Sunny but still cold here.  We went to Danville this afternoon and even that short distance away the grass is greener than in West Danville or on our hillside.  We're getting there, though.  Next week's rain will do wonders for the grass as well as helping to keep the pollen down.  The poplar trees are tossing their catkins around, and some of the willows are well along in the leafing process.  It's nice to see the harshness of the wooded areas around us softening as the tree buds begin to swell.  A nice stretch of warm, rainy days would make a huge difference.

Fred took this picture of the newly renovated Joe's Pond Country  Store - who knew it could look this good?  The handicapped ramp is nearly finished.


I've mentioned before that I rarely open "forewards" found in my e-mail, but one today caught my eye and I went on Google.com to find out if it was all true.  Apparently it was.  Here is a site I found - not the "forward:"  Facts about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
I also watched some interesting videos about the changing of the guard at the tomb.  I'm impressed.  Nobody, at any age, is about to mess with these dedicated soldiers.  Now that I know how hard they have to train for the job and what they give up for the honor of being chosen as a guard, I can appreciate their demand for respect at the site.  

There are several Joe's Ponders here already - the Rouleaus arrived this week and I bumped into Bo Keach at the post office - she and Bill arrived a couple weeks ago; Barb and Ernie Thurston have been back for a couple of weeks.  Shelly Walker will be moving into her new house on West Shore Road in another week or so, and the pond will begin to buzz with activity soon - as soon as the weather warms, I presume.  I've noticed a couple of pontoon boats in the water, but haven't seen much activity on the water - too darned chilly.  But soon.

This afternoon as we were getting supper in the kitchen, this young fellow (or hen) crossed the driveway and sauntered into the woods.  We watched for another, but this one seemed to be solo.  The turkeys we've seen this year seem to be very healthy.  I think they benefited from having very little snow on the ground, just as the deer probably did.  We should be seeing some fauns with their moms pretty soon.