At any rate, there are just a few wet patches in the sand and dirt that prove winter once existed. Now it’s a perfect place for birds looking for sun and bugs.

The wing-and-beak set better hurry. The beach will probably be shoveled up and carted away sometime during the next few days.

So I waited, waited and waited some more.

This lanky dude ordered a quarter-pound of cheese, a quarter-pound of turkey, a quarter-pound of ham and a quarter-pound of something else, maybe pickle loaf. And I’m standing there, thinking, “Who orders just a quarter-pound of anything?” Why not order a half-pound , even a full-pound?

Wrapped packages have two or three days’ shelf life in the refrigerator, at least they do in mine.

After about 8 minutes, Old Lank left, and I got my turn on the slicer. Ordered 1 1/2 pounds of corned beef, on sale. Took about 2 minutes. And even though I’m in training for the upcoming “Parade of Slaves” running race in downtown Albany on May 15, I also grabbed half a pound of potato salad.

For more on the “Parade” — and what it really means — check out the “Join the Parade” entry from Wednesday’s “Type A to Z.”

Anyway, guess I’ll have to run off those 900 calories from last night later on today.

Slapped on an E-ZPass tag last year, and zip through all toll booths nice and E-Z. I’m always surprised when a bunch of cars and trucks line up at designated E-Z Pass lanes; on Wednesday and Thursday, there must have been eight or 10 drivers waiting to roll through the single E-Z designated scanner at Exit 25.

I’m not the brightest crayon in the box, but even I know E-ZPass works in any open lane! Governor Dewey’s government descendants have always publicized this point. So while poor apples idle and crawl to the lone designated E-Z lane, reporter and Honda Civic notice open toll booth lane and cut to the chase. The silver car rolls through and onto I-890, as hapless Volkswagens and Volvos fume.

I suppose it’s just like Butch Cassidy used to say: “I’ve got vision, and the rest of the world needs bifocals.”