Spring Is In The Air!!!

It is a dreary day out, BUT!!!!

There is no more snow on the ground, my tulips are popping up, the dogs are going a little nuts with way too much energy and the birds are making new noises. What does it mean??? Spring is very close at hand. And after this winter...with all the gray days, mounds of snow, etc. etc. it is so welcomed, anytime it wants to arrive.

So the challenge for the season is how to keep Sonny and Cher out of the flower beds. They are no longer little puppies. I'm not sure what the attraction is, but they really want to be in those flower beds. And with their size and energy, they are destroying everything in sight!!!

My friend Julie M. tells me that she laid Invisible Fence wire in her beds and that did the trick!! The dogs have to be trained of course, and our two took to the WIFI system like a charm. This may mean that they have to wear two collars, but we'll figure it out. I have an Invisible Fence consult coming up in the week. We'll see what he says.

I was supposed to be hiking this weekend, but the weather is not cooperating. Maybe Sunday, if the day looks free of rain. I am anxious to get back out again. I miss my wanderings through Ohio. Not much happened during the winter. Cold is not a problem. You can dress for cold and be happy. Snow on the trails and on the roads however is another issue, a safety issue. So, we haven't been out since December!!!!

And Spring of course heralds new life. A new life is about to join our family. Katie is due with her first on April 21!! Can't wait, just a few more weeks. We know 'Peanut' is a little girl. Katie and John won't tell me the name they selected because I threw a fit at their first choice...oh well, so much for my political correctness. I'm told they have stenciled the selected name on the nursery wall, but I'm not allowed in there either, until Peanut is born and the birth certificate signed. That's okay, Peanut works for me.

On a sadder note, I learned last night that my dear friend Nancy R's mother passed away on Thursday. Ruth was 95 years old and had been suffering from congestive heart failure for many years. I remember her well even though I have not seen her in many years. She was a beautiful woman, with a fun, vibrant spirit. She raised three wonderful children pretty much on her own, and left behind grand-children and great-grand children, all of whom will miss her dearly.

I feel so sad for Nancy. My memory is still very crisp on losing both Mom and Dad in such a short time. Losing your parents sets you lose in the world like nothing else does. When they are gone, you know finally and irrevocably that there is no turning back. No turning back to the warm, safe times that only loving parents can create.

Nancy and I have been friends since 8th grade. A long time. Back in those days we were inseparable. After we graduated from high school Nancy married her high school sweetheart and I started wandering. We led very different lives. But we always stayed in touch. And now, another thing binds us close....our parents are buried just a few feet from each other. In all the world, of all the place those 4 people could have been buried, even within Bay Pines National Cemetery, as large as it is, there they are, together.

So, forward...to a wonderful spring, more hiking, freedom....soon freedom. And I'll explain that in a few weeks!!!