I Saw A Robin!

I did.  Look!  I took its picture and everything.  It was scurrying around looking for things to eat.  Are worms awake yet?  Probably not, the ground's still frozen, but there're lots of seeds on the ground, overspill from all the feeders, and yesterday a trio of starlings (spatzies, Grandpa Stephan called them) attacked the suet, flinging bits of it thither and yon so maybe it was eating up those bits.  Oh.  I just noticed that it has clouded over.  Damn.  I've been so happy and perky the last few days with all that sunshine flooding around outside and now it's dreary again.  Not back to cold but not as warm out there as in the bright sunshine, I'm sure.  Double damn.

Last night while I was at knitting Durwood mixed up his dough for the pastries he's making today.  We're going to have to negotiate kitchen time today because I need to make a cake for Easter lunch dessert too.  There isn't room for two people to cook in there anyway and we both need the oven so we'll be taking turns.  Of course he used all or almost all of the powdered sugar so I'll have to go get some but he might need another can of Solo filling too so someone'd have to go get some of that anyway.  And I have to move Beverly because he wants to go fill up his gas tank.

I took Beverly to get a real thorough car wash yesterday.  It was lovely having the inside cleaned, the outside too because of all the salt, but the inside was kind of smelly, "barny" Lala said last weekend, and I don't know why but a good clean can't hurt.  Plus I took my snowshoes out and put them away since there's probably not going to be a chance to use them one more time. (fingers crossed)  But you never know living here in the tundra.

March 30--Ethiopia, Double Diptych Icon Pendant.  Israel hunched over his work bench, his hands busy in the pool of light.  The scent of sawdust and varnish was strong in the shop.  His tools were small.  Ethan thought they looked like toys but Israel told him that no one could make miniatures with regular-sized tools.  "One pass of the saw and your project's ruined.  No, these tiny blades and brushes are just  right.  You'll get the hang of them."  He blew a careful breath to get the tiny bit of sawdust out of the cut he was making.  When he was happy with the icon, which was no bigger than a postage stamp, he picked up a paint brush with a single hair and passed it to his apprentice.  "Here, Ethan, paint that saint, Stephen, I think.  You know, the one that slayed the dragon and don't skimp on the color.  Tourists love colors."

Can you believe that March is almost over?  Tomorrow's the 31st, you know, that means Monday's April Fool's Day... holy crap, time sure flies.  I'm off to bake a bunny cake.  No, a cake shaped like a bunny not a cake out of a bunny.  Sheesh, literal much?  Seeyabye.
--Barbara