i submitted my pre-proposal for federal grant money today. i will find out if i am invited to make a final proposal on 3/24. keep your fingers crossed, please! maybe i will be a woodworker again someday.

Okay, Patti, I'll print out some poems and send them to you.

Lori, I 'd love it if you'd send something, I'll e-mail my address. I'm staying here alone. Colin is living around town but I see him most days.

Patti, my poems have been in various literary magazines. Some of those magazines can be found in bookstores and libraries, and some, I think, are only available by subscription. They're not like those mass circulation magazines that they sell at newsstands or supermarkets. Maybe it's easiest if I just mail you a few poems. I'm glad you had a good time with Dave. Are you alone at home or is one of your sons still at home with you?

Hey Kathi I'm glad to hear your brother's unit is safely returned. I look everyday for the e-mail that says my friend Will is on his way home. I know they are "waiting" to be shipped home anytime now.

Lori, I don't think I realized, you'd been published. Though I knew you were writing. That's really wonderful. Where can I find your writings? I'd love to see them.

Patti glad that you had a nice trip with your husband. Neil and I went to NC last week to see the Grandbabies. He hadn't seen Camille, she is 2 months. And Caleb is a charmer. It is hard being so far away from them. They are coming for 2 weeks in April. That'll be fun. We are expecting at least a foot of snow tonight and tomorrow. March is coming in like a lion...hopefully, it'll go out like a lamb...and there will be a Spring! I am ready. The daffodils were blooming in NC. My brothers National Guard Unit arrived back in Burlington on Monday, for which I am very thankful. Hopefully all the rest will be safely home soon. Hope all is well with everyone. Happy Thoughts.

Hi folks I'm back from my trip to DC and Baltimore area. DC was fun, we walked off our feet and saw almost every Smithsonian and lots of other things that we really enjoyed. Weather was wonderful.
Baltimore, not so much. 3 inches of snow sent everyone into a panic. sily, unprepared people. We did find the Peabody Bookstore and Cafe on Center Street not far from the Washington Monument in Baltimore but at 7:22 on Friday night they were closed. I was disappointed. But we did find it.
Nice to be back but I wish I could have brought Dave back with me.

I'm impressed that you remember that line, Richard! Yes, I'm still writing, and it's going well. No acceptances lately, but that doesn't stop me. I keep sending them out. The poem you referred to was accepted by The Comstock Review, and it finally came out last week. It 's always good to see it in print--at least it's out there somewhere and not stuck in my drawer. That's the poem that won "special merit" status in the competition run by that journal, so I feel good about that one. I'm going to try out another poetry writing group this week. It's smaller than the one I'm in and also on a higher level, I think. A friend of mine is in it, and she invited me to join. I have a lot of respect for her work, so I'm excited about trying this out. You sound a lot happier with your work now.

What's new with the rest of you out there? How are you all doing?