A lovely day in the neighborhood

Sunshine. Temps in the fifties! The sap is rising, too. (Believe it or not, it was too cold in February for the sap to rise, so for all of you who like maple syrup, it will be a bit late this year.)

What is it about sunshine that just makes me happy and makes me feel good, even if I feel bad? Projects that seemed impossible and depressing suddenly become easy to do and fun. As part of whatever this ailment is that I'm currently suffering, I've had the sinus headache from hell today, but I wasn't in a bad mood because of it. Even looking at the hideous ground that the snow has uncovered hasn't depressed me. (Where does all that trash come from? On the other side of the pond, there is a rusty wheelbarrow that apparently spent the winter hiding under the snow.)

On a less pleasant note, the melted snow uncovered, at long last, the body of a missing woman. She disappeared on December 4. Her adult children kept hoping she'd be found alive, and in fact, the reward for information leading to her discovery had just been increased to $26,000. It's clearly a homicide. The woman had left work, stopped at Michael's Arts and Crafts (the same one where I shop), then was never seen again (except by her murderer). Her car and wallet were found in the area, but her body turned up in another county. Whenever they show her face on tv, it shocks me because she looks so much like my mother. Her eyes were like Mama's. I hope they find who killed her. In a way, I've gotten invested in this case, and I want closure.

I recently had lunch with a friend who teaches at "the other school." She lives alone, no pets, on a huge farm that she inherited. She is the kind of woman who seems to be the type who is victimized--middle-aged, sweet-natured, kind-hearted, no "man around the house" to serve as a deterrent. People who are alone are so much more vulnerable to the crooks and con artists out there.

It's late, and I'm tired. I slept poorly last night because I was trying out a new pillow--a dismal failure--and because Esteemed Spouse was sounding the moose mating call. Sometimes his snoring isn't very loud, just more of a whistle. Last night, it was a honking, trumpeting noise. I'd lie there waiting for the next blast, and time would elapse--just enough for me to relax and start to drift off. Then "HONK"!!! I'd startle and jerk and be wide awake for ten or fifteen minutes. Then I'd begin to drift off again.... When I finally got up this morning, I half-expected several female moose to be wandering around in the front yard, waiting for their big bull to come out.

Here's hoping for peace and quiet. Maybe Bullwinkle will have a silent night. If he doesn't, he may find that I have gotten out of bed and headed for the sofa. Yawn. Dr. S.