Titilating Warm Weather

A hint of Spring came yesterday with 73 degree weather, soft breezes, and clear sunny skies. Collectively, mid-Michiganians breathed a sigh of relief from the previous sunny but bitter cold temperatures. On our walk, the ice had mostly melted from the sidewalks, or left pathways through the ice fields. Early on in the tour, I took off my Rugby shirt and continued in my MSU 2000 Basketball NCAA Champions tee shirt. The Ice on the lakes is intact, with small fringe areas of open water. This phenomenon suggests to me that the ice was really thick from all the cold temperatures we have had, and a few days of gloriously warm days have only just begun to melt the lake ice.

Today, KK and I walked earlier than usual since the ice is mostly off the pathways and the temperature later on today is suppose to fall, ending in snowfall later in the week. Still, signs of Spring abound: two geese, residents from previous years have returned honking as they glide along the margins of our still frozen lake, looking for open water; finding none, settle on the grass in our neighbor's yard. Pesky ground squirrels have emerged in our front and back yards, leaving gaping holes in the ground. KK and my concern is the ground squirrel nesting in the floor of our sun room, chewing on the wiring again for the floor heat. KK is off to Mason, and the MSU extension pest control station which furnishes live traps to capture the critters. We again will deposit our catch into the woodlands of Meridian Parks. To return to our yard, they would have to cross the now flooded area of the Raby Drain and Okemos Road; both sufficiently hazardous as to form a barrier to illegal immigration. As I write this blog, I can see two black squirrels jumping over one another, then each pausing, digging through the leaves on the ground of a strip of wetlands leading to our Lake, digging in the lawn, then sitting upright, chewing on a morsel retrieved from a buried past. Cute aren't they? all but for the chewing on our house wires. Hopefully the contractor has sealed the known underfloor opening.

This is the time for March Madness. With both the Men's and Women's MSU Varsity Basketball teams in their respective NCAA tournaments, our lives revolve around our TV viewing, and, in the case of the Women's team, attending the initial rounds of the games being held at the Breslin Student Events Center. Tickets for the Women's first two rounds are less expensive than the Men's, they are available for the Women's where the Men's first round is in Winston-Salem NC and sold out, and our seating is in the lower bowl, with real chairs that have backs, and not in the nose-bleed section aluminum benches. We are treating ourselves this weekend, of course, as Tuesday is KK's __th birthday.

On a final note, I have been spending my days, slogging through my tax preparation forms, to submit my tax return to our accountant who will plug my numbers into a spred sheet, and generate a tax return to be filed electronically. The only thing I have to do after submitting the preparation form, is to send checks to Uncle Sam, Govenor Jennifer Granholm, and Mayor Benarro. I hope all of you have gone through this falderall by now, are sitting back expecting a large refund check. This is the time of year for reflection on income redistribution issues.

Today has been cold with the water surrounding the ice pack frozen. KK and I on our walk, were bundled up against the wind.

INFORMATION: KK and I will be going to Alaska June 13th, flying from Vancouver to Dawson and then we train and bus until we reach the coast via Anchorage, Denali Park. Then we cruise various glacers and the inside passageway back to Vancouver, arriving July 1st. We will have Rudy with us as we travel along the coast to San Francisco. Therefore West Coast people, ma and pa will be arriving at your doorstep sometime during the first two weeks of July. Towards the end of July, we will be at the cottage. You are welcome to come to Canada and return the drop in favor.

My system will not allow pictures to be uploaded for some reason, so...