Nothing stops the march of spring. Every day something more emerges from the ground, birds have changed their tunes and midday has folks removing layers of clothing.

I was thinking how incredibly lucky we are to live in the northeast. The news from Mississippi and Arkansas is completely devastating. I’ve never experienced a tornado nor do I wish it. I cannot imagine how a person begins to pick up the pieces.

In other weather news, I read an article in The New York Times on Monday. A lake in the central valley of California was drained years ago to create more farms. Because of the huge amount of rain they’ve had, the lake has returned with a vengeance. Hundreds of acres of farmland are now under water and the projected snow melt this spring will cause catastrophic flooding. Don’t forget: this area produces much of the entire nation’s food. I was thinking about a television commercial some years ago that warned, “It’s not nice to fool Mother Nature.”

On a lighter note the garden is awash with blue scilla. The bank leading up and around to the drive-thru at Martha’s Vineyard Bank is covered with them. They spread like crazy, are unbothered by deer or rodents and are a nice under-planting with daffodils.

Soon they will be replaced with their close cousin, puschkinia. I have them in an area that was covered in snowdrops earlier.

My few pathetic tulips have been eaten to the quick before they even bloomed. It’s time to call “uncle” and stop planting them.

Last fall I gathered some “money” from Marie Larsen’s plants. This is lunaria, silver dollar. Supposedly it arrived on the Mayflower.

Anyway: I put the “dollars” in an envelope and planted the entire package a week ago in a tray. They all came up. Marie said she tossed hers around outside in early March and they are already up. There you have it. I could have saved myself the effort.

A customer sent me 20 bare root roses. Since I don’t know where she wants them, they were soaked for several hours in a big bucket of water and potted up, waiting instruction. Hopefully they will develop some leaves before a final planting in her garden.

While rummaging around for pots, I found one with last year’s carrots. They had nothing but neglect all last summer and a winter in an open pot. They are firm and sweet nonetheless — and a credit to nature.

All the advice I ever give is a result of past mistakes. Soon it’s time to haul out the hoses. If you run them across a driveway, be sure the connector is not in a car’s path. Also, if hooked up to a frost-free spigot, remove it at the end of the day. The nights are still freezing and the frost-free mechanism will not work to drain the water back into the house properly if the hose is attached. Just saying!

I like to bake bread all winter, slice it and pop it into the freezer for use in busy, hot times. This year my 40-year old gas range finally gave up. It had a handy pilot light for drying herbs and beans. I knew exactly how it cooked. My new one, also gas, is started with a nine-volt battery and therefore more energy efficient.

I do not worry about gas fumes since my house is incredibly drafty. At any rate, I still have not figured out its breadmaking ability and am cutting crusts from every piece. How I digress!

It’s a pity that the Republicans manage outrage over the indictment of D.J.T., drag shows, certain books, Mr. Potato Head and green M&Ms but cannot express any such outrage for military weapons of war killing little children in their elementary schools.

I guess they should start wearing T-shirts with Ban Books, Not Guns.

The good news: Wisconsin changed its Supreme Court majority to blue on Tuesday. This will make the heavily-gerrymandered state a little more Democratic.