Dear Lady M.

Dear Lady M.,

I hope this finds you having a glorious day despite the clouds and chill in the air. This morning around 9:30 a.m. I was delighted to find my yard full of birds - mostly robins, but also a few sparrows, blue jays and at least one bird I could not identify. While it seems to me that this migration is a bit early (my delightful grandmother used to always say the sight of robins meant spring was nigh), I confess I stood outside for a while simply listening to the chatter of these beautiful creatures. Some time ago I learned to see birds in trees - a difficult but not impossible task, as it takes only time and inclination to find them. I stole the idea from Annie Dillard when I read Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. Of course, it is easier to spy birds in leafless trees in January than it is in June, when the leaves make bird watching a tad more difficult.

Our government, it seems, is throwing a tantrum and congressional discord has closed various governmental agencies until such time as the toddlers can find their lollipops and return to a semblance of content and tolerable play. I must say, Lady M., that I find this all very puzzling. I would like to see less kindergarten antics and more actual governing, but I am not at all sure that the current office holders are capable of anything more than pushing and shoving. The New York Times today reports the Democrats are open to negotiation. My personal thoughts are that problematic items should be removed from the budget debate and they should pass what I call a clean bill - one that funds what must be funded. These government shutdowns create much confusion for the citizenry and I am sorry for anyone who works in these departments who is now caught up in political bum fuddling.

As you know, January is always the time I work on tax items for our various enterprises. So far it has gone fairly smoothly. A severe cold has been more trouble than the tax documents this year, so I am grateful that the former is subsiding and the latter is coming to an end. I hope to be finished with this paperwork by Friday.

I am looking forward to spring and the arrival of warmer weather. What a dreadful January we have had, with record low temperatures and ice. We have a drought on top of that, so it is difficult to fuss about precipitation. Rain tonight will be welcome.

In closing, Lady M., I hope that you have a pleasant week and that your efforts to write a novel are going well.

With kindest regards,

Lady J.

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Dear Lady J.,

As always, I am pleased to hear from you. Your description of your morning with the birds sounds lovely. I have found it difficult to have birds around because of my cats, but that is the price I pay for having such splendid creatures by my side. You know I adore their purrs and meows very much and find them pleasant company.

Your comments about the government are, I fear, on the mark. We do seem to have devolved in the art of statesmanship. I can recall better times when gentlemen (and gentlewomen) were the champions of the people, not the bastions of soiled monetary despots. That was a different world then, and while I do not knock progress, I must say what I see now does not strike me as progressive in the least. Regressive, perhaps. But certainly I do not see forward movement. My copy of the newspaper notes the "blame game" is strong, with neither side taking any credit for the state in which we the people now find ourselves. Each so-called congressional representative should look long in a mirror and say the following, "I serve all of the people of the United States." Perhaps repetition would make them learn that they owe their service to more than their "base."

May the upcoming week be one of joy for you. I know those taxes can be troublesome, but I have every faith in your ability to do what must be done and complete the work on time. I hope too that your health continues to improve.

Your faithful servant,

Lady M.

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Note: This is a work of fiction (sort of). There is no Lady M. or Lady J. I have been watching Victoria on PBS and the queen writes frequently to "Lord M." in the show, and I thought it would be fun to create two characters and have them write back and forth once a week, using a more gentile language and style than our present day verbiage.