Shaken, Not Stirred

Sometimes it takes an earthquake to get me out of bed--Saturday, for example. But it was a little too far off to be really frightening; it didn't really stir me. Later in the week however, I talked with a friend who experienced a shock that killed thousands, in a place no more earthquake-prone than the Adirondacks. Saturday was very hard on her nerves. I'll be a little more stirred, next time I'm shaken.

Even One Daffodil

What a difference even one daffodil makes. As a gardener, I feel a little like the plains of central Europe. Deer, rabbits, squirrels, racoons, chipmunks, beavers, bugs, bamboo and sumac: so many successive waves of barbaric invaders have rolled over my turf, anything that survives to bloom is a blessing. One daffodil in a vase on the kitchen table sitting in a pool of sunlight--me, enjoying my coffee in shirtsleeves next to the open window. And not even May yet. Oh, yeah.

Our Hidden Twin

On the other side of my office wall is the other North Country Public Radio. It has its own clandestine frequency, invisible to ordinary radio, and a totally different set of national and local programs. Like your more familiar NCPR, it has no commercials. Unlike its pedestrian twin--it has no pledge drive either! Too good to be true?

NCPR, with support from the Alcoa Foundation, serves the visually or physically impaired by broadcasting selected readings from national newspapers and magazines as well as local and regional publications. The signal is heard on special receivers that tune in to our subcarrier frequency. The receivers are available free to qualified users.

A Cruel Month

The rule of thumb is that spring moves north fourteen miles a day. The trick is finding out where it is now. Not here, not yet--even though Martha has seen a bluebird already and I spotted a mating pair of herons flying over Rt. 11 this morning. Soon, we pray, soon. Better weather in the yard, better news on the radio... soon.