Communicating at last

I didn't realize how long it's been since I've posted anything.  Why, there was snow on the ground then!  Our snow is all gone, and my daffodils and crocuses are blooming away.  There are tiny leaves on trees in the Champlain Valley, and buds on the poplars in Hawkeye.  It's happening, this spring thing.  The ice went out the 3rd, or maybe the 1st or 2nd, but officially (according to Jim) on the 3rd.  Does it matter WHEN?  No, only that it did happen.  The lake has been very rough, lots of whitecaps for the past several days, with high winds.  It only warmed up yesterday, really.  Saturday was OK but there was a cold wind and it was cloudy at times.  I went to the dump, then to the grocery store in Plattsburgh.  Took the dogs along and they had a grand time.  Yesterday I was very tired, spent some time reading on my deck and some time napping on the couch.  It was a beautiful day, as is today.

I had a busy week last week.  Tuesday I drove (with 2 colleagues) to Canandaigua for 2 days of training.  We stayed with the Nadals, which was really wonderful.  We had good visits with them and got to see their wonderful house.  What fun that was.  Oh, the training?  The training was good, too.  Intense and maybe a bit too much theoretical stuff, but some good bones.  We learned how to be good system consultants.  Lots of people thought this was pretty funny, since the three of us have been doing this for many, many years.  There was good information, and I learned what I've been doing wrong for decades--not really WRONG, just not quite right.  Teach them how to solve their own problems, don't solve their problems for them.  Don't be an expert, just know how to find the information/answer.  OK, I can do that.

I boarded the dogs at the Vermontville kennel, where they have 22 Siberian huskies they use for sledding.  Yikes.  How do you keep them straight?  How do you think of enough names?  My dogs like it there and they love my dogs.  YAY!  They were there for 4 days and were happy but not ecstatic to see me when I picked them up Friday night.  Oh they got so many compliments!  They were quite proud.  I stopped on the way home and walked them on the road that goes into the Bainbridge property.  What a nice walk that is.  I've been walking them in different places to avoid the disappearing acts they've been pulling at home.  I haven't walked the bog in a while.  Need to do that, maybe today. 

I'm going home early today and maybe I'll walk the bog then.  I told Annie I'd go down to check on her daffodils so we'll go there.  My daffodils are doing very well, and I finally found some of my crocuses.  The grass is greening up, the goldfinches are very yellow, the loon is back, the flickers are back but we have no peepers yet.  The Nadals had tons of peepers at night, which was really special.

Saturday was full of Mr. Smith.  We sat on the porch at Pinewood for a while, got back to work then went to Big Daddy's for dinner.  Oh so nice to see him!  Fred, not Big Daddy (who is dead).

This week looks pretty quiet.  A meeting on Friday to go over the training.  Maybe a visit to the AuSable library to train the new director.  Mostly I just want to enjoy today's weather.