The first snowdrops and crocuses began appearing over the past few days, along with the tiniest green shoots of the lilies out front. We've had a few warm days, and the ground is a little squishy underfoot. But the real sign that spring is almost upon us is that our landscaper showed up and we talked about the list of things that have broken, fallen apart, died, become overgrown or are otherwise out of order. The latch on the gate to backyard won't close and the spring on the gate has broken. Rainwater has created gullies all over the place, and the cherry laurels have grown past the windows. There are forsythias to be planted, a walkway to be put in, mulching to be done. I'm definitely a big fan of Persephone.

To fill in on the sketchy details of the hotel yesterday:

The Good: Lots of fluffy towels, the ocean view, the size of the room. Hot water too, but that's only a notable advantage the day after living with a broken water heater. Soft pillows. Lamps that are easy to turn on (it's surprising how many hotels have lamps with hidden switches or with knobs that are impossible to turn). Two bottles of Pellegrino with room service dinner.

The Bad: No high speed Internet connection. A mini bar with a nasty sign on it about confiscating your luggage if you put any personal items amongst the over-priced beverages. The funky smell in the room. An uncomfortable desk chair. 10 cents per minute for local phone calls over 60 minutes (which happens when you dial-in and download your mail that contains many multi-meg attachments that people at work feel compelled to send you). A small bathtub/shower with a shower curtain that stuck to me as I was shaving my legs (too much information?).

The Ugly: The drapes - hideous horizontal stripes in depressing colors. The bedpsreads - an even more unpalatable shade of green, complete with cigarette burns, frayed seams, and what are certainly traces of bodily fluids.

The Funny: Nothing to do with the hotel, but there's this commercial about Brawny paper towels that pokes fun at the images of the brawny men on the towel wrapper, soap operas, and the people who take them so seriously.