I've done some other surveys, but recently got a survey from Buzzback. Before i open their link, can anyone tell me if they're legit? I think they are, but just want to make sure....

I am so achey tired...in a good way. Just spent a good part of the afternoon (it's in the high 40s here) doing yardwork. I must be really out of shape. The tree guy, who was supposed to take down 2 huge trees yesterday, is now rescheduled to come next Saturday.

There was a bit of a snag. The secretary asked me to leave a check for the balance of payment ($1300 of a $1400 job) in the mnailbox. I told her i didn't feel comfortable paying in full for a job without being able to ascertain that the work had, in fact, been done.

I offered to meet him to hand him a check when i came from work yesterday, but she said he didn't want to hang around (even tho she said it was an all-day job). So I said i'd mail it the very next day, something i've often done with contractors. No go. Apparently, he doesn't trust me, or he's been burned before. She suggested I leave work early so i could meet him here earlier. Uh, I don't think so.

So they're coming next Saturday now, when I'll be home, tho don't think i want to listen to that ear-splitting racket all day. It actually worked out good becus it gave me a chance to dig up and relocate a number of perennials and small shrubs that would either be in the way of their cherry picker or would likely be tromped on. So I moved a nannyberry and silky dogwood, both about 6 feet tall, as well as some lamb's ears (easy) and a clematis and beautyberry. I'm pretty sure i killed the nannyberry, though you never know. I don't think i got enough of its root system. I think i heard somewhere that clematis is hard to transplant and/or doesn't like to be moved? Does anyone have any experience with that?

Anyway, it was all backbreaking work as i had to dig up and expand an existing bed elsewhere in the front yard. A lot of bending over and digging.

I also trudged around picking up pieces of a large white pine branch that came down in a storm and heaving them into the brushy perimeter of the yard. I have piles of branches all over the yard edge and it looks unsightly, but there's nothing else to do with it unless i chop it all up to fit in my trunk and bring it, gradually, to the transfer station. It would be a ton of work just to get the branches cut and in my trunk. I've also been thinking of burning it but haven't had time to look into what's involved with that.

Daffodils are also starting to come up out of the ground. Delightful.

On Friday my employer had a St. Patrick's party for us. I was expecting a green cake and maybe green beer, but instead they had a great buffet of chicken wings, chinese dumplings, seafood ravioli, fruit salad and cheese and crackers. It was great, except that i couldn't eat that much since i'd eaten lunch, and this was at 3 pm.

On next Wednesday, my boss and his boss are taking 4 of us writers out to lunch as a thank you for all our hard work. We're still in crunch time writing articles for our new personal finance website, which will launch mid-April. Just 4 weeks away. I've been averaging 1 or 2 stories daily.

Going to see The Golden Compass with H. tonight at our $2 movie theater in town. They recently replaced all the seats with modern ones, with cupholders. The theater is located in our town hall. Very cool.

My snowdrops are in bloom.

Went to Costco this a.m. with mom to get 3 44 lb boxes of cat litter. The idea is to reduce future trips there as i'd rather be doing something else than fighting crowds at Costco.

I also went to Macy's.