Yeah March!

March is the month of the first day of spring, meteorologic spring was on the first, and daylight savings will illuminate the end of the day longer starting this weekend! I hate the fiddling with the clocks as we do, but this one fills me with the hope of warming weather. The birds have found my suet feeder and several species visit all day long - downy wood pecker, nuthatch, chickadee, starling, titmouse, and sparrows. They make me happy and eager to start planting flowers and shrubs around the deck to attract even more species. We have had almost a week of above freezing temperatures and quite a bit of rain, so all the snow has gone and there is just a bit of ice left.

I was so happy to have my first morning coffee outside. I had to bundle up in a blanket,
but listening to the birds and watching them flit about made me very happy.

My older brother sent the tax forms I needed for Mom's estate, and I filed my taxes the next day. What a relief to get that done a whole month later than I normally complete it. I've been chatting with my two younger sisters quite a bit lately and sharing old photos.

My siblings and me from the mid 70's - I'm the middle child in birth order
and in the picture too.

The garage door suffered $500 of damage when I backed into it. I was tempted to just leave it since everything works and it's just creased in a couple of places, but I have the funds to pay stupid tax on things that are my own darn fault. So I'm getting it repaired in a week or so.

My molar now has it's crown after another rough 2 hour dental visit. As my sister commented, it might be time for a new dentist. My dentist even pointed out that she feels like they are beating me up every time I come in. I have to agree. I took a 3 hour recovery nap after yesterday's session.

A message on the back of my sign.

Today, March 4th, I'm heading to another protest rally at the state capitol. I added to my sign so that there are words of protest on both sides now, as well as the upside down flag - a signal of distress or protest, both of which are appropriate for the state of this country. I am not under the illusion that my presence at a rally makes much difference, but it gives me a way to voice my opposition to the moron in the white house. As my book club noted in our last read, Revenge Of The Tipping Point, you never know when a movement is on the verge of enacting change. The gay marriage movement suffered so many setbacks in the nineties and early 2000's, just before the tide turned, and it is now widely accepted. Public outrage against this regime is growing...

My second protest in the wind and freezing cold is complete.
Susan and I had a lovely lunch at the Deer and Dove afterwards.

I've been researching my Scottish heritage in anticipation of a trip there with my daughter. I found a page online from the town where my grandmother was born. It is a school picture from when she would have been 5 or 6 years old. I asked my two sisters and daughter if they thought anyone could be our grandmother. We each, separately, selected the same child as she looks so much like my mother. There is no way to know for sure, but we are convinced!

We all picked out the middle child in the second row as our grandmother.

Now I'm off to do more "name change" errands to send off documentation proving I am who I say I am. I grumbled to the bank manager about the lengths one must go to for a signature, but then I realized that I'm fully in favor of lots of security to prevent someone from fraudulently accessing my accounts. Luckily I have the time to commit to this project.