Legalectric

You’ll note I’ve hardly been writing!  Yes, there’s been the Oregon PIELC Conference, and then right away off to Madison for the CapX Technical Hearing.  But mostly I’ve been really sick, hit with allergies probably from the Madison hotel, George down the hall had the headache from hell right away, and by Thursday I was coughing like the DOT witness.  So last week, I headed home and hacked and wheezed until the clinic opened, got fistfuls of prednisone and Doxycycline, a snoutful of prednisone too.  Slowly I’m coming back, but there is no doubt that as I age, my allergies are getting worse.  And the majority of dogs are GSDs, German Shedding Dogs, which isn’t likely to change anytime soon.

Meanwhile, the weather is glorious, the windows have been open for what, a week?   Spring is very different in this house, lighter, breezier, because it’s out in the open, not nestled into the bluff, though still high up just a few houses from the top.  So far, the day lilies are over 5″ tall on the NORTH side of the house.   Robins are everywhere, and this morning, there is no doubt that the trees have leaves, little bitty ones, but there are indeed leaves, and the ground is covered with green and brown tree emissions.  The river is FULL of boats, they’re fishing, the river is a normal level and there will be no floods this year, unless something else very weird happens.

1st tow boat, barges head up Mississippi River

What does a spring like this mean?  Truth be told, I LOVE climate change, Minnesota winters wreak havoc on my back, I end up in pain for 6 months feeling each box of lettuce and can of whatever and tire and box of beef I ever hauled plus the idiot who ran a red light in front of me in 1991, YEOOOOW!  But I can’t imagine that this is good for farmers.   It’s been dry, with no rain in sight.  I can hardly keep from raking up and diggiing in the garden — will farmers be going into the fields early or waiting until a more normal time?

Winter drought prompts MN farmers to hedge spring bets

Drought, low yield, means seed corn shortage

Midwest Farmers Urged to Buy Crop Insurance Due to Dry Weather