HARRISBURG AND LEMOYNE, PENNSYLVANIA

The Box has been busy these last few days, ferrying us around as we did a number of errands.

This past Wednesday, the Box chugged downtown for a meeting of the committee planning the celebration of 150 years on Market Square by the congregation of Market Square Presbyterian Church. We're planning a photo exhibit, a festival worship service, and a presentation by an expert on stained glass. She will focus on three important late 19th- and early 20th-century windows, including one by the Tiffany Studios of New York City.

We ran out of time, so we returned Thursday to choose photos for the exhibit, and I agreed to devise a means to display them on March 7 and a few Sundays after that.

My sister Rachel was there volunteering in the office, so when she was done with her chores, we went into the church and took some measurements of the Communion table. Rachel's going to make a purple Lenten hanging for the table with material I had chosen on behalf of the worship committee.

She then rushed off to the West Shore to buy the cloth (and pick up her beautiful new car). I headed north to the Giant food store on Linglestown Road to meet a friend from the church. Our mission: to purchase four tall potted palms to grace the church on Palm Sunday and then beautify the gathering space nearby for the rest of the year. It seems that we got there just in time. Although someone had told me on the phone that they had many skids of palms, there were only five for sale!

Wil and I loaded the palms into the Box and drove downtown to the church, where we placed them for their wait until they move front and center on Palm Sunday. In the evening, we both returned for choir rehearsal. A long day!

Today's activities included a trip to Lemoyne to meet Rachel and our sister-in-law Wanda for lunch. We gathered in the food court and then went our separate ways to choose a meal. Once back, there was a lot of conversation (especially among the women). After lunch there was a little shopping (Susanne is taking Lebanon bologna and scrapple to western Pennsylvania, where she will visit a college friend and her father in a nursing home). Wanda left to get an oil change, and Rachel showed me her new car.

I won't mention the iced sticky buns I bought. (They were small, miniscule really.)

After driving home to drop off Susanne and check email, I drove the Box to the local fabric store to buy some purple cloth to drape the church's cross throughout Lent and Holy Week. On the way home, I scoured the local bargain store, the famous "Ollie's: Good Stuff Cheap" for another case of delicious low-sugar apple sauce. Alas, there was none to be found, so I returned home for a quiet evening, apple sauce-less.

Since you no doubt are hankering for more photos, here they are!

Whenever I park on the roof at the garage next to the church,

I am amazed by the tallest steeple in the city. Here it looks like

the snow is higher than the church roof!

These are some of the historic photos to be displayed.

My friend Wilmer unloads one of the treasured palms from the Box.

Wanda tries on the beautiful ring Rachel gave her

as Susanne looks on.

The market floor as seen from above.

Lovely green asparagus makes me think of spring.

This coconut cake can't hold a candle to Pat Pearl's.

Pat is my son Matt's mother-in-law. Hers is to die for.

Rachel heads out to other errands while Susanne

and I browse in the antiques shop at the market.

Scrapple! Ugh. Everything but the oink!