I start this first instalment of the piece which bears my name with a brief account of what brings me to the profession of columnist.

I have been practising the Art of Napping since I was a newborn so I have a lot of experience — over half a century at last count. I was a kid napper until my teens when I truly began to perfect the art. I can proudly proclaim I am a napper.

What is in a name? Shakespeare told us a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but would it sound as pretty if it were called a grakering? Perhaps, once we got used to it.

Whether warm Spring weather will be with us soon is still unknown to the super computers at the weather service offices. But out in the fields of North America, the answer my friend is blowing in the...oops, wrong thought. The answer is lying under the sun because "The Shadow knows!" Most particularly, the shadow of that subterranean species Marmota monax.

Lawns and Weeds is fine topic for Spring, for what is the first thing almost every North American homeowner and municipality equate with Spring? No, not baseball or hockey/basketball playoffs. Lawn care and maintenance.

Now that summer has burst upon us, I have begun my annual ritual of running for exercise.

Food, yes! Now there is a subject I am an expert on. Those who know me know I am definitely not poorly fed.

My cousin Poor Richard once said: "A penny saved is a penny earned." I have not always followed his advice in my life, but lately one British monarch and several American Presidents wince when they see me coming, knowing that I will squeeze them tight should I get my hands on them.

"Money, money, money." There, did I get your attention? I got mine. Now what? My boss says the focus of this article should be money and personal finances. If I knew much about money, this column wouldn't be called Poor Keith's Almanac!

When I sat down this morning to write this almanac, I could think of nothing to write about. Then the light bulb went on — okay, it flickered a bit before giving the idea light. I would write about Nothing.

I looked over my copious research notes and found none that I could quickly fashion into a column, so I decided to share some of my years of research with you. I looks forward to the work with an almost joyous feeling: a definite state of perhappiness.

The Book of the Universe, Volume I provides some philosophical questions to ponder.