Ahh (ack!) Spring!

I woke to what was to be the third sunny day in a row - can spring really be settling in?  Or is it another Farch joke?   I could hear the piercing calls of the two resident male cardinals, voice-mapping their territories.  I had two cups of coffee!

While there is not exactly a spring in my step (hip number two is scheduled for an overhaul in mid-May), I was seriously contemplating work in my emerging garden.  With the dogs, cat, sheep, llama, and chickens fed, I snapped the ice tip out of the way on my cane, opened the door, stepped out on the front deck, tottered down the ramp to the garden, raised my face to the sun, closed my eyes and took a deep breath.  At the exact moment four dump trucks (two going in each direction) hurtled down the road in front of the house, kicking up a tsunami of road-salt dust, that proceeded to roll up my front yard.  My neighbor immediately fired up his chainsaw and commenced cutting down his woodland.  A school bus rolled by, kicking up more dust.  A dented Honda with no muffler roared by with the bass turned up loud enough to trigger the Richter scale.  As I beat a semi-hasty retreat to the house, I was reminded of that character actor that walked with a stiff leg and rapidly moving elbows.  Yeehaw.

I went back inside, shut the door and made a third cup of coffee.  And considered spiking it with something adult.

I resigned myself to enjoying the day on the back deck and, as I stepped through the sliding glass door - a very immature red tailed hawk careened past me and bounced off the glass.  I froze - along with the chickadees on the feeder.  He/she took a break on a nearby sumac tree to catch his/her breath and that started chicken hysteria.  I shooed him/her away, turned around and went back in the house.  I believe the chickadees are still frozen on the feeder.  I have put a load of laundry in to wash, feeling that it's the only safe thing I can do, presently.

It looks like spring will be ... interesting.

Fresh bread fumes and the joy of a really good book.

Perreca's has been around for 
over 100 years

Yes, I'm back in the bread delivery saddle!  It was very nice to be able to arrive at the bakery at the crap of dawn and still be able to see.  It was also nice not to have to battle slush, ice and snow.  As a matter of fact, it was so warm that I contemplated rolling down the car windows on the way back, but didn't want to lose the glorious warm bread fumes.  Perreca's is on a small side street dubbed "Little Italy", lined with brick-faced row houses and a smattering of little shops.  Italian pastries, small restaurants, a day spa (!) and Perreca's bakery.  Maria was happy to see me and we traded joint replacement war stories.  Perreca's is the kind of narrow, high-celiinged store that has all kinds of wonderful Italian treasures from floor to ceiling and all the signs are hand-written.  Oooooh, I love it!

I have been pretty much stuck on audio books for the past few years - it's the only way I can claim to multi-task (knitting/listening).  While I have listened to a lot of good books, the really good books are few and far between.  One of them was "News of the World" - as much as I love Tom Hanks, I have no desire to see a saccharine version of this wonderful book - and now I have a new one to add to my short list.  "The Thursday Murder Club" was highly recommended by the New York Times Book Review - which, in my case, is the knell of death.  I am so glad I listened to regular reader reviews!  I borrowed it from the library (hurrah for the Libby App!) and I managed to string it out to two and a half days.  Only because I didn't want it to end.  It has everything I love:  a great narrator, murder(s), fabulous characters that I felt I knew after the first hour, comedy, just enough plucking of the heart-strings, wonderful dialogue, a few red herrings.  I was quite bereft when it ended.  Then I listened to an interview with the author that was included with the recording.  There is another book coming!!!  O, frabjous day - callooh!  callay!  

Farch has arrived. There were no lambs involved.

The first day of March involved a high temperature of 48 degrees, a low temperature of 7 degrees, rain, snow and high winds.  The only thing missing was the plague of locusts, but I have heard that the cicadas will be entertaining us all summer.  Joys abound.

I was awakened at 3 in the morning by the roaring sounds of ice floes sliding off the metal roof.  Ker-chunk!  By the time I dragged myself out of bed, there was an ice dam on the front deck, blocking my exit.  Thank goodness for a back door!  I did manage to get all the outside chores done, but had to walk twice as far and navigate two sets of stairs.  My hips, knees and overall framing has not been getting that much action for quite a while, so I was pooped by the time I got in.  I also found that my rain jacket had let me down.  I was damp from head to toe.  

I did manage to move the ice blocks and I think the worst of the ice fall is over.  I sure hope so.  As far as I can tell, there was only one bending of the roof vents - let's hope that little problem has been fixed.  

My Covid vaccination is scheduled!  Because my doctors are all in Vermont, I did not have to wade through the miasma of nonsensical vaccination scheduling in my home state of NY.  I have heard reports of people in their 70s and 80s having to drive over three hours to a vaccination site.  I am just scooting up to Bennington (where I scooteth every weekend) to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by getting shot number one.  I just got the second shot of my shingles vaccination this past Thursday, so I had to be sure I gave myself at least two weeks in between.  Having witnessed my mother, aunt and many friends' painful journey through shingles, I was more than happy to give myself some protection.

While my environment certainly is NOT showing signs of spring, the hens must be hooked into a deeper stream.  Or one of them understood the 'fricassee' reference I've been using all winter.  I was shocked to find five eggs in their nesting boxes!  My nonagenarian neighbors will be getting a gift box of eggs in their mailbox.