Laughter has always played an important role in my family's lives, both the Murphys and me and my children. Let me share three things that have made me laugh in the past 24 hours. First, an old radio show. I picked up a collection of 60 audio programs at the thrift shop last month. I think it cost a dollar. Anyway, last night we listened to Baby Snooks and Daddy and it had me laughing, almost unstoppable. The story was simple: it was Halloween and Baby Snooks wanted to go trick or treating, but her parents said no. Her father was waiting for a doctor to come to check him out for more life insurance. Baby Snooks keeps bothering him and his blood pressure is rising, so he sends her out to trick or treat. But to teach her a lesson, he puts on a mask with big teeth and scares her and her friend. The friend's father gets mad, throws him down. To get even her father says, "See that open window, I am going to throw a stone in it with a note on it". Then you hear the window break, and Baby Snooks and her father run home. What did the note on the stone say, Dadddy?", she asks. "Guess who", he answers, and then you hear their window break and he picks up the stone and takes off a note, that has one word on it - WHO. It gets even crazier after that, as the two fathers try to outdo each other, taking off doors, putting a horse in the kitchen, bobbie trapping (of course the insurance doctor gets that), until the end when Daddy is stuck in the neighbor's chimney, with a hose trying to fill his house with water. Real slapstick, but with just sound, no visual, and truly funny.

Then I read a Borges short story about a Missionary who runs into the Yahoos, a tribe that's members don't have names - to call one another they fling mud at each other. They close their eyes when they eat, no one can see anyone eating. The witch doctors can change anyone into an ant or a tortoise, and point to an anthill as proof. For entertainment they have cat fights using animals trained for that purpose. So here I am smiling at this nonsense, written and read, not heard or seen. But it is funny and if read outloud in class, we would all be laughing out loud together.

The third incident was purely visual - I looked into the back yard and saw four hen turkeys eating the corn I throw for the birds. Then HE came out of the woods, a tom turkey, who the ladies completely ignored. He got closer to the girls, and then did something I only saw once before, he puffed up his chest, fanned his tail into the typical turkey picture, his globbler got bright red and he pranced about. Still the ladies ignored him. I must have watched for 15 minutes, laughing out loud every time he blew himself up, pranching while the hens just kept eating. Finally, the girls left, back into the woods, and he followed them. But just the thought of his acting that way still makes me smile today. There's a combination for you - Baby Snooks, Jorge Boges and turkeys in the back yard.

Holy Week and the temperatures have returned to normal, no more summer weather. I knew it wouldn't last, the juncos had not left. These are the little birds, wearing black capes, that love the cold weather. They knew, even if the flowers and trees didn't know. The juncos are still here, so I would imagine there will be frost right up into May as usual.

The warm weather did get me weeding and I managed to get into poison ivy. First my right hand, so bad I had to take off my rings. Then it appeared on my legs (that's what I get for putting on shorts in March). Finally, on my arms. Not all over, but enough that I had calamine lotion in spots all over like I was splattered with white paint. Now it is almost better, just the scars of itching, itching that was worse at night.

This has been a strange Lent. I can't help but associate Holy Week with Ria's death, and it is all tied in with St. Patrick's Day, so a few days after March 17, I was in the grocery store and they were selling Hot Cross Buns, and I thought "Boy, they're gonna have some trouble getting rid of Easter bakeries after Easter" and then I realized we had a way to go before Easter came and went. But we've almost made it, tomorrow is Good Friday.

My classes started last week and I am having some fun and some trouble reading Borges. I am also taking a religious course, Villains or Heroes and Paul was our first subject. Don't get Timmy on that subject! My third class is Chekov, reading "The Three Sisters". Enough to keep me busy and finally out of Lent.