Slight Detour: A Spring Friday

I discovered crocuses yesterday near the deck.

It must be spring.

While taking a walk down the road, I also enjoyed the reflections shimmering in the water at our neighbor's place.

First Lovestead daffodil for 2025.

I stood in a line next to this display at Safeway yesterday.

While doing so, I met a new friend and saw an old friend in a room off to the side.

Some good but brief visiting in both cases.

In December, I changed my pharmacy prescription plan which requires picking up my medicine at the Safeway pharmacy.

My new friend at the dried fruit display, who lives on Shingle Mill Road, pointed to the display and suggested it would be nice to sample some of those colorful offerings while we waited.

It turned out to be a long wait in line to pick up my prescription, but I did enjoy some good visiting and appreciated the friendly service at the counter and from the pharmacist.

This morning I'm trying to memorize the name of the drug (steroids, look out!) I'm taking.

It's called budesomide, with accent on the DES.

I was relieved to hear from the pharmacist that this steroid probably won't turn me into a crazy woman, just a happy one if it works.

Time will tell. I've taken two pills so far and have not yet felt like putting on a cape and flying through the air.

My outlook, though, has changed dramatically from the hopeless frustration of the past few months.

Knowing an answer and being aware of the possibility that this just might work has lifted a huge burdensome cloud from my mind.

So, those dried fruits, etc. in that photo will always remind me of standing in the line of hope.

Fingers crossed.

This is a close-up of the current activity on one of our Lovestead larch trees.

When we were visiting the Irish National Stud this past Saturday in Kildare, Bill plucked some needles from a larch tree and announced, as he has many times before, that "this is one of the prettiest sights of spring."

Those deep green needles have yet to pop out on our Idaho trees, but they are soon to appear.

At the Irish National Stud, which is also home to some amazing Japanese gardens (reportedly the best in Europe), the daffodils are on their final act of introducing the Irish spring.

Bill and I are fortunate to be able to witness this fabulous show of nature twice this year.

Today I'm hoping to do some clean-up in dry spots around the yard, and I'll take the rest of my indoor veggie/flower starts to the green house.

As far as horse clean-up, that will have to wait until the mud dries up in their barnyard.

They sure are dirty from rolling in the mud.

And, yes, Lily began her routine yesterday afternoon around 2, reminding me that she is hungry.

At the time, I resumed my usual response, "It's not time and you are not going to get fed until it is time."

Lily knows that, but she's a persistent old gal.

When Bill and I dined at MickDuff's the other night, I could not help but think that the outlets in the bathroom wall seemed to be mildly upset about something.

It's anybody's guess what would set off such an expression on an outlet's face.