Forget Christmas, for the time being . . . spring has sprung, and it is the most wonderful time of the year. Foliage is showing. Flowers are blooming. Birds are singing and clucking.  The chickens are free to roam when we're here to put them up at night.  In gratitude, or perhaps because it's spring, they are laying eggs.  We've already eaten a lot of these and soon will be passing them out to friends. Oh, and a little holiday called Easter is just around the corner this Sunday.  What will you be doing? I'll go to church, eat lots of good homemade things, and take in all the beauty around me.  In spring, I wake up grateful for every day.

Oklahoma City skyline Recently, Cheryl over at The Prairie Maid suggested a new meme called Oklahoma, You're Doing Fine. On the last Friday of each month, Oklahoma bloggers will write about why it's great to be an Oklahoman.  This month's topic is Growin Up Okie. For me, Growin' up Okie meant: Feeling self conscious about my accent, and so I practiced speaking like a news announcer.  I've quit that.  Thank goodness. Going to church. My parents didn't attend, but the church bus picked up my sister and me without fail.  I broke bread with the Baptists, the Methodists (where I was baptized), the Presbyterians, and Assembly of God.  I finally found my church home after I grew up, but I'm thankful for all the devout folks who ministered to me as a child.  I'm Catholic, but I have friends of all faiths.  I think it's the Okie's love of faith,...

Once in awhile, HH uses a phrase, and I think it is apropos for today. "I feel like a long-tailed cat in a room full of rockers." There's another one about his rear end and alligators, but I think I'll leave it at that. This week, I've: Written and sent off to editors several articles, and I have another in the works for next week.  (Thank you Lord.) Kept up with all my friends here and on Facebook, Twitter and Plurk. (I hope.) Baked a couple of cakes for birthdays.  One is in the oven as we speak. Readied a portion of the house for the annual Easter celebration.  That will take more work next week.  Fortunately, I have four helpers. Oh, and , along with seven other garden writers spread all across the country, I am writing a blog for Lowe's. I'm thrilled.  While shopping, I think I've accosted...

Dear Carol, Mary Ann and all of other gardening friends, This week's letter will be more of a postcard from the path than a letter.  Bear turns eleven on Thursday (wait a moment while I cry), and, among other duties, I must bake a red velvet cake, her favorite, to celebrate.  Speaking of Bear, she helped cut all of the landscape fabric away from the brick for me in the new potager beds.  I really appreciated her assistance.  We were working on a time crunch, because of the predicted snow, so she also helped me with the labels.  As you can see, she drew pretty ladybugs and an earthworm on this one.  I think just writing the names bores her, don't you?  Another had polka dots, and a third sported a dragon. Today, with a temperature of 62F and climbing toward the projected high of 76F, Saturday's snow is mostly...