Jack Tar continues to become the finest feline canine I have known. He walks every- where with us, is amazingly playful and inventive with his games, and shows almost no fear of loud sounds (power saws, hammers, etc.). Cool, calm and collected. Here's an image of him after he dove into the leaves along the driveway as we sauntered out to learn if there was any mail awaiting us.

Jack Tar's Name

Well, Lausanne, here's the story:

We fed the cat because he was hungry. Then it was REALLY cold so I picked him up and put him in the bathroom.

I sat with him there and thought "this guy needs a name we can call him. He's black but "Blackey" is dumb. He needs a diminutive too because Tam was a diminutive." At this point I realized that the was Mr Tam reincarnated. Just like Mr Tam, Jack told us his name and we added the "Tar" part. (Actually, Tam made us play Rumpelstiltskin.)

So why "Tar?" Because sailors appear unbidden and unwanted but, really, they can be an awful lot of fun. Just like our wee man.

- April

This past Sunday, it being our common practice, Jack Tar and your humble correspondent set forth to visit Long Man creek. Being a fair day, warmer and less windy than those that preceded it, our perambulations were leisurely and desultory. Jack Tar is an ideal companion on such explorations, staying close by, either six to eight feet behind or an equal span in the lead. He finds and follows deer trails with alacrity. My most silent companion, Ginny, was always at hand as well, always ready to create a great noise should conditions warrant such.

The creek has thawed and is open water wherever struck by significant sun light; below the large hill he is yet mostly frozen. The copious quantities of bog iris on the flats are sending their bravest scouts forth to ascertain if the time is right for a massive uprising; as are the iris around and about the house. Perchance they know more than we humans that an early spring is planned? Animal and human life are both most grateful that the major ice storm which has just devastated the Midwest declined to visit our fair lands.

April's Future Craft Room

I thought I’d share a picture of my new craft room. We only moved the bed out a couple days ago and there are two hundred holes full of putty to be sanded after I get all the clothing off the shelves. Oh yeah, and new adjustable shelves need to be put in too. Gotta choose and buy them first. Shouldn’t be long.

Why am I showing you this ugly picture rather than waiting until I'm done fixing the room up? First, because it’s the first time I’ve had a room that’s really MINE. Don’t have to share it at all. And second, because I want you to know just how boring the room is in its' present state.

Small Town Living

So, what’s a city girl think of living in a reeeeeally small town?

I think it’s great. Yeah, it’s shuttered by 9 PM but then so was Santa Fe. Yeah, news of the new people gets around fast. Yeah, people know what you’re up to and remember everything in a truly phenomenal manner. But….

I needed to get some eye wash for Russ at half past eight on Saturday. Everything really is closed at that hour on a Saturday so I called the one and only pharmacy anyway. By quarter to nine I was on my way home with the product the pharmacist-owner, George Fetco, recommended. He was in doing some remodeling and decided anyone who would try at that hour probably really needed him to pick up the phone.

Sunset

A much warmer and sunnier day than in a while... rose to about 42F and was totally calm. We took the opportunity of the better conditions to drive up to Christiansburg and buy Sherwin-Williams paint for the living room and ground floor bathroom. Tomorrow should be in the mid-50s before a cooling trend returns - meaning I can paint and open the windows to clear the smell and speed drying. There are several hundred feet of crown molding and baseboard to paint before they are installed next week but that can be done in the shop (although those 16 foot long pieces are a challenge in a small space).

It was another superb and long-lasting sunset tonight. Click on the image to get a full-screen version to study the details in the clouds. The colour is fairly accurate in the clouds but the sky was a more intense blue.

Exchange rates

When we lived in Scotland we always kept our eyes on the exchange rates. The day we closed on our little place there, the Pound=$1.32 (if my memory is correct). As George Bush's ill-advised policies began to weaken the American prestige and economy, the dollar began a long slide against the Pound until it was over $2.00. We could no longer afford to live in our dear Scotland and essentially had to move back to the USA.

Today the Pound is sliding against the dollar and is now equal to $1.37. This will certainly help restore the flow of American tourists to the Great Britain- and they do constitute the largest group of visitors to Scotland. Both countries have economies in free-fall but the world market has expressed it opinion that Obama probably has better solutions than Brown.

Here on the farm it is finally warming up to freezing; it has been about a week since the mercury reached 32F and it is expected to top out at 40F today and maybe as high as 56F tomorrow before returning to more seasonable levels. What a cause for celebration after this prolonged deep freeze.

The cat who adopted us, Jack Tar, is ingratiating himself nicely - he brought us a mouse a couple of days ago. He sleeps in the ground floor bathroom on these cold nights and seems perfectly content to be warm and full. Not once has he scratched at the door to be let out or uttered a single unhappy meow. In fact, when we go in to check on him, he wants mostly to have a warm lap to lay in. During the day, he stays close to the house and has become our official greeter of visitors. Life is good here for us all.