A Happy Lamp Kind of Day . . . .

I should not have said it publicly.  Mother Nature must have been listening in.  

After yesterday's upbeat assessment of this year's winter season, we were dealt a reminder overnight of why we gripe in January and February and March and sometimes April and May.

It's actually not too bad out there, but it's wet, and it's gonna be sloppy.  Rain on snow and sweaty warm temps.  

The plus side:  I could almost open the sliding barn door without the usual grunting and tugging.  Cold weather causes that ground to heave, and the first place it's noticeable is beneath the barn door.  

So, the door will be easier to open if the temps are higher and the ground settles down.   And, maybe the rain will wash a few inches of the snow pack away.   

For an added boost, I went into my photo library to find something pretty and summer-like to help brighten up the morning.

Bill is still snoozing away, as he has since coming home from work early yesterday with the flu.  We know Bill's not feeling good when he doesn't show up in the living room for the ZAGS game.

Oh, what a game that was!  Because of its ESPN2 billing, we had to wait until almost halfway through the first half to watch it, but the score was looking good when they finally switched over. 

The ZAGS looked great last night, both defensively and offensively.  

The high scorers, Kelly Olynyk and Elias Harris, will get a lot of very deserved credit, but those phenomenal shot blocks from Sam Dower were truly beautiful.  

Not often we get excited about defense, but last night's show exhibited some great examples. 

On another high note, Fiddlin' Red said he'd give me a B for my banjo playing.  He did say that those extra notes I wanted to insert into "Old Joe Clark" were not necessary. 

When I whined that "it still doesn't sound like the song," Fiddlin' Red cut me off and said, "How many lessons have you taken?  How long have you been playing the banjo?"

Even before I played my weird rendition for him, he said that it was apparent in last week's lesson that I was catching on.

Then, I demonstrated.  That's when he said he'd give me a B, and instructed me to quit being so hard on myself.   And that was before I pulled out the cash to sign up for more lessons.

Fiddlin' Red assured me that I need to play the song over and over and over, get it thoroughly memorized and then it will start sounding like it's supposed to sound.

So, I came home happy and ready to put in the time. 

I'll probably have time to do a lot of practicing today because of the wet weather. 

And, as I look at last year's rose from above, I'll probably make a trip to one of the stores to buy some seeds and potting soil.

My pots are already loaded with soil and ready for the 60 or so geranium seeds which should be on their way from Burpees.  

Last year's first attempt to grow geraniums from seed was so successful, I ordered more packets this year.   

Anyway, diversions and the happy lamp should be very helpful in making it through this wet and soggy day. 

Happy Friday.