Odds and Ends

What a mess!! I'm glad this will be gone in about two months, but I don't want to be the one who has to scoop the leaves out. It is back-breaking work.

This well-gnawed bone appeared on my deck this morning. I surely would like to know what animal left it there. Maybe my foxes are back...or a raccoon. It is about 4 inches long and a little over an inch in diameter.

It has to be a portion of an animal's femur, don't you think?

The trees are beginning to bud, and I cannot wait to see the light green that comes with the first tiny leaves. It is my favorite color! As you can see from this last photo, the skies here were a gorgeous Carolina blue today. And North Carolina Blue reigns - at least so far - in the ACC Tournament being played in Greensboro this weekend. They defeated Clemson in a game they probably should not have won, but we're glad they did.  They will play the winner of the Duke-Virginia Tech game this afternoon.

Maxine on Winter + ACC BAsketball

I should have posted these back when we were actually having winter. For the last week, we've had spring-like temperatures and bright sun! YAY!

^^^^^^^

On Wednesday night, when all of NC and the rest of the ACC Conference area was preparing to watch the BIG GAME between UNC and Duke, we heard three loud pops and then the electricity went off in the entire neighborhood. If you know ACC Basketball, and specifically the rivalry between UNC and Duke, you know how disastrous this was! I was on the phone to Progress Energy's service line within seconds of finding candles, matches and a flashlight, and while I was on that phone call, my neighbor left a message saying...."It's just amazing the lengths those Dookies will go go to to sabotage the game!" LOL

Lucky for us, Progress Energy repairmen must be basketball fans, because they responded pronto and by the middle of the first half, we had power restored. Duke led at the end of the first half, but UNC came out shooting in the second and they won handily. My daughter said this morning that had she been home at the time, she would have beaten a quick path to the nearest sports bar for the game (and I'd have been with her!)

It was so warm here yesterday, that even though the arena at Duke is now air-conditioned, the players were perspiring like crazy and every time the action stopped, even for a second, there were guys on the floor mopping up sweat. There ought to be a way to prevent that; maybe they should all wear sweat bands on their heads. Anyway, we are all happy here; my children are ecstatic and look forward to the next game, where we have the home court advantage. YAY!