Hey Nancy!   
      
    NB> Found this in a "dump" of messages when a sysop changed systems   
      
   Understood.  I have two paths for fidonet messaging and one of them is   
   completely dead and has been for at least a month, but even before that it has   
   been hit and miss for weeks at a time.  I've gave up on it when I discovered   
   that someone along that path is reformatting my messages.  This one via your   
   neck of the woods is VASTLY more reliable and never screws with messages that   
   I've ever noticed.   
      
    NB> that could explain why things got so quiet   
      
   Could be.  Things aren't what they used to be that is for sure.  However I am   
   still here ... wherever 'here' actually is.  ;-/   
      
    NB> but we did just have a minor ice storm   
      
   I heard Toronto had over a 100,000 power outages that other day due to it so   
   perhaps you only caught the edge of it.  Also they have been getting more   
   winterish weather before this particular bout with high winds and icey   
   'rain'.  Still nothing like the back to back storms on the east coast has been   
   seeing so far this year from what we see of it from this angle.  As for us,   
   we're seeing wet, windy and cool weather since we last talked but have had a   
   couple nice days of sunshine.  Last I heard we're ontrack to have a higher   
   than normal amount of rain this month given we're only at the halfway point.   
      
    NB> Your spring does come earlier than ours   
      
   For sure.  This spring has been cooler and wetter than average but is still   
   better than last year and is definetly more springish than the northeast,   
   including this year.   
      
    NB> but the birds are back and singing   
      
   I noticed a local male hummingbird doing it's mating dealie at the   
   northeastern corner of my place so I figure it has a nest somewhere in the   
   bushes there.  I haven't located it yet and when I do I am hoping my neighbour   
   will get some good pictures of it once it attracts a female to occupy it with   
   a new harvest of young.  Also the local quail have been less active than usual   
   so I think they are getting ready to sprout soon.  The females like to travel   
   in packs with their young in between when they make the rounds, and my   
   backyard is on their daily foraging route.  No young yet but should see some   
   soon.   
      
   Life is good,   
   Maurice   
      
   ... Cybertoasts of note:   
       2019-01-01 is  259 days from now and falls on a Tuesday.   
       2024-11-05 is 2394 days from now and falls on a Tuesday.   
   --- GNU bash, version 4.4.19(1)-release (x86_64-silvermont-linux-gnu)   
    * Origin: Little Mikey's Brain - Ladysmith BC, Canada (1:153/7001)