Spring 09 Fickletude 
Don'tcha love the words some people come up with? Webster probably rolls over in his grave with some of them, but I like to think that he also has a sense of humor and chuckles most of the time. I hope he can chuckle about Fickletude. It is a good word...
Spring is here in all her great and magnificent “fickletude,” as a long gone neighbor used to say. Well, actually, she used to say that about another neighbor who exhibited great “fickletude” about the various then young men who came calling… but that is a whole ‘nother story. Like this neighbor, however, spring on the Eastern Shore runs hot one day and cold the next. Ya think it is time to get the shorts out and then you are looking for that old Pendleton wool shirt to wear UNDER your jacket! Heck, gloves would have felt good this morning.
Don'tcha love the words some people come up with? Webster probably rolls over in his grave with some of them, but I like to think that he also has a sense of humor and chuckles most of the time. I hope he can chuckle about Fickletude. It is a good word...
Spring is here in all her great and magnificent “fickletude,” as a long gone neighbor used to say. Well, actually, she used to say that about another neighbor who exhibited great “fickletude” about the various then young men who came calling… but that is a whole ‘nother story. Like this neighbor, however, spring on the Eastern Shore runs hot one day and cold the next. Ya think it is time to get the shorts out and then you are looking for that old Pendleton wool shirt to wear UNDER your jacket! Heck, gloves would have felt good this morning.
Last week, Spook spent one day sunning himself, using a brick for a pillow. I will never understand cats...
On Sunday, I actually got the push mower out to cut some of the weeds, mostly chick grass, some wild onions, and maybe a blade or two of actual grass. I did not get the John Deere out… though I had great plans for that for today. But, like all plans, things get changed. I had to take Spook to the vets this morning. He is not eating, just staying in his little nest and sleeping. This is the 3rd day so I had to move the big Adirondack chair and dismantle the top of the nest and take him out. Consequently, I do not want to be doing anything too noisy to hear the phone if the vet calls. Mowing can wait. Sick babies cannot.
On Sunday, I actually got the push mower out to cut some of the weeds, mostly chick grass, some wild onions, and maybe a blade or two of actual grass. I did not get the John Deere out… though I had great plans for that for today. But, like all plans, things get changed. I had to take Spook to the vets this morning. He is not eating, just staying in his little nest and sleeping. This is the 3rd day so I had to move the big Adirondack chair and dismantle the top of the nest and take him out. Consequently, I do not want to be doing anything too noisy to hear the phone if the vet calls. Mowing can wait. Sick babies cannot.
I took a tour of the land on Saturday and Sunday, taking inventory of what was blooming and what was not. Buds are popping all over the place and there are even some baby leaves here and there.
The later daffodils are in bloom as are the late camellias. Many of them still have slight traces of frost bite from the temps dropping into the 20s again last week.
Most of the blooms are much smaller this year than usual.
I turned the heat off in the greenhouse and unplugged it, but left it sitting in the green house. I did take a couple geraniums out. They are pretty tough plants and can take temps a little under the 32 degree mark.My neighbor came by a week ago and “brought me a hole” and a post to go in it. He just had to dig a place to put the hole and then the post and then he mounted my brand spankin’ new Official rain gauge. It was quite a job getting it perfect! Most people think all you do is stick one of those plastic things in the ground and that is it. Not so… the Official ones get checked with a level and measured precisely 6 inches from the top of the post and so on.
The one with the big cup just above the Buddha’s head is wireless and I can read it from the house. Very handy during hurricanes, nor'easters and late at night when I am in my jammies and slippers. As you can see, there are 4 very different measuring devices and often 4 different readings, but so far, they are within 4/100ths of an inch of each other, so that is not too bad.
The deer ate most of the pansies from last fall. The blue and purple ones seem to have survived.
I love the moss, and the new baby mosses are so soft!
The violets started to bloom, well, actually they started before I went to DC (and Richard Be Still My Heart Gere, if you remember) um, March 9th? But the lighter bluer ones have really opened up this week.
Girl Bobbie brought me some hyacinth bulbs for Christmas. We were not sure if they would bloom, it was so late getting them in the ground. 
So far, 3 are in bloom, 2 pink, one white. The camellias next to the car port have gotten so big and this one was late blooming this year probably because the winter was so cold (for us!) though it must have seemed like a sauna to my friends in Canada. The van is almost hidden by this red camellia.
The Pussy Willow has gone from the little white fuzzies to yellow pollen puffs.
And out at the edge of the woods, I spotted several trees with pink blooms. I noticed them last year and still have no idea what they are… though I thought the blooms were white last year.
Go figure. I have not noticed any fruit or nuts on them later in the summer, so I am at a loss. But, they are pretty. 
The redbud is pushing little purple buds out. This time next week it will be beautiful and you will be able to hear the bees humming all the way out in the street.I do hope you are having a bit of spring wherever you are, not snow and ice as I have heard out west and up north. But, if you are still snowed or iced in, enjoy my yard. Or c’mon by, have a seat in the Adirondack. The cover is off for the summer and in the barn. Put your feet up on a concrete block or a seed bucket and enjoy the warmth of the sun.
March 22 - are they cute or what?
followed by a reception with Richard Gere. Of course, no one knew if Gere would actually BE there – but it was, after all, one of Buddhist Gere’s pet projects. Before I knew what I was doing, my fingers typed YES and I hit the send key. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to take your words back when they have been snapped up by cyber space and zapped into someone else’s inbox? Well, I said to myself, I can always plead a moment of insanity and say I just cannot go. There was NO WAY I could walk all that distance in the city – and I had no idea of just HOW far we would eventually have to travel, and the wheelchair was broken. What was I thinking?
and in and out of buildings, senator’s offices, and eventually to the Caucus room in the Hart building… and brought me home.
I sat outside and waited while Don got his information and training. I got mine from him on the sidewalk. I was grateful for the warm temps and sunshine. We met with some of the Tibetan people, refugees and descendants of refugees, and several monks.
If you have never met Tibetans, you have missed meeting some of the nicest, friendliest people on earth.
It was starting to fill with Tibetans with their flags and in their native dress 
– they had been to a rally a few blocks away commemorating the day the Dalai Lama fled Tibet 50 years ago. 
Staff came in and set up food and an area for drinks while camera crews were setting up to shoot the proceedings. I heard Nancy Pelosi was going to be there and I had high hopes of meeting Barbara Mikulski, the feisty Senator from Maryland. We had been to her office, but she was not there at the time.
Then, too, I seldom watch movies. I did not even know who Richard Gere was until he shot Runaway Bride here on the Eastern Shore, and my friend supplied the film company the plantings to use in the movie. I watched the movie to see the plants! LOL! However, Gere made me forget about the pansies and impatiens or whatever they had in the planters. He had a Presence. When I found out he was a Buddhist, I became a “fan” – not so much of Richard Gere the actor, but of Richard, the Buddhist.
To all the Senators, Congress folk, and staff, thank you for your time and courtesy. And to the Senator from ____, hopefully you will not be here for another term, go back home and take up gardening where you can cuss at your weeds, not the people who are trying to clean up after you. Buy a book on Mindfulness. Find a local Buddhist group, go hang out, and learn about something besides greed and power. Practice Peace, start with yourself.
Her daddy is a friend of mine and we share books, mostly about Buddhism, and he has seen Hadji in his scarf. Hadji gets frustrated when he stops by because he does not sit on Hadji's "Therapy" couch! LOL! But yesterday, I told him that if he wanted Hadji to visit with his daughter, they would have to sit on the couch. What an experience! This is a very intelligent and insightful young lady. I don't know when I have ever met a child with this much innate sense of what to do, how to behave, let alone a 4 year old. The Princess sat on the couch very quietly while Hadji walked back and forth. He is not used to children. Snuffy was the one who would come and allow himself to be played with, or Punkin would if we were outside. Hadji walked back and forth. Hmmmmmm, someone was on HIS couch. They MUST need some lovin'! So, he got up and looked over the situation, Hmmmmmm, 2 people on his sofa. He jumped up. Nobody grabbed for him. Oh! So he sat down. Still, no one made a move. He flopped onto his side, peeking up toward the people. Nothing. So he wiggled up toward them... First came Daddy's hand.
Oh, that was good... slowly a little hand reached over a lightly brushed his ear. He wiggled harder, closer. She giggled. Finally 2 hands, one on each ear! Then his neck! Ohhhhh, Heaven. The perfect touch! His eyes closed in happiness.
The few blooming crocus are actually under the snow so I can't show you them. But, I DO have birds! 
The first shot of the morning, around 6:30 shows the snow blowing sideways and the birds struggling to get on the blowing feeders.
The carport was snowy - there was snow all the way up on the steps,
but not down in Spook's warm box. He did come out to eat, but went right back to bed.
Poor Punkin, bless his heart, followed me around the yard yowling about the wind, the cold and the snow. Poor baby! 
But best of all were the birds. The cardinals were out in big numbers. 
If you look carefully, you can see 8 Papa cardinals and I am not sure how many females in the big camellia bush out back. If it is red, it is a male cardinal.
This bush is a late bloomer, so these are not flowers. These cardinals were shot out of my bathroom window.
I love the contrast of the snow on the camellias
Know how to melt the ice on your sidewalk or driveway? Throw out a bag of birdseed. This is about 5 lbs of cracked corn and about 2 lbs of birdseed. In about a half an hour, the ice is melting from them picking thru the ice to get the seed up - and maybe they have hot feet????? 
The doves actually sit on the ice, and that helps. It was tough to get good shots because the camera movement scared most of the birds away, and it was too cold to stand out there and wait for the flock to return. Just take my word for it - this is just a few of the birds out there. 
