I said at the beginning of March that I ought to look back at the end of the month and read what I wrote about the weather. I am not going to do this because I don’t go back and read dispatches. The past then becomes real, and I don’t feel like living it twice. I just move forward.

But if my memory serves me correct, it was then darker and colder and there was more snow on the ground. There, it’s okay to give somewhat recent memory a workout.

Blustery these past few days. The common refrain is, “I’m so done with winter.” Each year, every year, it’s this way. I find myself looking ahead, with great joy, watching the landscape turn green and seeing the birds return.

Today was Dr. Seuss day. Had lots of children and their parents show up. Lots of interest in books and in what it is we do. I had a lot of good discussions with parents. I talked to one fellow who told me that he enjoyed reading biographies; I pulled down a box for him. He selected a book, an autobiography by Alan Paton – he wrote Cry the Beloved Country. I put Paton’s autobiography in the biography box – I thought about taking it myself but realized that I would not get to it any time soon. And I didn’t think that anyone else would take it either. But this fellow did. Then he began telling me about the sorry state of affairs right now in South Africa and how it’s a state of reverse apartheid, with the African running the show, and the whites leaving. I do believe what he said, which is that right now there is considerable unrest and upheaval in Africa, and yes, untold numbers of refugees are arriving from there every day.

The planet and its people do seem to be in really bad shape. The deal is that those of us who care about the environment are no longer happy. It is odd to be living where I do; right now, where I live, all is fine, but elsewhere things are a mess. On the home front what I worry about the most is having enough hay for the horses. We are low right now and will have to find enough hay to tide us over for the next few months. Then we’ll hope for good weather and enough hay for 2024-2025.

Tonight, as I was walking the horses, I thought, well, if there is not enough hay on hand this summer, I’ll have to graze the horses one hour in the morning and one hour at night – that’s going to be six hours of standing around. The goats too.

These are my worries. Could be far worse. We could also be wondering where our next meal is coming from. We have reserves.

Next: 89. 3/31/24: Winter, Not quite cold and bleak