I've been catching up on some friend's journals for the past thirty minutes or so, in between playing virtual tic tac toe with Chris.  LOL He could tell when I was into reading something, because that's when he won games instead of them ending in a draw.

Jeanie, your flowers are lovely, I'm jealous.  We do have a few of our daffodils just starting to bloom, but that's all.  However, here in Ohio, we have other, more reliable ways to determine the start of spring.  You think I might be talking about that goofy groundhog that lives over in Pennsylvania?  No way!

Ohio has it's very own indicator of Spring:

Hinckley abuzz over buzzards

Famous turkey vultures will come home to roost this weekend at park

By Bob Downing
Beacon Journal

Published on Wednesday, Mar 12, 2008

In a Northeast Ohio rite of spring, the buzzards will soon be back in Hinckley Township.

Cleveland Metroparks will rely on official buzzard spotter Bob Hinkle on Saturday to officially declare that the world-famous buzzards have returned to northeast Medina County.

The buzzards cannot return to Hinckley until they are spotted by Hinkle, the park system's chief of outdoor education.

He will be out at 7 a.m. at the Buzzard Roost at State Road and West Drive to watch for the birds, also known as turkey vultures.

According to the story, Walter Nawakaniec, a patrolman for the Cleveland Metropolitan park System, told a newspaper reporter in 1957 that he had witnessed the buzzards returning to Hinckley for six straight years on March 15.

The old Cleveland Press printed the story Feb. 15, 1957, and one month later 9,000 people turned out and spotted a buzzard at 2 p.m. March 15.

An 1810 account reports the black-feathered, red-headed buzzards circling over Hinckley. But local legend says the birds may have been drawn to Hinckley after early settlers in December 1818 conducted the Great Hinckley Hunt and killed wildlife that threatened their livestock.

Turkey vultures with wing spans of up to 6 feet are scavengers and feed on the carcasses of animals. They weigh 3 to 6 pounds.

Buzzard watchers are invited to join Hinkle at the Buzzard Roost, their summer home.

Cleveland Metroparks will celebrate Buzzard Day from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday in the Hinckley Reservation.

There will be scavenger hikes at 9 a.m., shuttle bus/hikes to Top O'Ledges and Worden's Ledges at 10:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m. and bus tours of the Hinckley Reservation at 10:15 and 11:15 a.m. and 12:15 and 1:15 p.m.

Platform activities include birds of prey programs at 10 and 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.

Tent activities include storytelling at 9:30 and 11 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., music with the Buzzard Boilers at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. and Buzzard Bingo for kids at 10 and 11 a.m., noon and 1 and 2 p.m.

In addition, the Hinckley Chamber of Commerce will hold a pancake breakfast and art/craft show from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Sunday at Hinckley Elementary School on state Route 303 just east of state Route 94 in Hinckley Township. Call 330-278-2066 for more information.

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Once again this year, the buzzards returned, so flowers or not, we know it is spring in Ohio. 

Katie's team lost both their basketball games today.    They couldn't get a shot to fall through the net for love or money, everything was bouncing off the rim.  Katie was a rebounding fool, though.

Chris has a double header tomorrow in a baseball tournament.  Their Friday night game got rained out, so they'll play Tuesday night too, as long as they win at least one game tomorrow.