March 17, 2011 In Iowa

Sock monkey got his feet dirty from his spring adventure in the last of Iowa's snow piles.

A little lamb's ear popping through dead leaves is a sign of spring. The pair of robins my mother and I saw this morning who were pulling worms from the ground and preparing a nesting site for their baby blue eggs added to the day's surprises.

Burr, it's a little chilly out here in Iowa on March 17, 2011.

"56 degrees Fahrenheit or 13 degrees Celsius to be exact," said Mr. Troll.

Nathan is Hard at Work

I love my neighbors!

Mom, Dad, Eris and the Big Joe Polka Show

Eris, Myron and Tracie journeyed to the sleepy hamlet of Humboldt, Iowa to say goodbye and spend the weekend with me on January 7, 2007. The highlight of Saturday night was dancing with Eris to a sleepy and swaying waltz played with a concertina on the Big Joe Polka Show. We danced until she drifted into her little girl sleep.

I made a huge pot of lentil soup for my guests, vegetarian of course, and we talked and munched into the night.

I am truly saddened that I may not be in Ames, Iowa for the birth of Myron and Tracie’s second daughter in May ’07.

I hope that the stars will align in a peaceful formation that will bring me back.