For his annual, pre-Canada checkup. He is good to go.

And...a new water softener, to replace the twenty-something-year-old one which had begun to leak. The old machine was controlled by a complex gearbox stuffed with ratchets, cams, and levers. The new one has no moving parts. Furthermore, being high in efficiency, it may not need a salt refill for two years.

Continued sunny and warm, yet no blossoms on the apple or buds on the redbud. Actually starting to feel a bit dry.