Posting Before I'm Too Tired

I decided I better grab this time to make a post BEFORE I do some yardwork. If I don't, the same thing will happen as the last several times I planned to post. I will be too tired to put two thoughts together.

Spring is moving right along here in the hollow. That's not to say that Ole Man Winter doesn't stick his nose in once in a while. We had snow earlier in the week. It melted as it hit the ground in the valley, but the higher mountains got a good dusting. The air still has a nip, especially when the wind blows.

The Bradford pear trees and other early blooming fruit trees are adding their colors to the yellows of forsythia and daffodils. Daffodils are plentiful here in the hollow. The forsythia is a bit bare thanks to the deer.

Last May I did a major pruning of my forsythia. Early last fall the deer dined on the lush new growth. Either they got full or something scared them off. One little section was left to bloom. The rest of it looks sad. But some fertilizing should get it growing again. The deer had never bothered it before. I hope they don't discover it again.

We've had some good rains the last few weeks. The creeks are finally flowing freely. I don't know how long it will last. The best chance of rain this week is a 50 % chance of a shower tomorrow. Rains like that don't keep the water table up. We are still in drought conditions, as is the whole southeastern United States. We need months of good rains to get things back to normal. As much as I don't want a hurricane, tropical rains are what we need this summer.

Book Review: Stranger in Paradise

Spenser has Hawk. Now Jesse Stone has Crow.

Wilson "Crow" Cromartie first appeared in Trouble in Paradise, the second book in Robert B. Parker's Jesse Stone series. He participated in the robbery of Stiles Island.

Now ten years later, the statute of limitations has expired on his crime. He has been hired to find a mother and her child living in Paradise. When he does, he is told to kill one of them. Since Crow doesn't kill women or children, he asks Jesse to help keep them safe.

The character of Crow is not as developed as Hawk, but readers have had 30 years to get to know Hawk. It will be interesting to see if Crow becomes a major character in this series as Hawk is in the Spenser series.

Parker's choppy writing style gets to me sometimes, especially as an audio book. But his stories move quickly, and are always an entertaining read...good escapist literature.

The Smell of Spring

I got a big chuckle out of today's Grand Avenue comic strip. I thought I would share in case you missed it. LOL

It Must Be Spring!

• The days are longer and warmer.


• The birds are singing and the phoebes are back.


• Fuzzies are appearing on trees.


• The yellow period has begun: forsythia and daffodils are blooming.


• Baby animals are appearing in the fields.


• A rain shower leaves an earthy smell.


• The cats are shedding.


• The cats stay outside after dark.


• Children are outside playing.


• More bikers and joggers are exercising.

Hurray for SPRING!