The Audacity of Hope, Indeed.

(See also nerve, spunk, grit, foolhardiness, impudence, impertinence and brashness.)

One of you warned me on Monday against burning my parka too early. Good advice because March is truly the cruelest month,
despite what T.S. Eliot says.

At least by April you're pretty sure you're going to live through it.

Anyway, for whatever reason I've been in a funk for a few days.





My thoughtful husband inquired about it last night,



so I've been thinking about possible reasons and have come up with several contributing factors.

There's been a lot of dieting and diet-talk going on around here for awhile now (thankfully you've mostly been spared, although I feel another diet post could be looming . . .)

I could be feeling gloomy because he seems to be going from this


to this


with very little trouble.



I was off to a good start,




but then there was Baltimore (darn that deli and its delicious melty ham-n-cheese subs slathered with that mayo with those mystery-bits-of-red-tastiness!!)
and then visiting Hannah,
and then the stress of coming home,
and now March . . . .

I'm only irritated because it appears to me that he's eating a lot of the same things I am, but he keeps having great weigh-ins.

Okay, I have been sneaking a few really stupid indulgences . . .


Ice cream on Cream of Wheat???!!


Perhaps I should try a new fitness routine


Sorry -- no footage available of her dancing her way to slimness


Or just cinch up my foundations a notch.



Or buy some foundations.

And I should mention that my husband always does his best to make me feel beautiful,



even when I'm acting a little ugly, or eating something equally stupid as ice cream on cereal.

I could be feeling gloomy because we did our taxes the other night and my husband didn't even want to tell me how much enormous profit my business DIDN'T make.

Who decided Americans should do taxes at this time of year, anyway?

(And besides . . . who really makes art for money?
Well, okay, money is both important and good but let's be honest --
I'd be making the stuff anyway.)

But regardless of the silly reasons for my crankiness,
he's truly a prince.

I fear I may have given you the wrong impression



when I told you the other day about his "blogging doesn't make money" dictum (see also authoritative pronouncement, decree or declaration).

So now I'm going to counter that
by telling you how he cheered me up.

First he said, "Let's get online and do something that might cheer you up!"




And then he promptly booked "Two Tickets to Paradise" . . .



We don't get to pack our bags and leave tonight (unfortunately)



but July is just around the corner, isn't it?





I certainly HOPE so.