Gâteau renversé à l'ananas

Thanks for all of your comments about the mail issue between France and the US. I'm getting the impression that letters are supposed to be ok and that there's just some postal software issue that hasn't been dealt with yet. Tax season might not be affected because returns can be filed through the internet. But voting is another issue. I haven't seen any chatter on how Americans in France will be able to cast their ballots if not by mail.

With a sticky and sweet pineapple/caramel glaze. Yum!

Here's the dessert we made for Ken's birthday. It's a pineapple upside-down yogurt cake! I could have fancied it up a bit with cherries or some other colorful garnish. But I didn't. 

Forsythia 3

It won't be long before these flowers fade and leaves appear on the forsythia. Then we're done for another year. 

Forsythia in the back yard.

I went to the post office yesterday to mail something to the US. To my surprise, the postal clerk told me that France doesn't send mail (like letters) to the US any more. Since August. I asked if it was because of the war(s) in the Middle East and he said no, it has something to do with customs and duties tied to US tariffs. There are interruptions because of the war, but this is something else. I don't recall seeing anything in the news about this. Some internet sites say that letters and post cards are exempt (they're not heavy and they're not merchandise) and can be posted, but they weren't able to at the two post offices I went to yesterday. The clerk at one of the post offices insisted that I could send my letters, but the computer would not allow her to print the postage. She was as puzzled as I was.

Forsythia 2

Or should I say "Five-sythia?" This is the same bush that I posted yesterday, just from a different angle. It was either last year or the year before that I pruned it way back. It gets very big and unruly if I let it grow. I should probably plan some more pruning this year in an attempt to shape it more.

The forsythia is at its peak right now.

 

We're still waiting, and hoping (and wishin', and prayin'), for the landscape guy to show up. He usually does, right about the time I give up on him.

Forsythia

The forsythia is blooming all over the place, including in our back yard. The yellow is so vibrant that it almost feels warm.

Our backyard forsythia is in fine form this year.

Rain showers are back in the weather forecast through to the weekend, and the temperatures are lower than they have been. Boo! 

Flowering cherry

The annual show is on! There seem to be more flowers than usual this season. Probably something to do with all the water we got during the winter. Now it's time for things to dry out a little so we can work in the yard. Yesterday, I heard lawn mowers here and there. I'm not quite ready to take mine out. The ground feels too soft for that, but I may get to run the mower before the end of March.

Flowering (no fruit) cherry.

I'm liking the earlier sunrises. Tasha and I can get out for our walks before other folks are about, namely other dog walkers and vineyard workers (along with tractors and such). Speaking of which, it's time for me to go! Ta ta!

It's Boo-Kay

So insists Hyacinth Bucket in the popular British sit-com, "Keeping Up Appearances." This is all that's left of the jacinthes in this patch. There's a larger patch of white hyacinths way out back. I haven't really paid attention to them in a long while, but it's always nice to catch a glimpse of them this time of year.

Hyacinths among the daffodils. Looks like spring!

 Tasha gave us a bit of a scare. A few weeks ago she started drinking a lot of water, more than seems normal or healthy. We talked to some friends and consulted the gurus of the internet. Her excessive drinking could be an indicator of diabetes. Yikes! Yesterday she saw the vet and a simple blood test ruled that out. Thank goodness. The vet thinks it might be a U.T.I. (urinary tract infection) and is testing for that. Meanwhile, Tasha's on a brief run of antibiotics. She's already more or less back to normal and we're happy about that. We'll get the test results in a few days.

Daffodils again?

I know you've seen these before, but what the heck. You can't have too many daffodils. Can you? This is the same patch of jonquils that Ken and I have been posting this past week or so.

These grow just outside of the greenhouse. I don't know if they'll get dug up with the landscape work or not. We shall see.

We're still waiting for the landscape guy to get to us. It's been a lousy winter for outdoor work and I'm sure his schedule is all messed up because of it. I just have to be patient and wait for him to show up. Meanwhile, there are a few little things that I can do to prepare.