Sailed right thru February . . .

and March is nearly gone.

It is "winder and door" season again. It is nice to have the air wafting through the house. Citrus is blooming and all the other spring bloomers have not gotten into a good synchronicity with our stuttering weather fronts. Evenings however are still button up a bit and put on some sweats.

I have been on one project or another mixed in with helping my friends Jim and Wilma get their condo ready for sale. I took on their ceramic floor project. It is not huge but with tile it is not the expanse but rather the corners, abutments, and cutouts. I believe that it is the last tile job I will do alone. I have no problem with my knees and back. It is the arthritic thumb joints that are getting me. I have also triggered some old carpal tunnel catches in my palms. I have two small baths to go.

I have four large pines in my back yard. They make a nice background for my roof line when seen from the street. One of the pines is dead. It was struck by lightning while I was on the computer just twenty feet away. Every tree contractor that drives by wants to take it down. I have left it for the woodpeckers. It is full of beetles and larvae and the woodies are having a feast It is at the point now where the peckers are able to work on nesting holes. I have counted six so far. I have had visits from the Downeys, Redbellied, and Pilliated. Whenever I am at my desk, I am able to tell who is visiting just by their call or pecking rhythm.

All this entertainment comes with the advent of pollen season. The oaks are blooming catkins and the pines are blooming new candles. Parked cars are covered with yellow dust and the pool is beginning to have a yellow cast when it has been calm for a while. I have not had a severe allergy reaction as yet and may get away without serious consequences this season. I have not had to be around cigarette smoke. That is the trip wire for me.

I have just bumped heads with some posters re: a political rant. I will share that in a post later this week.

Let's hope that the current mess at Walter Reed is resolved soon. This is not something that the recovering troops created for themselves. Please Google as much as you are able about this. It is a national and systematic disgrace.

Lantern Bearer