March 12

Good Afternoon!

We left last Friday for Kentucky and came home last night. We were supposed to take 2 days for the drive home, but Stan got the flu Monday and decided he wanted to get home. He drove all the way, with no stops between Cincinnati OH and Erie PA, about 300 miles. It was a long ride.

Melissa and Adam are getting ready for the wedding in April, and I made a circlet of ribbon flowers for her to wear. We planned a party for the families here and just generally had a good time. On Saturday, we had to go get some more ribbon, and we stopped at Home Depot on the way. They had the most wonderful pansies! I bought a bunch for Lissa and Adam for their birthdays and we planted them in her front of the house boxes. Of course, Sunday night it froze, so she had to cover them, but it warmed up again, I'm told.

Here the snow is still there, although it's in the 40s right now. I walked out to see if there was anything to see and found some iris reticulata poking up through the dirt. The oldest hellebore is uncovered now as well, but still looks a little flat.

KathyJo, we have just recently retired our 24T baler. I loved that baler, I could bale with it and even fix the minor stuff like shear pins and wound up hay and broken bolts, and I am about as mechanical as Mickey Mouse! Stan has a newer baler, 1980s rather than early 60s, now that he bought from the father of a friend. I don't bale anymore, so I don't know anything about it.

Ruth, I think your son needs to talk to someone. He's been through way too much for such a short space of time. Mary was right, though, there are people that no matter what you do won't be helped. He should console himself with the fact that he did try to help. Many wouldn't have gone that far.

We came home to 11 border collie pups. Ye gods and little fishes! Stan says that Sadie lifts her leg up when you go into the calf room where the pen is as if to say, See what I did!

May is still searching for Ned, and now Sadie is too busy to play, too. She was on the back porch earlier and looked at me like she'd really like it if I came out to play with her. I told here there was too much snow and too much laundry, but she seemed happy to see me anyway.

take good care,
kathleen