Signs of spring

Mom is home after her whirlwind tour of Egypt, Dubai and a bunch of other places you'd only go to after you'd already been everywhere else.

Okay, that's just jealousy talking. She sent me her itinerary ahead of time "just in case" and it looked like an amazing trip.

She had a friend over when I called, so we only talked long enough for her to tell me she had a great time and to share her single most memorable impression--that stamps for postcards cost way too much in the Middle East.

She promised to call me back later, and I'm sure other equally helpful travel tips will soon follow.

I went off the diet and had lunch with a World War II veteran today at a terrific Italian joint. It was a treat for me and I hope it was for him as well. I was fascinated by his experiences in France and the Philippines during the war.

I brought a copy of my father's brief autobiography with me to show off to my lunch companion. My father wrote the book and I edited it shortly before he passed away around Thanksgiving of 2004. Dad's autobiography covered the war years in some detail and my father served on the same kind of ship that transported my friend across the Pacific. Who knows, perhaps it was the same one.

I still miss my father and find it hard to believe it has been almost six years now since he died.

I have immense respect for our World War II veterans, and I believe they really were our nation's greatest generation. My father, who served in the navy for 29 years and over the course of three wars (WWII, Korea, Vietnam) said that WWII was "the last good war." Dad wasn't trying to tell me that war was ever good--I know what he meant by his statement, and I believe him.

Every day there are fewer veterans of World War II with us. If you know one, let him (or her) know how much you appreciate what he did for all of us. Soon enough there won't be any left to thank.

Scram, our feral Katrina rescue kitty is back on patrol in the Bayberry Woods. His stitches come out on Friday after two rounds of surgery, but he's well enough and annoying enough that I gave in and let him out yesterday and again today. This worked wonders for the mental health of everyone in the house, because when the Prince of Bayberry is unhappy, he lets everyone know it.

I've been making daily trips to Home Depot and other purveyors of lawn and garden supplies recently, a sure sign that spring has come to Suburbingham. Today I jammed ten more bales of pine straw, four bags of manure and a gallon jug of a toxic chemical soup that's supposed to kill weeds into the Jeep.

I have many more trips to make for mulch and other yard-related items before our yard is ready for warm weather, but I'm officially on the job.

Our mystery tree in the front yard (Teri has identified it as some kind of cherry) is in full bloom today, and it's a spectacular shade of bright pink. The dogwoods will be in bloom soon and then the greenup will begin in earnest.

I hate working in my yard in cold weather, and I waited too long this year to dump pre-emergent weed prevention stuff on my lawn. The other day my next door neighbor Tesley pointed out the price I would pay for my tardiness, and now little patches of green have popped up everywhere on my lawn. The grass is still brown and dormant, but I have an abundant crop of weeds.

Tesley has the best looking, most perfectly manicured, most beautifully landscaped yard in all of Suburbingham, and every weed in my yard stands in mute testimony against me, especially when compared to his ideal standard of perfection.

Tesley is retired but works part time at a golf course and full time on his lawn. He has installed a putting green in his yard that would be the envy of the Augusta National. His yard truly is a work of art and he tends it with the same level of skill and care that Renoir used in his paintings.

Teri's brown rice and veggie "cleansing" diet is having amazing results. She's down 12 pounds in the last few weeks and I've lost a few pounds too, mostly by osmosis. Of course when you substitute fresh veggies and fruit for meat and alcohol, you're almost certain to drop a few pounds along the way. The fact that I include fish sticks and the occasional off the reservation binge in my diet accounts for my more modest success. We've both been hitting the exercise equipment in our basement with a fierce regularity for the last several weeks as well. Yay us.