Over the weekend, when I was gabbing with the folks who attended my Avalonia walk, one of them from the Big City... probably either Groton or New London... made a joking reference to the kind of sign that, the person said, just isn't part of the urban environment. Well, I laughed, "Welcome to my town! " As if I needed a reminder that our area is still a bedrock farming region, the ground has finally dried out enough and our neighbors are starting to plow. The Good Earth is even a bit on the dry side—we haven't had heavy rain in nearly a week... amazing!—and the tractors are kicking up a lot of dust. While the farmers are a bit behind getting the soil prepared for the annual corn planting, I have no doubt whatsoever that they'll catch up in the very near future and agricultural bounty will be our lot soon. That's my prayer, at least—and I'm sure I'm not alone.