In Cleveland, Spring is trying to push through the frost-rimed doors. Yesterday, as I drove to my monthly book discussion group, signs of it was everywhere. Our book was "The Time Traveler's Wife"; a sad, strange & romantic book that led to a lively meeting. Along the road, dozens of robins pecked on the ground next to snow piles. Buds were peeking out from branches on weeping willows & certain types of maple trees. Another member said her yard had crocuses poking up through the snow. Turkey vultures, which return to Ohio each year on March 15th, were soaring through the sky, floating on the gusty winds that threatened to blow off my hat.
    I've tolerated winter better than usual this year & for longer, most people were sick of it weeks ago. I was still finding beauty in the snow & ice, and still will when more falls, as I'm sure it will. Last year we had a snowstorm in April, so it's probably not over yet. But I am tired of putting on 3 layers of clothes just to step out the door, of the ice encrusted sidewalks, of seeing my breath in the car before it heats up. I want to see leaves & flowers that aren't in florists pots and feel gentle breezes, not freezing winds. There has been 5 months of cold weather, I am ready for Spring.

The Easter Bunny & Santa occupy a
similar place on the children's icons hierarchy. They are both symbols
representing religious holidays, both travel the world delivering gifts
and both dissapate as one moves closer to adulthood, taking some of the
magic with them.

    The
Easter Bunny is not quite as esteemed as Santa, perhaps because he's an
animal & not human, which some people view as a higher life
form. There are myriad versions of Santa around the globe, each with
slightly different looks & customs. Whereas, the Easter Bunny
isn't as cosmopolitain, there is only the Easter Bilby in Australia.
Santa also has more accessories, chimney, tree, elves'
workshop. Not to mention the reindeer drawn sleigh. Easter
Bunny has to hop everywhere, though occasionally you'll see a card
where he's riding a bicycle.Obviously he's in better
shape. His basket for carrying gifts is much spiffier than
Santa's sack, and the bow tie is dapper, but doesn't quite make the
fashion statement of the red suit.

   Santa Claus seems capable of
delivering any sort of gift, no matter how elaborate. The
Easter Bunny is limited to candy, eggs &
toys, preferably soft, stuffed ones. And who colors all those eggs?
Does he have a factory of rabbits or chicks working on them? Surely he
can't do them all himself? There's not as much back story for Mr.
Bunny, either. So many unanswered questions.

    I'm not even going to
consider who might win a wrestling match.....

       
Cleveland is getting hit by yet another blizzard, so it's a good time to post pics from the ice storm earlier in the month. On March 4th & 5th, we were pelted with ice all day, making it difficult to drive, but turning all of the trees into spun crystal. These were taken from my apartment window on the second day, since it was much too dangerous to go out. In the foreground is the locust tree, whose twisted branches were stunning encased in ice.
           
 

Happy St. Patrick's Day ! ! !

         
    Though I'm not very feminine in general, I am when it comes to movies. I love costume dramas. If the guys are in frock coats or puffy-sleeved shirts, I'm there. Part of it, I'm sure, is my interest in history & another part is wanting to go far from my own life, but a large part is just the sheer romanticism of it all.
   I'd tried to rent the DVD  Becoming Jane   a month ago, but all the copies were out at the video store, possibly because of Valentine's Day. It wasn't until last Friday that I was finally able to grab the last one off the shelf. It was definitely worth the wait.
                 
    Anne Hathaway plays a young Jane Austen in the process of becoming an author.Still living on the family farm with her parents & many siblings. Her mother wants to marry her off to a wealthy, but somewhat dull neighbor, but her father understands how important Love is to Jane. Her brother brings home a friend from London, a poor Irish lawyer named Tom Lefoy, who has been banished to the country by his imperious uncle. As you can guess, Jane and Tom progress from heated bickering to heat of another kind. It's all set in large houses and in the beautiful English countryside. Love blossoming in the woods, my perfect fantasy. Hathaway manages to tone down her glamour for the part & McAvoy is splendid as the impoverished lover. It's not every guy who can seduce someone by reading about birds in a thick volume of natural history.
    While there are some truly sad aspects to the movie, overall it's a wonderfully romantic story. I greatly enjoyed it.

     The icicle is gone! Wah!
      The spring-like temperates we've been having for the last few days spelled its doom. yesterday, when I left for the grocery store, it was dripping steadily, but hanging on. When I got back, around 20 minutes later, it had fallen and broken into several big pieces, lying on the patchy snow below. Today it had completely melted, as had the snow. The evening rain is making big puddles everywhere. There's still plenty of winter left, which surely means another decent sized icicle this year.