Okay...uh...is this thing still working?

I've been hibernating.

It's been a long hard winter.

As a matter of fact it is still a long hard winter.

Look up there, Sir Lawrence Alma Tadema's painting, Spring. There you see exactly what would go on here if spring were ever to arrive.

But we are at the beginning of April and it might as well be mid-January judging by the temperature and patches of snow back under the pines. The famous woodchuck weather prognosticator, Punxsutawney Phil, emerged -- or rather, was ceremoniously yanked -- from his burrow February 2nd and he promised an early spring. Maybe he felt he was under duress with all those lights shining in his eyes. Presumably he is now in hiding for his own safety. None of our local woodchucks have shown their stubby little tails this year either, probably afraid of collective punishment.

Maybe I'm too impatient. After all Alma Tadema was depicting May Day. Maybe by then it will be warm with flowers in bloom and we will be staging a procession.

Certain scenes in the Cecil B. De Mille's film Cleopatra (1934) were inspired by the painting. But I doubt anyone will be basing spectacular movie scenes on activities at Casa Maywrite. A few blog entries, if I'm lucky.