And here among the branches of the forsythia bush was a busy ladybug running back and forth looking for whatever it is ladybugs look for. Clearly Spring is eager to get going!
Forsythienne
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Monthly Archives: March 2006
Forsythia Cluster
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Aren't they lovely? Yellow is truly a Spring color…
Forsythian Beginnings
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Well that didn't take long! The thermometer hit 80 degrees F today, and the forsythia bush in my yard responded by busting out flowers.
Living World
Took a brief walk yesterday in the late afternoon and saw pussywillows, pollywogs, and even turtles! Looks like Spring is here. I also saw the very first teensy sliver of the new crescent moon… that was pretty cool.
Moon Slice
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Later as I was getting into my car I spotted this, the first vestiges of a crescent moon. To a Muslim, I think this would signify the beginning of a new month.
Pause and Reflect
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It ain't a wildlife preserve, but it's still a pretty little patch of water.
Pollywogs
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And not just turtles… the pollywogs are back! Those blurry ovoids above are in fact big fat bullfrog tadpoles.
Chilly Turtles
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Somebody's back! Wow I would have thought it way too early for this sort of wildlife, but a pond near my office which still had a few patches of snow and ice in spots proved me wrong. These two painters are probably feeling the chill as they sit out in the sun.
Pussy Willows
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I went out for a brief walk yesterday afternoon (without a coat) and I caught these pussy willows unawares. Don't they look surprised? As in “Hey! It's Spring!!”
Attention Blackstone, MA Residents: Don't Drink the Water
Here's a wonderful little story to make you want to switch to bottled water:
From article Water Supply In Blackstone May Be Contaminated (CBS 4 News – Boston):
The water in Blackstone has been shut off because there is concern it may be contaminated.
Officials say someone broke into the town's water control building on Monday night, scaling a barbed wire fence, destroying an electrical panel, then gaining access to the storage tank next door.
During a routine inspection Tuesday morning, a five gallon bucket containing an unknown substance was found next to the tank…
Now of course there's no guarantee that the bucket and the break-in are related at all. Theoretically the bucket could have been left there by a maintenance crew months ago. Nonetheless the bucket is being treated as evidence and it is being analyzed in an attempt to determine what it contained. That's probably the prudent course of action.
In the meantime, those who depend on the 1.3-million gallon tank for water have been instructed not to use their taps and are being encouraged to drink bottled water until the contents of the bucket can be identified.
It's probably nothing, though. As the article notes:
…Blackstone police did receive reports Monday night of teenagers fleeing the scene…
If it is bored teens with nothing better to do, the contents of the bucket will likely not be bioweaponry or poisonous chemicals. What would a teen think would be a funny thing to pour into the water supply? Beer comes to mind, as does urine, or something equally gross. Which is not to say that they could have selected a substance which they thought would be funny, but which might actually be harmful, like sewage. Or they might have simply left the bucket without putting anything into the supply so as to stoke public fear and have a good laugh about it.
But this is all idle speculation, as the bucket's presence may have nothing to do with the break-in. Nonetheless, not exactly a confidence inspiring story, eh?