Good heavens--where has the time gone?

Well, I'm still a bit temporally discombobulated thanks to the hospital time. Time was not measurable by the usual things and it was hard to keep track of the date, especially when the staff was too busy with other tasks to change it on the nice little white boards in each room. (In Mombasa I got a newspaper each day, so I had a somewhat better awareness of what day of the week it was. Remember--there's a nine hour time difference between Louisiana and Kenya.) The other discombobulating thing is the lack of a structured week for me. By that I mean regular activities on such and such a day each week.

So, we're into February, and spring is showing all over. I noticed a couple of my azaleas opening up tentative blossoms last week, and now more and more are showing their colors. In New Orleans the azaleas are a bit further along. My rye grass is sprouting nicely--if it doesn't rain too early tomorrow I'll toss out some more seed. Eventually I'll have all the dirt covered. But it's been warm enough that the seed sprouts in a day or two.

Tomorrow up in Pennsylvania the weather prognosticators will abandon their scientific instruments and get a six week forecast from a rodent. Down here we don't have woodchucks, and in past years the zoo has made do with a nutria.

Nutria are large rodents with a serious overbite. And they really need to check out some whitening products--their fangs are orange. They have fantasic fur--prized for coats--but terrible temperments. And they tend to eat up all the plants that are holding the banks of rivers and streams together. They are not infrequently used for official target practice by local constabulary, particularly when they are destroying the banks of waterways essential to drainage in the cities.

Bad Cat is settling down into a routine. Yesterday she was too busy being coy to get inside in time to eat. CC ate from both dishes. She left a little, but no half a can like Lady's portion should have been. Today Lady came in quite willingly when her stomach began to signal Food Time. She was a bit early, but I guess she didn't want to take any chances.

Lady has also developed a passion for ice cream. As soon as I put my dish down she's there to clean it up. If I get up to do sopmething before I'm done, I have to remember to take the partially eaten dish with me or it will be gone. She's got a very fast tongue. (I plan to use this ice cream passion as a lure if I need to catch her for something like the vet.)

I don't think the rodent will see his shadow tomorrow around here. They're predicting rain.