A very unusual thing happened just past midnight this morning. NY State passed a budget a day ahead of the April 1^st “deadline.” This is the first time that’s happened since 2005, and only the second time since 1984. Of course, it screws a lot of folks over (like kids and sick people), but – read my lips – no new taxes, and not even any old taxes (at least for rich people). This should make Governor Snotball even more of a legend in his own mind than he is now. Well, I have to give him credit as he really rammed this thing through, and everybody was terrified of opposing him (in stark contrast to Governor Blinky, who I think everybody found petulant and laughable). So good for him. But he’s no Mario.

Yesterday was a really nice day – warm (by our standards) and sunny. Until I got out of work. Then it was cloudy – but still warm. Our garage is now empty (well, hardly empty, but the stuff from the POD has been moved out), and the areas of the house that we don’t really use anyway are now full of crap (which is OK, ‘cuz it keeps the echoes down, and should help it stay warmer). Of course, the other house still has plenty of crap, too, so we’re not where we need to be just yet. But we’re getting there.

Today it’s kind of snowy and rainy. Mostly snowy. AKA, “spring.” In preparation for the snow finally being all gone (plenty of it still on the ground where the sun doesn’t yet get high enough to clear the trees), I got a new belt for my mower deck, and am eagerly awaiting the delivery (or at least the shipment; what’s the deal here guys?) of my bucket forks.

I also need to start thinking about getting a few yards of topsoil (gotta find the number for my dirt guy). And some stone, too, though that’s gonna be a while. Nice as it is to see some hope that winter will end one day, everything looks pretty brown and ugly at this point. Especially where I’ve got things torn up from plowing (I really need to figure out where the driveway ends, I guess). And the driveway has some pretty big cracks that need to get filled in. And then there’s….

Well, there’s a lot.

But first, I guess I have to go and do something to pay for it all (assuming Gov. Snotty hasn’t removed my salary from the State budget).