Everywhere I look, there are flowers, flowers, and more flowers blooming. There are the usual multitude of squirrels and birds, the chipmunks, the groundhog, and, yes, even the ducks have returned to my yard. Yesterday morning, while I was gathering up all kinds of dead branches, twigs, etc., from the backyard, the lady duck was back there with me, eating and quacking away. It got to a point where she was really quacking and I felt like she was so frustrated with me for being unable to understand her. But I did my best. (Perhaps she was asking me to put in a pond...) Anyway, she eventually seemed to get really mad at me and she quack-quack-quacked and flew away.

The sad thing is that by next weekend, we will be back below freezing around here for several days. I am so hoping that I don't lose all these beautiful flowers.

Okay!

Thanks again  to the Suspect Thoughts guys for inviting me to read at their book store up in Cleveland over the weekend. I had a really, really nice time. And thanks to those of you who showed up, listened so politely, and even bought books! Yay! It's been a few years since I did any readings and this one was probably my favorite. So incredibly relaxed -- and what a great little book store! (I am lamenting that I didn't buy the Jean Cocteau Diaries; I came so close, but then I put it back. To put it mildly, I have way too many gosh-darn books around here as it is.)

Pamela's gone back to NYC. We had a really great time these last few days. And now I must get back to studying French and working on the new novel (and, yes: watching Sweeney Todd whenever I have a free moment which is now almost never. )

Please check out Emanuel Xavier's page at the UNESCO journal (link is in the post below, but also here.) His poems are really just splendid/powerful.

Okay, other than that, it's back to work around here. Thanks for visiting, gang. See ya!