Easter: Rare tuna steaks rubbed with crushed green peppercorns, brown mustard seed, and salt; grilled over wood. Couscous with tomatoes, mozzarella, chives. Dandelion greens and grilled onions and fried garlic and olive oil. (Dandelion greens dug up while I was being filmed in a friendly manner.) Weird warm weather, with daffodils from the yard on the table, which has never happened on any Maine Easter I can remember. Frozen creme chantilly with blueberries that I picked last summer, on that day I got stung by the wasp. Soundtrack: Velvet Underground and Red Sox pregame radio show.

Day after Easter: taxes and car repair, piano lesson and laundry, workshop preparation and garden digging. Meanwhile, the dog barks every time the barred owl hoots, and the barred owl hoots every time the dog barks.