all clear

(a silly little list of good things)

Our driveway, surprisingly, after so much snow. I guess the ground was warm enough to help melt it. Now the only puddles remain, and a fluffle of rabbits crossing back and forth between the Douglas firs on both sides. Why are these rabbits so lively this morning?

Also, our bird feeders are empty. I knew I'd start feeding the early-season songbirds this time of year, but without warning a murder of crows and a cloud of blackbirds showed up, too, and they are demolishing the seed. No idea how to shoo them away, so I've resigned myself to buying another bag of birdseed.

My colon, after my first colonoscopy this week.

My schedule. So many cancellations between weather and power outages. The extra time feels luxurious.

The upstairs bedrooms. Team Testosterone came for Easter weekend and has since departed for their apartments and dorm room. I love having them here. It's eerily quiet when they're gone. This summer only one bachelor will return. B landed an internship in Madison. I'm pleased for him and proud of him, but I'll miss his enthusiastic, energetic presence. Well, not in the morning. That kid's never been much for mornings. But catch him any time after noon and he's bubbling over with ideas to share and plans to execute. Now G will be responsible for keeping me entertained.

A section of my closet. I tried on all of my dresses and the ones that didn't fit my body (or any foreseeable occasion to wear them) are folded in a bag, ready for their one-way trip to St. Vincent DePaul. Like most women, I have too many clothes but nothing to wear, which is a foolish problem to keep having if you can fix it. After the purge, I hauled my tail over to a store and replaced many dresses with One Perfect Black Dress that I can jazz up or tone down with accessories. No more guilt, confusion or despair next time I get ready for a wedding, funeral or gala event! AND it's a wash-and-wear dress.

Last month my coven got together and we were reminiscing about how we used to dress for work. Suits. Skirts. Slacks. Blazers. Dry clean only, of course. Who remembers Casual Corner? Now most schools let teachers wear jeans, and not just on Fridays! What a world we live in now...

The short story I wrote last month, "A Running Start," got a round of thumbs up from my readers, so I submitted it. In June I'll find out whether the publisher agrees with my readers.

Spill it, reader! What's all clear for you today? Or feel free to speculate on why rabbits keep scampering back and forth across my driveway this morning!