March continues her aggravating ways: I glimpsed these crocuses unfolding in my front flower garden yesterday afternoon, and today we've got snow/sleet/rain on the docket. Well, at least it's Sunday, and T and I don't need to drive anywhere. I've got a bit of a cold, and Chuck has a bit of a gut upset, and I'm hoping neither of us gets any worse. What I need to do is catch up on housework--scrub bathrooms and floors, wash sheets and towels--so I can settle directly into my editing projects tomorrow morning. I can't say I feel enthusiastic about those incipient chores, but that's the head cold talking.

Yesterday I spotted a big groundhog cruising around our backyard. Ugh. Garden season is going to be one big fight again. But even before sighting that pest, I'd made the decision to reduce my vegetable plantings this year. Not only do I have an impossible wildlife situation here, but my teaching schedule has always made it difficult to manage the midsummer harvest. And with our son getting married in early September, the late summer harvest will likely also be compromised this year. So I'm going to limit my vegetable crop to the garden boxes and devote the terrace garden to rhubarb, perennial herbs, and flowers. I may even sign us up for a summer CSA. It will be a change, and to a degree I feel sad about it. But flowers are just as satisfying to grow, and I am on the road so much these days. I know I need to adjust.