Spring passages

Seasonally, I change a bunch of things:

I rotate my wardrobe, such as it is, in this case putting away corduroy pants, wool sweaters, and heavy cotton turtlenecks and taking out T-shirts and jeans (shorts will emerge in a couple of months). I just take out the cardboard boxes, empty and re-fill, stick back in the closet. It always feels as if I've gotten a whole new set of clothes, although most are years and years old. (I used to do this switch-and-hide maneuver with the kids' toys, so they played with only half at a time and they loved getting "new" toys.)

I switch from dryer clothes drying to line drying outside. This can be tricky because I have to guess when the rains are over (usually in May). I scrub the plastic-coated lines and take out my clothes pins. The first load always takes longer to hang up because I'm putting up the pins at the same time. The smell of sun-dried clothing is wonderful!

I change our sheets from winter flannel to summer weight cotton.

I glance around the house, mutter something about spring cleaning, and go back to writing.

So what's your spring routine?

A Cat, A Mystery...A Space Station?

Pati Nagle had way too much fun with this:


Can a lowly gumpaw hope for love with a girl who rides in a jewel-encrusted carrier?

Feline investigator Leon, with opposable thumbs and the ability to talk, is possibly the most dangerous cat in the galaxy. Indentured to the Security department of Gamma Station until the cost of his creation is paid off, Leon alternates between harassing his human partner/roommate Devin and fighting sleazoid criminals, yet still finds time to flirt with the lovely Leila, an exotic Burmese who lives in the swankiest level of the station. Will he win her heart, and more important—will he win his freedom?




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