Here it is the end of another snow-bound weekend. I’m happy to report that I have never experienced “cabin fever.” It was such a relief to be prohibited from going out. For starters, my car door was frozen shut and the main road looked a bit treacherous anyway. Hurray! I spent an entire day puttering around and throwing away useless stuff. Honestly, how can a person acquire so many belongings?
I was thinking about the period of dormancy that our perennial beds experience. I think we, as creatures of nature, should take a lesson from our plants. I have to say I love winter. I went to Florida once about 15 years ago and have no wish to repeat it in my lifetime. I’m a big fan of all the seasonal challenges. Inclement weather is my friend. It drives me indoors which is a welcome change from my outdoor job. I don’t mind being outside in cold or rain. Wind — not so much. It’s so annoying. I’ve noticed that people with inside jobs complain more about the weather than we outside workers do. Just another one of life’s small mysteries.
Mid-week I was able to pull some carrots out of the ground. The thin fabric row-cover kept them just close to freezing and snow-free. They are incredibly sweet. While on our Washington trip a few weeks ago, we stopped at a place for supper. We ordered salads. Violet commented that the carrots were “stale.” Mouths of babes! She is used to eating them freshly pulled.
Briefly, back to the garden at rest. This is rather a state of creative waiting. I hope I can take this lesson to heart. I come into this later stage of life steeped in the Protestant work ethic. It is difficult to free oneself. Perhaps I’ll hit the sofa for a change this afternoon.
Thanks to Laurie Clements who facilitated my recent purchase of a pair of canaries. I love that little bird. The singing brings a whole new level of enjoyment to working in my greenhouse. I had them for years but none this past year and I really missed them.
I had one lone snow drop blooming right after the snow stopped. What a welcome sight. There are plenty of crocus leaves up as well. Every year at this time, I write the same thing. Why should this time be any different? The daffodils are up at the Vineyard Haven post office right under the pyracantha. It is difficult to notice them through all the cigarette butts and Cumberland Farms trash. People, please, fieldstrip!
The pyracantha is home to dozens of little birds who are singing their hearts out. I had to stop and marvel recently. Some were just a few feet away from my head, but didn’t seem to mind.
Pyracantha, or firethorn, is a great plant if you want an impenetrable fence. It is covered with long scary thorns, but nice shaped flowers that bees love, with berries in the fall for birds. It is a perfect cover for the wall of the post office. Word to the wise, however, suit up in armor before pruning or fussing. The thorns are vicious.
I was interested in the heat the President took from John Boehner about raising the minimum wage to a measly $9 an hour. Supposedly, small businesses cannot afford it, what with Obamacare and all. I run a small business and wouldn’t be able to look myself in the mirror if I paid that amount of money to my employees.
Speaker Boehner, who works for you, me and all the minimum wage earners in this country, has an annual salary of $223,500. By the way, he has government health care, and who knows what other benefits (for life!). The Congress worked 109 days in 2012. I promptly did the math. At $2,050 per day, if he actually works eight hours he makes $256 an hour. The minimum wage, now at $7.25 an hour, allows that full-time 40 hour a week worker to bring home just a bit more than that $256 a week.
How can any of this be right?
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