It was warm today; the ground was soft and muddy from all the snow.

A farmer told me the ground thaws in the spring when it rains, the rain melts the frost, the water sinks, and the ground dries.

Zinnia and I haven’t had a ball-throwing session since November or December, and we both miss it. So I defied the sky and went out with Zinnia, and we had a blast.

She is panting hard and falling asleep right behind me. I’m back in my story writing about freedom and how it cost me more than one friendship.

On the way in, I knocked on Maria’s studio door to tell her that thanks to our solar panels, the electric bill for January, the coldest month of the year, was $16.43.

Our bill all winter was $14.oo a month. We are paying off the solar panel for $230 a month, but we are saving a lot of money with government subsidies, tax credits, and the low electric bill.

Heating oil and electric bills go through the roof here in the winter.

I also wanted to see Maria’s new moth quilt (sold already) two or three days from being finished. She is excited about it.

She was mulling fabric for the top.

I almost never go into Maria’s studio, but I like to see every quilt when its finished or nearly done.

Tomorrow morning, Maria, Zinnia, and I are going to Bishop Maginn High School to witness and participate in their fundraising event for Ukrania.

Everyone who donates money to the students gets a Sunflower (the National Flower of Ukraine) pin.