Weekly Writer’s Quote: Exercising my writer’s imagination in Las Vegas

"Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young." W. Somerset Maugham

I exercise my imagination everyday. Each morning I look out my kitchen window into the backyard. From that window, I can see several oleander bushes. In the morning, those bushes cast shadows across the yard, sometimes the shadows are dark and deep, but at other times, they are pale and shallow.

The deepness of the shadows depends on the weather. The deepness of the shadows depends on whether or not there are clouds. I look into the shadows for ideas. I know there are story or poem ideas in the shadows if I can find them.

Look at the shadows

Watch them move when the wind blows

Light and darkness shift

I also exercise my imagination when I go out the front door each morning to pick up the newspaper. I stand for a moment and listen to the songs of birds or the neighbors’ dogs barking. Sometimes I am fortunate enough to see one of the neighbors’ cats as it stalks something in the grass or plays with a friendly dog.

The cat stalks a bug

Something moving in the grass

Plays chase with a dog

Free-write Friday: Turning on the cool air in Las Vegas

I listened to the weather this afternoon. The meteorologist said that the temperature in Las Vegas rose to about 80 degrees. When I checked the thermostat, it read about 78 or 79 degrees in the house. I need to consider turning on the cool air because I do not want the temperature in the house to get above 83 degrees.

Tomorrow I will turn on the two area fans we have. One is a small fan in my mother’s room and the other is in the living room. I have it sitting in a location that lets it blow on me while I am at the computer. I do not want the house to get too hot or too cold. Mom get cold not matter what time of year it is. I have to have the house warm enough for Mom and to keep the electric bill in check.

This year I am considering keeping the temperature at 81 or 82 degrees rather then 83 degrees. Mom spends most of the weekdays at an adult daycare center, so the only time I have to worry about her getting cold is in the evenings and on the weekends. For myself, I would like to have the house a little cooler then 83 degrees. I would prefer the indoor temperature about 79 degrees, but I am not sure if our finances could handle the electric bill.

I think I will try the 79-degree temperature for a week or so to see how Mom handles that temperature. She has gained weight since last year so part of her problem may have had to do with her weight. I plan to turn the air on around Easter, if I can last that long without cool air.

Thankful Thursday: The patchwork sky

Today I am thankful for the patchwork sky. I am thankful for the clouds and the blue sky peeking through. That gives the impression of looking at a patchwork quilt. I do not think it will rain because these are not rain clouds. They are mostly white with slight touches of gray.

A patchwork quilt sky

A pleasant Las Vegas day

A nice afternoon

I bought an oven timer today

I bought an oven timer today. I do not need it to use in cooking because I use a microwave for everything I have to bake. I bought the timer to use when I write. I have thought about this for a couple of weeks, but today I finally decided that I needed a timer when I do timed writing. I also use it when I compose other things like blog entries or stories.

I need something to give me a deadline and the timer works. It allows me to write within a time limit of 60, 30, or 10 minutes. A timer helps me focus on the subject because I have to write within the limit and therefore I cannot get distracted. I have not attempted to write for more then ten minutes, but I only bought the timer today. I may set the timer to fifteen or twenty minutes rather then ten minutes when writing a blog entry, but that depends on the subject I choose.

One of my writing problems is distractions and another is deleting words when I have to make a corrections. If I have a time limit, I do not have time to delete words when I make a mistake. By using a timer, I have to continue writing and once the timer goes off, I go back to make the corrections. I hope a timer works to correct this specific issue because it causes me to waste more time when writing then write. I will give myself a couple of weeks to see how well this approach to the problems works.

Tuesday Research: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, born on March 27, 1886, was a post World War I German architect. Mr. van der Rohe, known as Mies, said “God is in the details.” His greatest achievement is Crown Hall, which is located at the Illinois Institute of Technology.

Purist line reveal

The essence of poetry

A building’s beauty

A cloudy afternoon in Las Vegas

Moving east to west

Or is it from west to east

Clouds hide the blue sky

The clouds are white and bright this afternoon. They do not look like rain clouds, but this time of year, I cannot be sure. I have to go out and roll the windows up in my car. I have another doctor’s appointment tomorrow and I do not want the seats to get wet.

Ironman Champion Mirinda Carfrae refuels with chocolate milk

After a tough workout, Ironman Champion Mirinda Carfrea refuels with lowfat chocolate milk. After watching this video, I have to get some lowfat chocolate milk. This video shows how much Mirinda Carfrea enjoys the lowfat milk. Click on the video and watch.

Poetry form of the week: The difference between Haiku and Senryu

I posted two poems earlier today. One of the poems was a haiku, which is a Japanese 3-line 17-syllable poem. The syllable count is 5-7-5 and the subject of this form is nature, weather, animals, etc.

The other poem was a senryu, which is a 3-line 17-syllable Japanese form. The syllable count is also 5-7-5, but the subject of this poem human nature, activities, etc.

Nokia Lumia 900 - James Ivett video

James Ivett does extreme bike riding in this video. If I had a Nokia Lumia, what exiting thing would I do? This video makes me wonder. Click on the video below and then get involved.

Mundane Monday: A March Senryu

Driving in traffic

And waiting at stop light

Patience is required

Nokia Lumia 900 - Jed Cullen

What would you like to do with a Nokia Lumia? Check out this Jed Cullen video for some of the fun you can have with a Nokia Lumia. Click on the video below and watch the fun.

Mundane Monday: A March Haiku

A mundane Monday

A slight breeze and broken twigs

Left from last night’s wind

Nokia Lumia 900 - Pip Andersen video

Check out this amazing Pip Andersen video. Watching this video makes me think about the exiting I would do if I had a Nokia Lumia. Click on the video below and get involved.

A new week of writing and power napping

A new week begins

Time to make a new start

Time to take a nap

It is after 3:30 PM and I am sleepy. I get sleepy about this time everyday, I usually stop whatever writing I am working on and sit down on the couch to doze. That is not possible today because Mom is home and taking a nap is not a good idea.

Sitting down on the couch and taking a nap is not a good idea. Taking a nap helps, but it is better to lie down and doze then to sit up. It is better to lie down for a nap then to sit down, so I think I will have to lay down on the love seat from now on. During the week, I cannot go to my bedroom for a nap because I have to be in the living room when Mom comes home.

In addition, the couch is out of the question because sleeping on it causes my back to hurt. Sleeping on the love seat is better for my back and my legs because my legs are elevated when I nap on the love seat. I will try napping on the love seat this week and see how I feel next Sunday.

Nap on the love seat

Turn off the television

A short power nap

A power nap helps when I get back to writing because I can now focus on the poem or story I am working on.

Weekly Writer’s Quote: An alternative world

There are many reasons why novelists write – but they all have one thing in common: a need to create an alternative world. ~ John Fowles

I think this quote sums up my week. This has been an interesting and stressful week. Come to think of it all my interesting weeks are stressful and my uninteresting weeks contain no stress. I do not get much writing accomplished during the uninteresting week. However, I have not had an uninteresting week in a long time.

You may ask, “What does an interesting week have to do with creating an alternative world?” The alternative world is one in which I do not have two doctor’s appointments in the same week. This week the appointments were on Wednesday and Thursday, next week the appointments are on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Doctor’s waiting room

Cold enough for a sweater

Too hot for a coat

One positive aspect of this week is that I could wear my new red sweater.  I have had the sweater for about two months, but it was too cold to wear the sweater. It was also too warm to wear both the sweater and the coat. This year the weather has been weird, so weird that sometimes it seems like this is an alternative world.

Free-write Friday: Both of my legs bandaged

A beautiful day

A good day for a long walk

Both my legs bandaged

Yesterday, I had the outpatient procedure on my right leg. The bandage on that is above my knee, while the bandage on my left leg is below the knee. Walking with bandages on both legs is difficult, but not impossible. The nurse at the vein clinic, where I had the outpatient surgery, said I could take said I could take the bandage off on Saturday.

An R.N. changes the bandage on my left leg once a week. I go back to the outpatient clinic this coming Wednesday to have the bandage changes and I see the wound doctor one week after that. I will not know if the bandages come off my left leg until then. I am looking forward to having the bandages off both legs. When the bandages are gone I am going out to eat.

I will celebrate

When the bandages are gone

Set down restaurant

An invited to Great Britain

British celebrities invite us to visit Great Britain in 2012. We are invited to discover the heritage, countryside, shopping, food, music, sports, and culture of Great Britain. This is a great year to visit Great Britain. Great Britain is a place I have always wanted to visit. Click on the video below for the invitation.

Thankful Thursday: A Beautiful Day in Las Vegas

I am thankful that the temperature is about 80 degrees today. It is a beautiful spring day in Las Vegas. It is such a nice day that I wore my new red sweater to the doctor’s office instead of a coat. True, it is too warm outside for a sweater, but not in a medical waiting room.

My new red sweater

Keeps me warm while waiting

To see the doctor

This afternoon there is a slight breeze. I expected this because I listened to the weather report yesterday. The meteorologist said the wind would pick up either later on Thursday or Friday. I also remember him saying that the temperatures would go down into the 70s and that we would have clouds, but I do not remember when the clouds would roll in.

Slight afternoon breeze

Foretells cooler temperatures

And fair weather clouds

Since the temperatures seem on the rise, I am considering turning off the heat in the house. I will put off this decision for a couple of day and see how warm or cold the outdoor temperature is the next three or four days. I do no like turning the temperature off in the house too early because I only have to turn if back on if it gets too cold in the house. I do not like the temperature in the house to get below 71 degrees in the winter or early spring.

What I have learned about writing poetry

Today’s lesson in writing poetry concerns attempting a new or unfamiliar form. Never attempt to write a poem in a form you are not familiar with when you are tired.

I wanted to use the Brady’s Touch form, but I ended up writing a free verse poem. It took me a couple of minutes of staring at a blank screen before I realized I was too tired to attempt a new form. I will try writing a poem using this form again in a couple of days.

: Website Wednesday: A website to find poetry forms

I found a website that has numerous traditional and new poetry forms. The name of the site is Syllables of Velvet, according to the Introduction by Linda Varsell Smith this website contains over 500 different poetry forms. Some of the forms come with examples, while other forms just contain the guidelines. I am looking forward to practicing these forms.

Tuesday Research: Spring Equinox

Northern hemisphere
Day and night are equal
Vernal equinox

It is spring; despite the fact that it feels like winter here in Las Vegas, it is spring. Today, March 20, 2012, at 1:14 AM Eastern Daylight Time the sun passed directly over the equator. At that moment the vernal equinox occurred.

Trees leaf flowers bloom
The weather usually warm
Spring nature’s New Year

Check out The Rite of Spring.

Mundane Monday: I got out of my writing rut today

For the past several days, I have felt like I was in a rut. I felt like I was stuck in my writing and daily life, but today I got out of that rut. When I left the house today, I wore red. Normally, I wear neutral colors such as tan or gray. It is amazing how much better wearing a bright color makes you feel.

I also did something different when I went to the service station to buy gas. About once a month, I stop at a full service station in order to have the tires and fluids checked. On these occasions, I usually buy only $20.00 in gas. Today when I stopped at the service station, I had the attendant fill the tanks up. Today I spent $50.00 in cash for a tank of gas.

I have never paid $50.00 for gas before today. The reason I paid so much today was the combination of a nearly empty tank and the high cost of gas. I will not let my tank get that empty again because normally I do not keep that much cash on me. I usually keep $25.00 or less in my wallet, so I cannot get more the $20.00 in gas. It felt so good to go into a full service station and have the tank filled up. It helped get me out of my rut.

Weekly Writer’s Quote: Ideas in the middle of living

My ideas usually come not at my desk writing but in the midst of living. ~ Anais Nin

I looked out my window and I saw the neighbor’s cat sitting on their front porch waiting to go into the house. I wrote a poem about the cat waiting for someone to let her in while the wind was blowing. All right, I do not get out of my house much on the weekends, but that does not mean I stop living.

I wish I could get out more on the weekends because I would find more to write about then the living going on in my house. Right now, my mother is sitting on the couch wanting to remove the oxygen tubes from her nose. I know there is a story or a poem in what I call “The Battle of the Oxygen” and it is not a science fiction story.

It is a story about the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease not only to the person who suffers from it, but to the family as well. I have written poems about Mom and Alzheimer’s, but I have not put it in a story yet. I think that is the next phase of my writing. The problem is that it is difficult to write about this disease.

As I write this post, I want to cry. I want to cry because of what is happening to my mother. I also know that I have to write about the Alzheimer’s disease and its affect my mother and me. I am in the midst of living with it; therefore, I must write about it.

Free-write: What do I know about St. Patrick’s Day?

Tomorrow we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. The Day we commemorate either the birth or the death of St. Patrick. I am not sure which it is. I have never been sure whether we were celebrating St. Patrick’s birth or commemorating his death. I do not think it matters to any one celebrating on St. Patrick’s Day which one it is. As far as, I have ever been able to tell it is just another excuse to have a party and to wear green.

When I was in grade school, you had to wear green on St. Patrick’s Day because if you did not wear that color, someone would pinch you. Since I never liked getting pinched, I wore green on St. Patrick’s Day. I do not remember learn much about St. Patrick in school. The only thing I know about him is that he chased the snakes out of Ireland.

Another thing I know about St. Patrick’s Day is that many bars sell green beer. Since I do not drink beer, I am not sure why people seem fascinated with beer that has green food coloring added. Do bartenders charge more for green beer?

What else do I know about St. Patrick’s Day? Some places have paradise on that day. When I was in grade school and St. Patrick’s Day occurred during the week, someone always brought cupcakes with green icing. I always liked the chocolate cupcakes with green icing.

Thankful Thursday: March 15, 2012

It is Thankful Thursday again. It is time to give thanks for all of blessing I received over the past week.

1. Coffee the beautiful and delicious hot dark liquid that gets me started every morning.

2. My premium membership on writing.com. This membership level gives me a portfolio size of 1,000 items.

3. The nice weather we had experiences in Las Vegas for the past week. It was warm enough yesterday for me to keep my Wound Care appointment without wearing a coat.

4. That I have a washing machine in the house that does not over flow the pipes during the spin cycles.

5. That I have a microwave, I can use warm up my lunch.

6. That I have leftover in the refrigerator I can fix for my lunch today.

Tuesday Research: Glaucoma

I did not intend to research this subject, but life or fate has a way of changing a person’s plans. On Monday, March 12, I went to an optometrist and he did what all optometrist do when you go for a checkup; he ordered a glaucoma test. It turns out I have glaucoma, so he ordered another appointment in May.

Glaucoma results from damage to the optic nerve. The cause of this damage is increased eye pressure known as intraocular pressure. Now that I know what causes glaucoma, what do I do about it; I do research to find out what questions I need to ask my doctor and then follow his instructions.

The only thing I have notice are “shadows” on the left side of my left eye and right side of my right eye. The shape of these “shadows” (this is what I call them) resemble single quotation marks. I have not noticed any of the listed symptoms, but I am more aware of my sight and anything going on with my eyes.

I hope the doctor caught my glaucoma early enough to treat. I expect my optometrist to prescribe eye drops at my next visit, but I will ask about the other treatments as well. I would like to keep my sight as long as possible because there are so many beautiful things in this world to see.

Mundane Monday: A long and prolific day

This morning I went to have my eyes checked. The appointment was at 9:30 and I did not leave the doctor’s office until about 11:00. After that I made another stop, which it turned out was not necessary, but I did not know this at the time.

Anyway, I did not get home until about 1:00 PM and then I took a nap. I did not start writing until after supper. Despite the fact that I got a late start, I got a lot accomplished. In addition, to writing three blog entries I review several stories on writing.com.

I did not check my e-mail or the bank accounts. Usually I obsess over the unaccomplished tasks, but this evening I am not worried about them. It is nice not to be worried about something.

Right now, I am just passing time until the virus scan starts. It is set to begin about 11:30 PM and I want it to begin tonight. I have tried changing the time, but the program will not let me. Therefore, I will stay up and write until the program begins scanning my computer. Maybe I will check one of my e-mail accounts or say some prayers while I am waiting for the virus scan to begin.

If I turn the computer off before the scan starts, it will run when I turn the machine on tomorrow. However, I would rather this program ran this evening so it does not interfere with my working online tomorrow.

Participating in the March blogging challenge

I am participating in the March blogging challenge on writing.com. I also participated in the January and February blogging challenge. I like the blogging challenge because it stretches my creativity and helps me focus on a specific subject.

Sometimes I have difficulty when it comes to finding subjects to cover in a blog entry. Even when I have a specific theme such as a poetry form, I have problems writing more then 100 words on the subject. It is easier for me to respond to a prompt then to begin writing without a prompt.

When I sit down to respond to a prompt, I start writing and the words come without much of a problem. The biggest issues I have, when it concerns prompt responses concern syntax problems. I stress over commas, colons, and semicolons rather then what to write. I also stress about the words “then” and “than” because I always get them confused.

Some writer’s have trouble with “there”, “their”, and “they’re”, I have few problems with these words, except when it comes to typos. If I get those three words wrong it is because my fingers it the wrong keys. This happens because I think faster then I type and it causes me to strike the wrong letter on the keyboard.

Weekly Writer’s Quote: Seeing ideas

Everybody walks past a thousand story ideas every day. The good writers are the ones who see five or six of them. Most people don't see any. - Orson Scott Card

The problem when looking for a subject to write about is not lack of ideas but seeing them. Anyone who wants to be a writer has to open their eyes and get a little exercise. In this case, I am not talking about the type of exercise you get when you walk, run, or go to the gym, all thought that will reveal ideas for writing as well.

Instead of sitting at the computer get up, take note pad and a pinnacle with you and go to the front door or the kitchen window. Is one of the neighbors’ cats walking through your backyard or sitting behind a rock looking at the birds in the oleanders. Do not get upset because the cat is there; use the cat as a start for a story or poem. Write a short description of what you see and then write a story about it.

When you go to the supermarket, laundromat, bank, or wherever you are going attempt to get at least one story or character idea. I know that when I go anywhere in Las Vegas, I see all sorts of things and people that would make good ideas for a story, poem, or character.

Recyclable Saturday

A weary morning
Recyclables at the curb
Another week ends

The recyclable bins are at the curb, I carried two of the bins there this morning when I rolled the trashcan out of the garage. To be more precise, I carried only one of the bins to the curb. The other I put on top of the trashcan and rolled it to the curb. It was easier to do them that way then to make three trips down to the curb and back again.

Free-write Friday: A change in seasons in Las Vegas

No wind blew today

Without a wind chill factor

Temperatures felt nice

It was a nice day in Las Vegas. This morning the technician came to check the heat pump and make sure the cool air was working. A good sign that spring is coming and after spring summer.

Summer is when we need cool indoor air. During the summer, I keep the thermostat set at about 83 degrees. Mom gets cold, even in summer when the temperatures get into the triple digits she complains about it being cold in the house. I would prefer it a little cooler, but if Mom is comfortable then that is what is important. I can always use area fans to keep cool.

I contemplate spring

The first day is coming soon

Oak trees growing leaves

We should have more nice days as the first day of spring nears. I enjoy this time of year because it is not too hot or too cold. This winter was mild in the Las Vegas area. I hope we have a mild summer, but it is too early in the year to think about summer.

Spring is arriving

Birds are singing and nesting

Cats are watching bird

Thankful Thursday March 8, 2012

It is Thankful Thursday again and I am tired. It has been a long stressful day, which is the perfect day to make a gratitude list. When everything goes all right and nothing stressful happens, it is sometime difficult to find anything to be Thankful for; however, when things are not going well that is the best time to look for gratitude item.

It has been windy for the past few days. Las Vegas was plagued with winds that exceeded 50 miles per hour. The type of winds that blow port-a-potties across parking lots and that is exactly what it did at the Race Track.

Those winds did not blow the pine tree in my front yard down. The tree lost a few dead branches, but the tree is still standing. Today I am thankful that the stone pine tree in my front yard is still standing. This is fortunate because the tree would have taken out the power lines. The reason I say this is that the tree is tall and leaning towards the power lines.

I have to find the finances to get the tree cut down before the wind does take it out. I know it is only a matter of time before a 50 or 60 mile per hour gust strikes the tree just right and blows it down. The tree’s roots are destroying my driveway, but my biggest worry is the wind blowing the tree down.

High wind warnings in Las Vegas

There is a high wind warning until 4:00 AM, with the possibility of gust up to 60 miles per hour. It has been a long time since we have had a 60 mph winds. I think the last time I hear a high wind warning of this type was when the wind took out my elm tree.

The elm tree was the only tree in my yard that Mother Nature took out herself. The rest of the trees I had cut down. I still have one pine tree that needs removing. I hope the wind does not that that tree out because it would fall into the street and take the power lines with it.

If the pine tree survives the night, I have to find someone to take it out cheap. The last estimate I received on cost to take the tree out was $800.00, which is beyond my financial ability at this point. I have to have the tree removed so I have to find the money somewhere.

No sleep tonight in Las Vegas

I do not expect to sleep tonight,

so I may as well stay up and write.

Mom is crying off and on, she wants to see her parents. My grandparents died years ago, but Mom has forgotten attending their funeral. It is part of the Alzheimer’s disease. Mom forgets. Mom gets depressed. Mom cries. Mom thinks people hate her. I could go on, but it does no good. I just gave her some medication that is supposed to calm her down and help her sleep.

It takes a while for the medication to work, so it will take a while for Mom to calm down. I am pausing to go see if I can calm her down a little. I do not want to give her any more meds. Mom has calmed down for now, but I do not know how long it will last.

Mom went to bet about 5:30 PM and went to sleep. She had a dream and woke up crying. Mom has difficultly distinguishing the difference between a dream and reality. She does not know she is dream and I suspect that is part of the Alzheimer’s as well. When Mom wakes up agitated and crying, the doctor prescribed a tablet to calm her down.

I think she is asleep now, I have not heard any crying for a few minutes, but I will not go to bed myself until about midnight, just to make sure she is asleep. Mom needs her rest because she is going to an adult daycare center tomorrow.

Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas

Oak limbs bud leaves grow
Las Vegas temperatures rise
A neighbor’s dog barks

For the past week, I have watched the oak tree in the yard across the street. Last Sunday, the limbs were pastel green with small buds and every day the leaves grew. It will take another week or so for the leaves to hide the bare limbs, but the leaves get bigger every day.

Today temperatures were in the mid seventies. I did not watch the local weather report today, but it felt like seventy-four or seventy-five degrees when I went outside. There was no wind or clouds today, it was a nice day in Las Vegas.

A Productive Saturday morning in Las Vegas

This morning, I have made an offline journal entry, written a poem for a writing.com contest, composed two blog entries (this is my third), run a virus scan on my computer, washed a load of cloths, rolled the trashcan to the curb, picked up my Saturday paper, taken two of my morning meds, and made coffee.

I have my mother to thank for this productivity. Mom, who has Alzheimer’s disease, woke up crying about 1:55 AM. I did not get her calmed and back to sleep until about 2:30, as a results I could not go back to sleep. It is about 5:30 now, so I will not get back to bed until later tonight.

I hear Mom stirring. I hear her talking, but since she is not crying I will not disturb her. It is possible she will go back to sleep, so I will wait and see what happens in the next couple of hours. I did not plan to get Mom up until 6:30 or 7:00 this morning. Since this is Saturday, she does not go to the Adult Daycare center and can sleep a little later.

I enjoy doing laundry now

I enjoy laundry
I sit at the computer
The washer echoes

I can write and do laundry at the same time. The washing machine does not overflow in the spin cycle, so I do not have to worry about water in my living room. I can compose poetry or write a story while my clothes wash.

I can look out the living room window and watch the sky transform from blue to white and then to black as the sun sets. I listen to the washing machine agitate the clothes. I listen for it to change from the wash cycle to the rinse cycle. I know when the clothes are finished and then I can take them out of the machine and hang them on the drying rack.

An electric clothes dryer would be nice because then I would not have to hang my sheets over chairs to dry. That is a minor inconvenience, if I took the clothes to the laundromat I would have a dryer, but then I would not have the luxury of sitting at the computer writing while my clothes washed and dried. Eventually, I will get a dryer, but for now I will wash the clothes and then hang them on a drying rack or over the furniture to dry.

Thankful Thursday: A Writer’s Gratitude on the first day of March

A beautiful day
The sun warms the morning air
Wind caressing trees

I am always grateful for the sun because it makes for a pleasant day. It warms a chilly late winter day. It dissipates clouds and makes the wind chill factor tolerable.

A beautiful day
Foretells the approach of spring
Oak trees are budding

The limbs on the oak trees in my neighbor’s yard have begun to bud and turn a pale green. Spring will soon set her foot on the desert landscape in and around Las Vegas. The air is warmer. The sun is brighter. The days grow longer. March is a happy month.