I saw Garey at the store yesterday and he told me Jane is doing pretty well.  She is hitched up to the usual paraphernalia to help her breathe more easily and to administer necessary medications, and getting great care, he said.  If you don't already have her address, she's in Room 240B at Central Vermont Medical Center, 130 Fisher Rd., Berlin, Vermont 05602.  Garey said he was sure she'd love to hear from her friends.  We are very glad she's doing better and hope she'll be home soon.

After a weird weekend of strange weather, we had a gorgeous day yesterday.  Fred took down our nice clump of white birches.  He was ready to do it Monday, but I needed a little time to get used to the idea of losing them.  They were really nice when they were small, but became a hazard as they continued to grow.  I admit I made a mistake in planting them so close to the house.  Again, perfect as a nice little clump of birches, but darned if they didn't grow like Topsy.  Now the house is very exposed - but there's an up side of that - we now have a clear view of the driveway and the mailbox and road.  

We really didn't need more rain, but we've been getting it throughout most of the day so far.  There are predictions of more on the way tonight.  Everything is soggy.  There shouldn't be any fire danger at least for a few weeks - if it ever stops raining.

The lilacs don't seem to have been damaged a bit by the snow.  I'm not so sure about the apple trees - the ornamentals were looking really good, but now they don't seem so zippy except for one small tree pictured here, next to the driveway.  The regular apple tree has either taken a hit or is simply past the blossom stage.  We won't know for a few weeks if there will be apples or not.

We were in St. Johnsbury yesterday to wish oldest son, Bill, Happy Birthday.  I have a hard time believing I have a son that old - or even the age of the youngest, Jamie.  I guess it's good that I don't feel my age, at least most of the time.  Yesterday after helping Fred clean up the limbs and wood from those five birch trees, I admit to major stiffness in my back by the time I sat down to watch TV last night.  I don't know how or when all three boys got to be almost middle aged, but there they are.  That makes me "old," darn it!  The only time I think about it is when one of them has a birthday - or when I do.  Four times a year I go for a little walk down some memory lane and get a little nostalgic - it's like when you hear some music that takes you back to a special time in your life, or catch a brief scent of apple blossoms, sweet summer hay or the woods after a warm rain, or have the brief sense of deja vu that zaps your memory, and you get sentimental and misty.  Or maybe you don't.  But I do.  All those things and birthdays do that to me.

We got a lot done in town - picked up material for a new flag pole, had a few minutes with Monika and the grands when we ran into them as they were walking on Main Street, and got in some errands in the bargain.  Today I've been catching up at the computer, getting ready for some new projects.  Before I can get involved in anything new, I need to reorganize and clear away some of the odds and ends of what I've been working on over the past several months.  No easy task, but I always feel better after things are put away and filed properly, even though I know everything will be in confusion again within days.