Think Spring!

I know, the entire country is in a freeze and that huge blizzard left many stranded and tired of a long hard winter, even here on the coast we can feel the cold and the heater kicks on and on and the bill goes higher and higher but in spite of it all, we are all very lucky. I had a little video of the floods in Australia that was something to see. I wish I could show it to you. It showed a parking lot where cars were parked by a river and as you watched the river rise and the flood waters become faster and stronger the cars were floated out into the river and tossed around like toys. I cannot equate all this weather with global warming, can you?

Over in Ashland, on the other side of Medford, there is a lovely town with everything Shakespeare. My son John treated Patricia and I to a weekend there and we stayed in a delightful little cottage. It was fun to browse through the shops and see all of the different items depicting Shakespeare and the old English. We saw a play, can't remember which one now . . . aha . . . "Midsummer Night Dream" and it was fantastic. I hope we can do that one more time as the new season is about to open.

Van Gogh's "Starry Night". With all of the clear beautiful cold nights we are seeing a lot of stars. It is so different to be able to look up at the sky and see them. Usually we are fogged in and rarely see the stars or the moon, although we know they are there. Living in a small coastal town has both its curses and its blessings, but I guess that it true of most places. My Sullivan cousin, Andrea was telling me they were freezing in Arizona. She thought to invite family to join them and get out of the winter storms for awhile but after a day out in the cold she had a change of heart. It didn't take her long to find her way inside and cuddle in with a good book. She has joined a book club and said an author had come to talk with them and it was very interesting to hear what he had to say. They had just read "A Thousand White Women" and gave it high praise. The author is Jim Fergus, so now I want to go out and find his book and enjoy a good read. Meanwhile, speaking of authors, I just had an e-mail with encouraging words about my novel "Shadows of Life" which made me feel pretty good. Well, I get tired of tooting my own horn!

So today, Thursday already, where did this week go? It is almost time for a new weekend to enjoy. Don't forget they are not mailing out tax forms this year. I think the IRS thinks everyone has a computer. I stopped by the Post Office yesterday hoping to find an easy form but there was not one to be had. The line was much too long to wait and ask a question about them, so daughter Pat went on line and pulled one up for me. I am wondering if it is a smart idea not to send out the forms. How many folks will not know that they are not coming and be very late in filing this year, if they file at all? Some changes may be necessary but we are all creatures of habit and getting the January forms is as old as the hills. It will be interesting to hear what happens, not everyone is connected to the electronic highway.

Be of good cheer you still have time to gather all your 'stuff' and get your forms in on time. I hope you are in for a refund so you can put it towards a vacation trip and regroup after working so hard, maybe a trip to Ashland and the Shakespeare Festival will come to mind. If so, you are not far away so swing by and say hello. I can always use a hug. Hugs to all.