At Last

Spring finally announced its presence with authority this week, and I, for one, couldn't be happier. May is one of my favorite months, when the long, cold fingers of winter have finally loosened their grip, the sky is blue, the sun is bright, the birds are singing, and you can practically hear the buds bursting forth.

May also means a lot of outside work for me--cleaning the driveway of maple flowers, cleaning the gutters of maple flowers, cleaning the driveway (again) of maple flowers, pulling maple seedlings, weeding, digging, fertilizing, trimming, mowing, hauling outdoor stuff out of storage, and did I mention cleaning up after the maple trees?

I've also done several inspection tours of the garden this year, checking for bare spots, looking for what survived this year and what didn't, where things need to be dug up and moved, and so on. As long and cold as the winter was this year, it was a good one for the garden, because all that snow kept things insulated, and we didn't have the thaw-and-freeze cycles that have killed so many plants in years past. I'm always surprised at what makes it through and what doesn't. This year, I had a clump of Italian parsley that somehow survived, and it looks like the cilantro has reseeded itself quite nicely. The Oriental poppies I had left for dead have come back healthy and HUGE. The verbena didn't make it, but that was a long shot. I had given up on the swamp milkweed, but I just noticed yesterday that there are little green shoots starting to poke up.

So, I predict several trips to the garden center over the next couple of weekends to collect mulch, peat moss, new pots to replace ones that broke, and many visits to the plant section to linger over all the choices--do I want to try tomatillos again this year? How many flats of impatiens? Shall I do all white again or go for a mix? Any good tomato varieties? How about herbs? How's the perennial selection? Decisions, decisions...

In other good news, my committee work is almost wrapped up, which means I can start choosing my own reading again. You have no idea how excited I am about this. I have a long, long list of books, books that have waited patiently for me while I slogged through my assigned titles. So many happy hours of reading pleasure to look forward to! I can't wait!

Doggone Blues

Now busking for Milk Bones on a street corner near you:

All in a day's work

Here is today's best phone conversation:

ME: Hello, how can I help you?

CALLER (male): Yeah, I got a couple questions for you. My first question is, uh, OH, CRAP! [pause] Uh, my second question is...

Favorite Things

Here in the House of Too Many Pets, I constantly fight the battle against pet hair, and the pet hair usually wins...until now...

Pledge, I owe you one.

All in a day's work

So, this guy called again earlier this week. The conversation went something like this:

Guy: What does it mean with they say "Sir Isaac Newton"? What does the "sir" mean?

Me: It means that he has been knighted, and "Sir" is his title.

Guy: Oh. So what do they call a woman who has been knighted?

Me: If it's a woman, then her title is "Dame".

Guy: Oh. I thought they called her "Miss Madame".


Then today, I got this call from a different man:

Man: Yeah, I need some information. You're a woman. My wife is having a birthday; what could I do for her that would be really romantic?

Me: Weeellll, I don't know if I can give you any suggestions. Since I don't know your wife, I don't know what she would think is romantic.

Man: Oh, I was thinking we could go to a state park. She doesn't really like motels, but she could put up with one--one that's maybe not too expensive. With a pool. Like maybe the Holidome. Does that sound good?

Me: I think whatever you decide, just be thoughtful and do something she would think is special, OK?

Man: Yeah, ok.


It's almost like I make this stuff up.

You said it

My favorite book title of the week (so far)...

All the Wrong People Have Self-Esteem by Laurie Rosenwald

I'm flattered, I think?

Wow, You're a Labrador Retriever!

Labrador Retriever
The Caretaker

Your family is what makes you tick, and you never "flea" from an opportunity to hang out with the whole gang. A family picnic complete with hot dogs, deviled eggs and a refreshing swim in the lake is hard for you to stray from. Your sparky temperament and dogged intelligence mean you are not only a blast to hang out with, but great to work with as well. Your close pals appreciate your patience and forgiveness, knowing you'd rather let sleeping dogs lie than dwell on the mishaps of the past. Your dashing good looks may one day lead to a modelling career, if only you can tame the unfortunate clumsiness that sometimes causes you to go flailing from the catwalk.

FAMOUS LABRADOR RETRIEVERS: Bill Cosby, Jackie Onassis, Dr. Phil, David Beckham

LIKELY PROFESSIONS: Doctor, Sales Executive, Teacher

You can take the quiz yourself here