The intention was good, but the execution left a lot to be desired. I just couldn't stay inside all day when it's so warm and sunny. I've complained all winter about the cold and damp, so this afternoon I finally turned off the TV and took the portable radio out to the garden to clear out some of the overgrowth.

It's a start, but not much of one. I didn't last long (only two innings) before I had to make a decision. I could keep working or I could keep breathing. I think I made the right choice, but I'm kind of discouraged that I couldn't get more done. I dragged the yard waste container back to the garage, which left me without anything to lean on as I walked back to the house.

Sitting I do pretty well. Watching the rest of the game, plus a couple of basketball games (which I never do but made an exception just for today). Reading a few chapters (but not the newspaper just yet; I mean, my heart rate was already elevated). I recovered pretty well and decided I was going to survive to pull weeds another day. Definitely another day.

It seemed a good day to stay home, what with all the people doing last-minute Easter shopping, but I did get out to the post office. I actually talked to two people today, which is two more than usual. A woman at the stamp machine asked me what first class postage was, so she'd know which button to push. She decided against the book of ten "Happy Birthday" stamps for $3.40 and went for the $6.80 book of twenty Statue of Liberty stamps.

Then as I was getting back to where I'd parked, a woman came up to me with a handful of flyers about a lost dog. I'd seen these posted on light poles as I walked, but I talked with her about when and where she'd lost the poor little white poodle. Someone had reported seeing the dog playing in a yard near where they'd lost her, but the person who lived at that address was apparently uncooperative and rude. I didn't see any call for that and promised to keep an extra eye out and call if I saw the dog.

These two encounters both happened because the other person talked to me first. I'm all for smiling and nodding and saying hello, but if I'm going to get into a conversation, someone else has to take the initiative. That's why I try to hang around with people who do a lot of talking.

The first time pulling weeds is easy, because there are so many of them I can pick the ones that will come up with a gentle tug. The ground is still not dried out the way it'll be later in the spring. It'll get harder as I start digging up dandelions and other plants that tend to cling jealously to their places among the flowers and shrubs.