I Spy

• First tiger swallowtail of the season at corner of Glenwood and Peace.
• First tube top, same corner.

Furry Forensics

I took out a bag of trash this afternoon, and when I opened the garbage can lid there were little raccoon footprints on the interior walls! The single bag of garbage inside had a neat hole torn in it. Though I know raccoons are crafty, this is the first time anything has ever breached the fairly heavy-duty hinged lid of our new fancy-schmancy city garbage cans. These will keep out rats and possums but apparently won't foil the dexterous fingers of raccoons. So I secured the lid with bungy cables and put up a no trespassing sign. I also went in the back yard to make sure the lid to the compost bin was screwed down tight.

I love to watch raccoons beside a stream nibbling on mussels and fastidiously washing their little paws. But I don't particularly want them setting up housekeeping inside the garbage can. I'm just glad the critter wasn't in there when I opened the lid. Talk about your shock and awe.

Rx for Seasonal Affective Disorder:

Rain, redbuds and Daylight Savings Time. Take as needed (which is often).

Favorite shoes

Hope

I heard on the radio yesterday that Daylight Savings Time starts this Sunday, March 9th. The "saving" part is dead right, as the news has rescued my mood from the shadows. There's a storm on the way, so I took this photograph of hellebores against the cloudy sky earlier. Had to lie on my back to capture it, and it felt good to be one with the ground even though my butt got wet. So the good news is that rain and extra daylight are on the way. The bad news is that Brett Favre announced his retirement from the NFL today. You can't have everything.