Viruses, Death, Taxes . . . and Why I'm Ready for Spring

March has been a busy month for me. Three of my computers contacted viruses, died, and although now resuscitated, (almost) I lost a lot of data even though I did do a back up on an external drive, but I think the drives may have a virus as well.

Yesterday I killed two space heaters, not intentionally, but because of my clumsiness. The first one was by my desk in my shop.  I was so excited after spending all week completing my taxes and e-filing them myself, that I jumped from my chair in celebration and knocked the heater over, breaking off the wheels and the cover. Dead - and rendered utterly useless. Oh well I thought, Spring is almost here, the birds are singing, the weather outside comfortable, the building finally heating up on its own, and at least my taxes are done.

But I didn't stop there. After closing up the shop and going to upstairs to our home, I opened up the back porch to accommodate the puppies - six of them, then sat down at my desk, and proceeded to knock over an identical heater, which also broke its wheels, flipped off the cover, and rendered it useless.

At least I have my taxes done and I'll be able to use my refund to buy massive quantities of Spring cleaning supplies at the Dollar Tree! 

March Issue of All Things Girl

An American Portrait: Chief John Grass by Bev Hamel

It is January and I am taking a break from my MFA residency at Goddard College in Vermont. I just finished trekking through snow into the town of Plainfield to visit my favorite haunt – an obscure little bookstore that bursts with endless shelves of books no longer in print.  The proprietor recognizes me as I have purchased many books from him during my almost two years at Goddard. He leads me through winding rooms into what was once a kitchen area, climbs a ladder and then brings down a heavy box. He tells me, “We just got these books in from an estate. I haven’t had a chance to catalogue them yet, but you are welcome to take a look.”
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