golfers. During a talk given by the head honcho of Golf Nuts, an organization that has members from Michael Jordan and Peter Jacobsen to world famous politicians to your next door neighbor, he talked about some of the more bizarre applicants and members. To qualify for membership, you have to submit a resume of your qualifications - such as the following.
Several modified their homes so they could hit full shots indoors. Many admitted to taking divots out of the carpeting in their homes.

One member played 70 holes of golf on his wedding day.

Another broke a 5 iron in making a shot. The end of the shaft stuck in his bicep. He pulled it out, took his T Shirt off to make a tourniquet, finished the round and then went to the emergency ward.

Many qualified by buying at least one full set of clubs every year. Others by the number of drivers and/or putters bought.

My favorite though was the guy who had trouble with getting the proper wrist positioning for the golf swing. So he had both wrists operated on and reset to accommodate the proper swing plane.

Do you qualify? Check out www.golfnuts.com. Some of the fun areas to check out on their web page are "Golf Nut Record Book" in "The Library" and "The Nut Gallery" in "Mixed Bag of Nuts". Thanks JoAnne for the fun link.

Pussy Willow Balls

     These Pussy Willow Balls are really unique, pretty and make wonderful gifts. They are a little tedious and take some time but the results are great. These would make really pretty Mother's Day gifts but you better get started right now!

Since this project uses hot melt glue it's best to do it with adult supervision. We wouldn't want any of you getting burnt.

Here is a list of the things you will need.

• A bunch of Pussy Willow branches. They work better if they have dried for a while.
• Styrofoam balls of different sizes, 1 1/2" to 3".
• Hot melt glue.
• Flower pot or other container.

First you need to pop off all the Pussy Willow buds from the sticks.
Using hot melt glue, glue each individual bud onto the Styrofoam ball. It's easier if you put the Styrofoam ball onto a stick first.

After the ball is a little more than half covered switch the stick to the opposite end.
Continue adding buds until the entire ball is covered.
That's really all there is to the basic construction. It took about one hour per ball once I got the hang of it.
Now you can put the balls onto the empty Pussy Willow sticks and put them into a flower pot or just put them in a bowl or vase to display them.
One of the side benefits is they really work nice as a therapy ball. They feel so nice and fuzzy that they make you feel good all over.
Now get busy and make a bunch for mom and grandma.

     We hope you enjoy Marilyn's Corner and look forward to all the fun things she brings you each week. If you have a fun project that would be suitable for our newsletter we'd love to share it with our readers. Just contact marilyn@runnerduck.com and we'll do the rest.

Remember we have all of our past projects archived on our web site at www.runnerduck.com. Just click on the Projects or Kids Only Eggs.

      Do you like to play games and put together puzzles? Better yet do you like to save money? We think you are going to like some of the great deals awaiting you at the Toys Outlet. Just click on the banner below to check out these great deals.

Click Here

Woops, just when you thought it was safe we throw a few more at you!

Q: What's the difference between a bull and an orchestra?
A: The bull has the horns in the front and the asshole in the back.

Q: How many vocalists does it take to screw in a light bulb?
A: None. They hold the bulb over their head and the world revolves around them.

Q: How many drummers does it take to screw in a bulb?
A: None, they have machines for that now.

Q: How can you tell if the stage is level?
A: The drool comes out of both sides of the drummer's mouth.

Q: How do you get a trombonist off of your porch?
A: Pay him for the pizza.

Q: What's the last thing a drummer says before he gets kicked out of a band?
A: "When do we get to play MY songs?"

Q: What's the difference between a tuba and a vacuum cleaner?
A: You have to turn one of them on before it sucks.

Q: How do you define a perfect pitch?
A: When the saxophone lands in the MIDDLE of the dumpster.

Q: What do you call a musician with a college degree?
A: Night manager at McDonalds.

Q: Why are violas larger than violins?
A: They aren't. Violists' heads are smaller.

You can check out our summer schedule at the Tempos web site www.thetempos.com/jobs.htm. If you are making plans to visit Seattle this summer try to fit in one of our fun concerts.

     Don't forget that The Tempos big swing band is available for hire. If you have a special event that could use the wonderful music of a classic big band be sure to contact thetempos@runnerduck.com.

      Are you familiar with Wayne Shorter? How about Miles Davis and Weather Report just to name a couple. Well Wayne played with both and that's because he's one of the very best saxophonists that ever lived. He's powerful, creative and down right enjoyable to listen to. Here's what one reviewer wrote about this CD. "If you're looking for finger-snapping, straight-ahead swing, this might not be for you. But wow... This is just music of the top quality, irrespective of genre. Everything on this album is cutting edge and beautiful; there are no "background parts." I was fortunate enough to see Wayne Shorter's amazing quartet live this past autumn. Few groups in music, let alone jazz, have the ability to cut through all extraneous "stuff" and get straight to the music. The quartet is intact on three numbers, but the rest is simply fascinating; outstanding writing, and playing of a supernatural concentration.

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Remember, we have a link on our web site, www.runnerduck.com, to our ever popular Grammy® Shopper site. If you haven't been there yet just click HERE to see all the 2003 Grammy® winners complete with links to purchase any one of them.

This weeks joke was sent to us by Patricia G. Thanks for the humor.

An accordion player was driving home from a late night gig. Feeling tired, he pulled into a local diner for some coffee. Sitting in the booth enjoying his coffee, he suddenly remembered that he had locked his car doors but had left the accordion in plain view on the back seat of his car!

He rushed out only to realize that he was too late.

The back window of his car had been smashed and somebody had already thrown in two more accordions.

The RunnerDuck web site is hosted by

   THIS WEEK'S FREE RECIPE

• 12 oz. Tortellini, cooked and drained
• 1 Cup Ripe Olives
• 1 Green Pepper, thinly sliced
• 2 Tablespoons Pimiento, diced
• 1/3 Cup Tarragon Vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt
• 1/2 teaspoon Sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon Dijon Mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 3/4 Cup Oil

Remember, if you have a recipe you'd like to share please send it to marilyn@runnerduck.com.

     Every month we post a new recipe on our web page. Be sure and check out the NEW May recipe at the RunnerDuck Kitchen Store.
We'd be happy to post your favorite recipe there or in our newsletter and give you credit. Just drop a line to marilyn@runnerduck.com.

It's too late to order and receive anything in time for Mother's Day but keep Tabletools.com in mind for great cooking utensils. Tabletools.com is one of our favorite shopping places for unique kitchen tools at really great prices. If you've never been there before we'd encourage you to check them out. They just may have that perfect gift for mom.

Click Here for more information.

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"Salads: Hot and Cold" by Di Kirby

Be sure and visit the RunnerDuck Cookbook Store for other great savings on cookbooks and cooking supplies.

Cupola, Last Step

     Last week we made the roof for our cupola and this week we'll install our cupola. If you missed last weeks step you can go to www.runnerduck.com/05-02-03.htm to check it out.

After all that hard work last week on the roof we will take it a little easier this week. We are going to install our cupola on the roof of our wheel house. Since I have a bad record with ladders I'm always extremely careful. We hope that you will be also.
Here's what you'll need:
A hand saw.
Some long deck screws.
A portable screw driver.

If you are going to cut through the roof to make it a true vent then you'll need:
Scroll saw.
Tar paper.
Metal flashing.
Possibly some silicone sealer.
Possibly some matching shingles.

If you are going to install a wind vane like we did you should drill the mounting hole before you get it up on the roof. Don't install it until you are done though.
If you are going to paint your cupola now would be a good time. We decided to leave ours natural so it will better match our wheelhouse.
We cut the roof ridge so the cupola would just fit in the open space. We are not actually using ours for a vent so we went no further.
If you are going to vent with your cupola then cut a hole in the roof slightly smaller than the base of the cupola.
Position the base of the cupola over the cutout and screw from the inside of the box down into the roof. It's best to pre drill the holes in the box.

If you've cut a vent hole in your roof finish it off with tar paper, flashing and additional shingles if necessary. Most good carpentry books will show you how to do this.
Mount the cupola onto the base and screw through the base into the cupola from each side.
Mount the weather vane and you should be good to go. We put silicone sealer down into the center hole before we put in the weather vane. This will help hold it in and keep moisture out.

We hope you've enjoyed this project and have good success with it. Remember, if you ever have any problems with our projects just drop us a line and we'll try to help. Since we build every one of these projects we have a pretty good idea of how to get through them. We also make lots of mistakes so we can help avoid them also.

If you have a project that you would like to share please drop us a line and we'll help get it published in the RunnerDuck review. We are looking for woodworking, gardening, crafts and kids projects so send us your thoughts at projects@runnerduck.com .

Check out all the great products in the RunnerDuck Goodies Store. Show the world that you love RunnerDuck!

 
 
There is lots of other cool stuff at the RunnerDuck Goodies Store.

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CONSERVATION TIP

      Once again we'd like to remind you that May is Bike to Work Month. Here in the Seattle area we are celebrating as described in the following notice. "On Friday, May 16th, hundreds of employees throughout the Puget Sound Region will park their cars and hop on their bikes to make their daily commute to work. There are 36 bicycle support stations located throughout Puget Sound. Many local companies, through the Greater Redmond Transportation Management Association (GRTMA) are sponsoring this event, along with Cascade Bicycle Club. To keep you moving, free refreshments, water bottles and much more will be waiting for you at rest stations between 6 and 9:00 a.m. T-shirts will be sold for $10 while supplies last.

Be sure to check out events in your area by visiting Bike To Work Month. Start making plans now to participate in this great event.

If you have a conservation tip please send it to conservation@runnerduck.com and we'll post it in our newsletter.

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     If you want to talk about something just drop us a line at duckmaster@runnerduck.com any time, we like to talk about most anything. We are always looking for content for our newsletter so if you have something to add we'd love to publish it. Assuming it meets our strict family oriented requirements!

     If you forward these newsletters to your friends just drop us a line and we'll do it for you. Just send us their email address and we'll do the rest. Remember, we never share our email list with anyone, period! Just drop me a line or go to our registration page and sign up your friend.

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