In the meantime, spring is trying to get here, although we had a chilly windstorm last night. Still, I'm hoping for no more freezes. We have one little cactus in the front yard that we bought two years ago at Home Depot (which we lovingly refer to as "der Fadderland") and which survived this brutal winter while larger and one-would-think tougher cousins did not; it has four, yes, FOUR blooms on its top right now. Pictures to follow later; right now I'm a bit distracted at the fact that OUR WELL PUMP HAS DIED.

Oh, did I say Happy Easter? Don't let me forget that. The well pump has previously broken down on Thanksgiving and the 4th of July. This must be the third time's the charm *&#$*, right? Suffice to say that having the pump pulled out and replaced with a new one (happening as I type, yes, even on a holiday) is no laughing or cheap matter. In fact, it's quite frickin' EXPENSIVE. So expensive, in fact, that I gave serious consideration to just ignoring it, buying bottled water, and continuing to pull buckets of water out of the pool to feed the toilets.

But wait. There's that sunburn on my shoulders. Now how did I get that? Oh, RIGHT! That's from all the PLANTING I did just yesterday! All those thirsty little herbs and cherry tomato plants, and wait -- what are those things just off the patio? Why, they're roses! A whole bunch of them! They want what, you say? Oh!  Chlorine-free water!

Oh my. Whining appears imminent. It's time to stop now.

:-P