Pinch, punch, first of the month. If you need a reminder, see the January 1 entry. I got Stephen today but my friend Ruth got me. Today was dry and blustery. The snow drops finally started blooming in our yard, and one daffodil is on the verge of blooming. It’s also National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day (yes, please), National Pig Day (could be interpreted in any number of ways), World Compliment Day (You are all looking quite beautiful today!), and St. David’s Day (mostly Welsh). St. David is the only native-born patron saint of Britain and Ireland.

We told my mom that we finally got clearance to move her into a new place in another state near one of my sisters. It’s been a few months coming, and we’ve been reminding her that it’s coming. But I think it still came as a bittersweet surprise today. The plan is to have her moved by the end of the month. One of my sisters and I will move her from Indiana to New York, another down-sizing of her things. We’ve already down-sized her four times, the first time when Dad was still alive, once after Dad died, and twice more in the last year and a half. This time the emotional lifting will be heavier than the physical shifting.