Currently reading: Stalingrad by Vasily Grossman. It is about the Battle of Stalingrad in the sense that War and Peace is about Napoleon’s invasion of Russa, so the incendiary bombs start falling on about page 550 of 1000. It is one of those books I wish I were reading with someone, so I could talk through what I think about it.

Bought these from a guy who looked oddly like Harvey Korman.

The Met is hyping a new opera that is a “searing exploration of the psychological pressures of modern warfare.” It may be quite good, but do they describe La Boheme as a “searing exploration of the devastating effects of poverty on relationships”? They do not. One suspects there is a reason.

At long last, a new post on The Road to Jockey’s Ridge: The Greenway in Winter. A mostly harmless walk in which, as it turned out, I did need my towel.

When I search the internet for images of bumblebees (looking for reference photos for potential carvings) all I get is robots. Literally, pictures of robots. I believe this may be not entirely unrelated to various of our present environmental crises.

The maples are blooming in Johnston County. (The horizon was level in real life, but it’s hard to get the phone squared up when you’re standing on a bridge with cars whizzing three feet behind you.)

Speaking of trout lilies…

I dropped this in a comment Sunday evening but would like to say again that the Morgan State U. choir did a fantastic job with the national anthem before the Ravens game Sunday. More college choirs, please!

Southeast of Raleigh, Tuesday afternoon, about an hour after the frogs started singing.