Spring?

It became unexpectedly sunny and pleasant outside today, luring Ancho and I into taking up outdoor projects rather than lurking in the indoor shadows. We cleaned out a section of the yard covered up with honeysuckle and random old wood stumps. This section now sits right behind Ancho's latest project, a large shed for tools and yard stuff. Ancho also started up his Gravely and mowed on the hillside behind our house where the scrub was wanting attention. Then he walked back on the front chunk of our land clearing out a larger running path for me.

He also moved some of the roosters from the mix, as they are no longer babies anymore. I got the house in order in preparation for taking off for Vancouver, BC where I will be presenting a paper that presents some data I collected during my fieldwork in Costa Rica. My sister and her husband are driving up to Vancouver, so it should be a great few days.

I burned our paper refuse during the end of the GMU and UConn game and had to keep walking back and forth from the burn area and inside to the television. I was so happy for GMU. What a great accomplishment. And what about the SEC sending two teams to the final four! A good tourney indeed!

The dogs now number three- Ralph and Rosalee, the original pair, have welcomed a community stray, Skittles, into their mix. Skittles is very happy. He has been shuttled around quite a bit. He showed up very skinny and hungry and we decided to take him on. Lately, the routine that seems to work with cat and dogs is to bring the dogs in when I get home and let the cat out. Then I hang out inside with the dogs, who have spent all day outside swimming and playing back on the farm. They come in, lay down, and sleep. Later, Poe Poe Kitty returns and all animals are together inside. In this way, perhaps the potential for violence can be reduced.

I planted pansies last week and they got frozen by the lioness that is March. Some may still make it.

I bought an iPod, finally, and can't believe I waited so long.
The iPod is intended to help me blot out FOX news that is always playing at my gym. While FOX news is interesting for a few minutes, in that one can listen with disbelief, listening to what millions of Americans digest and believe. But there is only so much a person can take. The iPod purchase is really designed to keep me out of trouble at the gym. I fear I would be arrested or worse for making some statement contra el Bush. So, an iPod can keep me from reflixive outbursts at the television screen. It's much better this way- I get my exercise and don't get kicked out of my hyper patriotic gym.