The ones I’ve seen look solid black, which means they could be one of the Cuckoo varieties. But to be honest, they were all moving at the time of observation and I was reluctant to get too close because, well, BEE! They could also be part of Color Group 1. I’m just glad to see them buzzing around all the apple blossoms, the hanging basket petunias, the tiny holly flowers.

It is warm. Cool breeze, but the sun is making its presence felt. Last week, I wore a heavy sweatshirt when I took Gaby for her walk, and had to keep wiping my eyes because the chill breeze made them tear. Today, I wore a light t-shirt under a light jacket, and was glad I did because halfway through I took off said jacket and tied it around my waist. Even Gaby ran out of gas, which is a first. We made it as far as the lake. Saw a few boats, a yacht and a couple of smaller cabin cruisers. A speed boat. There was a haze over the water. Not much wave.

Out on the deck now, under the brollie, with iced lemon water close at hand. The hardwoods are finally starting to leaf out. The honey locust. After a short nap and some water, Gaby is alternating dashing about the yard and lying beside my chair and resting up in preparation for more dashing. A dog of her weight and approximate age–almost 6 1/2 we think–she is supposed to be around 42 in human years, but I don’t see it.

It’s the first summer without King. He hated buzzing–flies, bees–and would either try to snap the offending insect out of the air or tuck tail and seek shelter in the deck Dogloo. Once all was clear, he would lie by the gate and watch the street. The guardian.

It’s marvelous.

Cut up spruce branches that fell over the winter. Bagged up the pieces. Nice to get that chore out of the way.

A few hiccups with regards the vegetable garden. I’ve been growing tomatoes for 4-5 years now, and always started them from seeds, in a tray, with a growlight. Tried a couple of storebought Roma plants the first year, only to find they carried late blight. So it was seed starts from then on.

Except for this year. The seeds I started–Paul Robeson, Black Cherry, and Sweet Basil–sprouted well enough. But over the last couple of weeks, the tomatoes lost their little leaves and the basil yellowed. Maybe it was the potting mix, or some disease that invaded the watering pad. Maybe the mix became too wet. Whatever the reason, they’re a wash. I stuck them in the ground, but they’re less than an inch tall, and I will be amazed if they survive.

So yesterday after work, I went to a garden store/nursery and bought plants. Two lovely Sweet Basils. Three tomato plants, a Black Crim, a Juliet, and a Kellogg’s Breakfast. A cool front is pushing through tonight, but it’s supposed to warm up after that–I will plant them then. Meanwhile, the mesclun have sprouted, and there are other little sprouts that I think came from the seeds the finches picked off the lettuces and chard last year.

Feels like cheating, going with started plants. But if I go with seeds again, I will have to use a warming pad, or get a little greenhouse, or something.

Took Gaby for a long walk this morning. Then I took her shopping, and left her outside while I worked. A long day, in other words. She’s asleep now, and may sleep through dinnertime.

I’ve eaten. Made a pizza, using a ready-made flatbread crust. A little sauce, asiago and mozzarella cheeses, artichoke hearts. Had it with a salad. It worked.

Took Gaby to an Open House at the kennel where she goes for daycare. She dashed about in the sun, then went up to selected individuals and rolled over for tummy rubs. The heat got to her after that–she is a cold weather dog–and she repaired to the shade and watched other dogs rough and tumble about. Crazy retrievers.

Puppy play date

Best lunch ever–leftover grilled salmon, arugula salad w/ lemon juice and olive oil. Glass of chard. I will now either plant begonias or try to start the lawn mower. Maybe both.

Took a break on Sunday afternoon. Dropped by C2E2, the Chicago Comics and Entertainment Expo, for the day. Finally met online pals in person– Anne Bishop and Colleen Lindsay. Also met a passel of UF authors: Kerry Schafer, Christina Henry, Amber Benson, and Alex Hughes. Ran into Alex Bledsoe in passing, in that way one does. The Brownian motion of a convention.

I also committed Leather in the forms of a rustic handbag and a bound journal. I really, really shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near a dealers room.

And I got to shake Peter Davison’s hand. He was seated in the autograph booth next to Anne and Co, and I told him I had been a fan since the Tristan Farnon days.

Gaby managed to complicate matters by once more refusing to eat. But. I had packed her food bowl, and on Saturday the folks taking care of her gave it a try. Well, Herself ate. Not everything, not at first. But by this morning, she was munching a reasonable amount. I fed her an hour or so after we got home, and she ate her usual dinner amount. She’s sacked out on the couch now. Poor exhausted girl. She was groomed, and came home with a little neckerchief and a bow on her butt.

“I have a bow on my butt.”

Serves her right.

We are staying in a place with kitchenettes in the rooms, so we bought groceries and are doing most of our own cooking. I thought I would miss eating out, but I am finding I don’t. Except we did have high tea at the Drake today because that is one of the things one does when one is in Chicago and has the chance.

The weather has finally, finally been lovely. Coolish because we are near the lake, but sunny and dry. It’s even supposed to warm up as the weekend continues. The long-awaited spring one hears about in song and fable.

The house smells good. I had dug some round and flank steak out of the freezer and threw together some not-quite-beef-bourguignon. Sort of followed this recipe–I just lacked carrots, button mushrooms, or pearl onions, and I was supposed to use chuck, not round or flank. But I did have dried porcini mushrooms. So I soaked them in beef broth and added them.

Verdict? To a complete lack of surprise to some of you, I’m sure, the meat came out dry. There’s a reason one needs a stew-friendly, fatty cut of beef for this recipe. Lesson learned. At least I have plenty of sauce left–if I mince the meat and add barley, I’ll have a decent soup.

Had it with some leftover not-quite-colcannon, which consisted of halved Brussels sprouts and fingerling potatoes fried with lotsa onion and a little fresh thyme. That came out surprisingly well. Tasted good cold or warm, especially earlier this week when added to tuna, wilted spinach, and mustard-caper vinaigrette for a not-really-salad-nicoise.

Yes, I do often make it up as I go along. And sometimes, like today, I pay a price.

Sunny this morning, but chilly. High 30s. Long walk with Herself along the wooded trail. Signs of the week’s heavy rains abound. Mushy ground. Standing water. Grooves cut into the ground by fast-flowing water. Much of the water flowed east, toward the wetlands, which was a great place for it. Marsh life may do well this year as a result. I have seen cranes fly over. Heard them, too. Honk, honk.

There’s a different sort of goose hanging with the Canadas that congregate at the nearby park . Not a swan. Looked a little like these guys. Snow goose? Whatever it is, I hope that it finds some of its own. The Canadas seem to have accepted having it around, but come breeding time it may find life a little lonely.

On the way home, Gabster and I walked through the neighborhood. A couple of homes had deer figurines, large and tiny, in their front yards. Gaby would stiffen as soon as she saw one, and try to approach it until the stillness or lack of smell or something told her that they weren’t real deer. Such a huntress.

Looking forward to a long weekend in the city next week. I will drop by C2E2 for one day, my first comicon. A massage and tea at the Drake may also happen, though not at the same time. Got a little black dress for tea. Big girl shoes, which I will carry in my purse and put on in the lobby because they are about as stable as a toothpick bridge in a gale. They’re not even that high–kitten heels. 2 inches, maybe? It’s the style. Shoes made for sitting and sipping.

4.6 inches since y’day morning, added to the 2.4 that fell last week

Finally seeing a gap in the rain. Hoping to avoid the winds and thunderbumpage that are supposed to arrive later. It’s calm, currently. Still chilly–it’s the continued chill that is holding off the more active weather.

4.6 inches of rain since yesterday morning. The gauge reads 4.7, but that includes the little bit that fell over the weekend. Not as much trouble in the basement as I feared. But the ground is completely saturated, and I really really hope we get a couple days’ reprieve before anything else takes it into its watery little noggin to fall from the sky.

2.3 inches of rain over the last 2-3 days, according to the hummingbird gauge. To my amazement, the ground is taking it up rather quickly. The backyard is still sodden, but the lake is gone. Seems to be gone. Not inclined to walk out there and check lest I get sucked into the mire.

The mesclun is finally popping up in the raised bed, almost two weeks after seeding. Yes, it has been cold, but I thought lettuces liked that. In any case, I will probably plant another row this weekend, keep the crop going.

In web news, spam is showing up in the filter again. So spammers have started registering? I will shorten the comment time, and see if that helps. It’s not a lot of spam–nothing like before. It’s just the principle of the thing. Don’t like giving them a toehold, not even a little one.

In life news…barring global financial meltdown, I will be retiring from the day job in September. Going to give the writing life a good shot. Going to give life in general a better shot.

Something about King’s illness triggered it. Not getting any younger. It’s time.