To Know Which Way the Wind Blows

I was talking to my friend TS Elmwood again yesterday afternoon. We were both out enjoying the record warm weather.

“Do you believe this? Weren’t we buried in snow a few weeks ago?”

I guess we lived through February.

“And it will be opening day for baseball season in a week.”

I found the neighbor kids’ baseball in our backyard the other day. It was like a sign of spring, that and all the robins.

“It was great, being able to open up all the windows at home this morning. Unfortunately, our neighbor was out on his patio with his cigar, and with the wind out of the southwest, I could smell it in my kitchen.”

Bummer.

“They’re good people, but the next time they complain about my bird feeders, they’ll hear from me about cigar smoke.”

They don’t like birds?

“No, they might poop on their perfect lawn. And I don’t think they like all the squirrels that invade my feeders, one of them might drop a peanut shell in their perfect garden.”

Life in the suburbs.

“Big plans for the nice weather today?”

I hope not. You?

“Do a little cleanup in the yard. I think I’ll save raking leaves and dead stuff for a couple weeks later. All of your cats healthy? Nothing bad in their food, I hope?”

Healthy as we could hope for a bunch of old cats. They sure enjoy being out on the porch when it’s warm like this.

“I didn’t think that you let your cats outside.”

No, we don’t – we have a screened-in porch, that’s too cold in winter and too hot much of the summer, but it’s really nice in spring and fall. I was out there, reading a book, with a cat curled up next to me.

“I was outside earlier, and I just sat still for a few minutes, and felt the warmth of the sun on my skin. And I went throught the drive-thru at Starbucks, and sat there while they made my drink, with the car windows down, feeling the breeze. I just love these warm spring days, I feel my lifeforce coming back after all these months.”

Covivant says she hopes my S.A.D. is finally lifting.

“We saw a couple of Irish bands Saturday evening – it’s hard to stay sad, or S.A.D., with that kind of music.”

Whom did you see?

“Lunasa and Dervish, at the Old Town School. I’ve been a Lunasa fan for several years, they’re always great. I liked Dervish, too – first time I’ve heard a Cher song done Celtic-style.”

Cher?

“The singer introduced it as a song she had heard on the radio, and she thought the band could play it their way. She said it was about the ‘marginalized of society,’ then she started singing ‘I was born in the wagon of a traveling show…’“

That would be “Gypsies Tramps and Thieves,” I believe?

“You got it. They also played Dylan’s ‘Boots of Spanish Leather.’ ”

***Warning – spoiler coming for the season three finale of Battlestar Galactica***

You don’t watch Battlestar Galactica, do you?

“No, but I’ve heard it’s good.”

I’ll have to talk to Will about it, then. They used some lines from ”All Along the Watchtower” in last night’s season finale.

“Sounds intereresting. You’ll have to stick those lines at the end of your blog.”



“ ’There must be some way out of here," said the joker to the thief,
’There's too much confusion, I can't get no relief.’ “