My love for pristine snows in no way slows the rush of excitement in my blood as spring number-paints the landscapes in Minnesota.  Stained glass sunsets are back and geese are returning in their “V” for victory-over-winter formations.  Every breath is like a sip of immortality and colors throb like a Peter Max poster from the 70s.  Hope your haunts are as rich with anticipations and memories as mine.

Been a fun month here (aren’t they all).  Sterling author Carole Lanham from Missouri got me to don an apron for her Apron Hall of Fame (http://horrorhomemaker.com/theapronhalloffame.htm).  Check out the elegant site of this superb writer and you’ll find a recipe of mine (http://horrorhomemaker.com/fromthekitchen.htm), which I’m proud to say received 5 cleavers.  On the publishing front, I have a new short story out in Cemetery Dance Magazine #60 (http://www.cemeterydance.com/page/CDP/PROD/_cd060).  CASE WHITE is adapted from an unpublished novel of the same name.  And I'm still rehabbing the shoulder, but you can add toe surgery and an elbow cast to my dance card.  I look like the mummy, dragging my left foot along with a 10-iron for a cane.  In fact, trailing ace bandages, I celebrated Mother’s Day as Mummy’s Day.  The cane is mostly to beat away small human beings.  I’m still hiking for miles at Elm Creek (even working out in the pool with a deflatible blue rubber sock).  Am also enjoying the good promotion that comes from the much-revered words of David Niall Wilson.  DNW is preeminent in more fields and forums than I can begin to list, but he is best known perhaps for his prolific and award-winning writings.  A couple of endorsements from him touched me deeply and rounded out a good month: http://www.tweepleblog.com/2009/05/08/tweepleblog-profiles-thomassullivan/ and this, first click http://twitter.com/thomassullivan#/favorites?user=thomassullivan  and then click “Favorites.”

My one regret this month was not making it out to the Roxy in LA to see Glenn Frey and his son Deacon headline a charity event.  Deacon is some serious talent with rock ‘n’ soul-deep roots and his head on straight.  Very impressive young man.  Methinks Glenn is doubling down on his own immortality with Deacon, even though clearly neither Glenn nor his ageless music lose a beat with each succeeding generation.  The King of Cool started the legendary Eagles and their glide path has now achieved permanent orbit -- three decades from the last millennium and already another decade in the current one, and each one paved with platinum.  Mercy, I love pulling up those classic music videos on YouTube!

This month’s column over on StorytellersUnplugged is about birds -- Eagles to Charlene the Chocolate Chewing Chicken to love doves, white feathers inclusive.  [ http://www.storytellersunplugged.com/thomas-sullivan-charlene-the-chocolate-chewing-chicken-nipples-of-venus-the-black-budgie#respond ] is a bit on the light side but the more thoughtful message is about themes and patterns in anyone’s life.  The photo of the love dove below is explained in the column, and the obomanation shot is -- yup -- Doc Foto’s latest paparazzi pic.  Folk singer Mark Manrique claims I was there and he presents the photo evidence to prove it, but I offer an alternative explanation.  The face you see behind The Messiah’s shoulder is not Sullivan, it’s Lenin.  The full moon photo is from my window, and the canoeing shot is taken on a creek leading off the lake behind my house.

Am keeping my promise and Tweeting daily on Twitter.  It's not at all intrusive, as I thought it would be.  You can be totally inactive or interact as you choose.  The posts are limited to 140 keystrokes and you go to them with a single click, they don't come to you.  I don't officially follow very many, but informally I do as the mood takes me.  Sort of like peeping through a keyhole anonymously at lots of interesting stuff.  E.g. of my Tweets: “I'm always suspicious of what nuns are praying for when they end, “Ah...men.’” and “Dull Easter. Took 2 hrs to watch 60 Minutes.”   Here's my link: http://twitter.com/thomassullivan