Topic 1: Y'all know how bare branches look against the sky, right? Around here, the maple trees are budding out, which means tiny little red buds all along the limbs. This evening, we had a storm coming in, and an impressionistic glance out the window let me see red branches against a lavender sky. Made me do a double-take, that's for sure.

Topic 2: Can anyone in England explain the origin of the stamps that are on the package I rec'd. today, please? Both kinds are cartoony-looking drawings. One is of a man who apparently is a doctor (bag on floor by his chair says "Doctor"). Across his lap is a blanket with a sun, moon and stars pattern, and the letters DNA which he appears to be examining with a magnifying glass. The caption reads, "Genome Medical Futures". The other one has the guy climbing a DNA strand "ladder", across which is a snake giving him a dirty look. This caption reads, "Genome Cracking the Code". ???