Today's the first day of SPRING

Under this photo from The Old Farmer's Almanac are these words:  "When Is the First Day of Spring 2024?  In 2024, the March equinox happens on March 19 at 11:06 P.M. EDT.  This falls on a Tuesday and is the astronomical beginning of the spring season in the Northern Hemisphere and the autumn season in the Southern Hemisphere.  If you thought that the spring equinox only ever occurred on March 21, you may be dating yourself.  The civil calendar date of the equinox continues to shift every year."  So today's the day, but not yet.  We have to wait until tonight in my part of the world.

I told you about The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese a couple of days ago, saying "a couple of books worth sharing."  Well, maybe not.  My neighbor Betty knocked on my door, handed me this huge book (736 pages), and said she doesn't want it back.  It has taken her since Christmas to finish it, she said.  I then suggested donating it to the Crown Center's little library, but Betty said our resident librarian Risé had told her large books like this are too heavy for old folks to hold.