just because
Friday, February 27, 2009
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Imagine that it's calm ......
I'm not entirely sure I am awake, but I am moving around. It’s a brisk, though sunny day in Providence, Rhode Island, Ocean State UsofA. Though the air temperature is in the high 30s, on the ground the temperature is still well below freezing—the puddles are skimmed over with a thin crust of ice. We are in that month-long waiting period prior to the thaw that will initiate Spring in New England. Beginning tomorrow I fully expect the backyard to be mud for a while. I enjoy carefully considering the mundane things in my world these days. It can be soothing.
Today the bazaar of human interaction and commerce seems oddly quiescent. My mental state is, however, darkly astir. Various notions and data float and blend, morphing into new globules as the day drifts along. My spirit is aimless and not fully engaged. Everything seems elusive. I have little or no grasp of ideas or feelings and my focus flits from one place, one thought, one kernel of information, one sensation to another. I am tempted to retreat into my large walk-in closet where I have set up the drafting table. But some part of me is resisting that urge. Maybe I need the sunlight of the living room or just a larger envelope of space around me. I am wrapped in gooey, suspended animation.
TO simulate order I feed the dog, make a cup of tea and sit down at the computer. After leafing through my email I go hunting for tracks or fecal droppings in the electron desert left by passing data camels. I am looking for signs that might indicate the source of my dis-ease and anxiety. I soon discover scattered pools of information hidden in the hollows and clefts behind the dunes of factory approved news. But in each of these oases it seems the water is tainted with hidden toxins. It soon becomes apparent that everywhere around the world there are swirling disruptions and dislocations. We hear only faint echoes of these events and see vague outlines that are soon swallowed up by commercials for fast foods or Viagra.
Most of this news consists of reports about rioting or mass demonstrations in various countries. These stories are under-reported at best, and usually go essentially unnoticed in this nation’s major media. I think the reason is that there is a sense that such behavior is infectious and possibly viral. In China, it is reported that more than 20 million people have been sent back to the country side from the urban factories where they were making poisonous plastic effluvia for us and our children. 20 million peoplee. That would be like forcing all of the folks in NYC into the Connecticut hills and all of the folks in LA to Simi Valley. And sending them pretty much all at once. And telling them that, too bad, “You’re on your own”. It’s no surprise that people are pissed off. So they protest, in large groups. WE SEE NONE OF THIS.
But of course China hasn't been the only country to experience these “disruptions of public order”. Similar events have occurred in Russia, and former soviet bloc countries like Lithuania, as well as in India, Greece, and France. These public gatherings are usually violently shut down by the military forces of those countries. The protests have often involved tens if not hundreds of thousands of people. Some of these gatherings have been to complain about the high cost or unavailability of food; others have been to protest the incompetence and outright criminality of the government in the handling of the economy. Nothing like that could happen in our country, right? Right? Is there some fear that exposing too much of what is going on in other countries might stimulate something like that happening here? This kind of behavior just be might be infectious. Virus, any one?
At a couple of the smaller pools in the desert I learn about events in our own country that have gone largely unnoticed. At the same time as these events have been occurring overseas there has been testimony from some of our own USofA government officials before Congressional committees about the necessity of being prepared to handle any domestic upheavals that may occur right here in River City. Since these are not the best of times, plans are underway to handle any riot that might be heading your way sometime soon. Like at a super market when the food runs out because the truckers who bring it to the stores every three days or so either couldn’t get, or couldn’t afford, the fuel for their trucks. I mean, what are you going to do if you can’t get chips and salsa? Or worse, coffee and sugar?
Here in the USofA the “economy” continues to erode, dissolve and generally circle the drain in a slow spiral of decline. What the country will look like, quite literally, after this process reaches some sort of conclusion, probably an inconclusive conclusion but some sort of stasis condition nonetheless, is anyone’s guess. Just how long that will take is yet another question. In some ways it feels as though we are caught up in those scenes from the Godfather when Michael Corleone is visiting Havana. There is a sense of menace and mordant electricity in the very air. Everything appears to be “normal” yet there are discordant and disturbing incidents that happen quite suddenly and unexpectedly; violent, transformative incidents pop up and then evaporate almost as though they never really happened. The Godfather attends a perfectly “normal” evening event, an opulent, extravagant dinner party. All of a sudden the scene is interrupted by an aide to the then-dictator Batista rushing in to tell the dictator that Castro has just entered Havana and it is time for him to leave, immediately. Batista, all coolness and calm, makes a very brief announcement, then rushes hurriedly out of the room. Poof, he is gone. In a few brief seconds everything erupts into chaos. Everything changes. Soon, I believe we will be visited by such events.
Most of the people I encounter here are convinced that nothing like that could ever happen in the USofA. I, however, am not so sure. I have the distinct feeling that we are living in a similar kind of faux normalcy. We are all caught up in a flow of seemingly calm and ordinary events, a chain of circumstances that encircles and embraces all of us in familiar routines. The corporations and the government are exerting all of their powers to maintain the appearance of stability and order. And as for the people: We are acting out our ritualized behaviors in a kind of dumb-show semblance of placidity. Yet there is crackling around the edges and rumblings under the surface. Fleeting, faint, jagged purple-blue auroras snap and sparkle at the corners of our vision. Tiny splinters of fear tickle us awake at night or stab at our side-thoughts during the day. It is a menacing time that causes us to think not IF, but when. Lately it has become very clear to me why people gathered together in abbies and monasteries in the Dark Ages and pulled the doors shut behind them. I am tempted to unplug myself from the technological web and retreat into the solace of tomatoes and peas, the soothing beauty of beds of herbs, and the cushioning balm of quiet faith behind some stone walls. And engage in chanting. But it is too late for me to take that path unless I am willing to submit to a lobotomy.
So it is playing out this way: On the left we have an increasingly shrill chorus urging some sort of civil protests about the increasingly obvious greed and probable criminal behavior or many banks and corporations. In the middle we have increasing outrage expressed by “ordinary citizens” who have finally realized how screwed they have been and continue to be by corporate financial interests who shamelessly raise credit card rates to 30% while at the same time they are taking hundreds of billions of dollars of money from the government. On the right we have an equally shrill mob calling for the government to keep its hands off of everything and let the “market” sort it out while urging folks to arm themselves for the coming unraveling of the 'mericun way a life. It’s not a bad idea. The arming yourself part, I mean. And buy 50 pounds of rice and a solar stove while you’re at it. BTW: gun sales have gone through the roof and ammunition is not only hard to find, the price has risen to nearly three times what it was a year or ago.
And just to brighten things up, behind another dune I found a little pile amongst the items in the Terra Daily News. There was a short note about the changing climate of our planet. It seems that the earlier scary scenarios the IPCC put out were wrong. They were way, way too conservative about the extent of climate change, the severity of its impacts and the speed with which it is all happening. We aren’t going to have to wait as long as we thought to grow those Pino Noir grapes in Vermont after all. Tune in to a quick visual update, a video at 11 showing all of Florida being swallowed by the sea, in 17 seconds.
I think I’ll just go order some seeds and pour another stein of cheap red, while I still can. And look at my mantle..... while I can.
Today the bazaar of human interaction and commerce seems oddly quiescent. My mental state is, however, darkly astir. Various notions and data float and blend, morphing into new globules as the day drifts along. My spirit is aimless and not fully engaged. Everything seems elusive. I have little or no grasp of ideas or feelings and my focus flits from one place, one thought, one kernel of information, one sensation to another. I am tempted to retreat into my large walk-in closet where I have set up the drafting table. But some part of me is resisting that urge. Maybe I need the sunlight of the living room or just a larger envelope of space around me. I am wrapped in gooey, suspended animation.
TO simulate order I feed the dog, make a cup of tea and sit down at the computer. After leafing through my email I go hunting for tracks or fecal droppings in the electron desert left by passing data camels. I am looking for signs that might indicate the source of my dis-ease and anxiety. I soon discover scattered pools of information hidden in the hollows and clefts behind the dunes of factory approved news. But in each of these oases it seems the water is tainted with hidden toxins. It soon becomes apparent that everywhere around the world there are swirling disruptions and dislocations. We hear only faint echoes of these events and see vague outlines that are soon swallowed up by commercials for fast foods or Viagra.
Most of this news consists of reports about rioting or mass demonstrations in various countries. These stories are under-reported at best, and usually go essentially unnoticed in this nation’s major media. I think the reason is that there is a sense that such behavior is infectious and possibly viral. In China, it is reported that more than 20 million people have been sent back to the country side from the urban factories where they were making poisonous plastic effluvia for us and our children. 20 million peoplee. That would be like forcing all of the folks in NYC into the Connecticut hills and all of the folks in LA to Simi Valley. And sending them pretty much all at once. And telling them that, too bad, “You’re on your own”. It’s no surprise that people are pissed off. So they protest, in large groups. WE SEE NONE OF THIS.
But of course China hasn't been the only country to experience these “disruptions of public order”. Similar events have occurred in Russia, and former soviet bloc countries like Lithuania, as well as in India, Greece, and France. These public gatherings are usually violently shut down by the military forces of those countries. The protests have often involved tens if not hundreds of thousands of people. Some of these gatherings have been to complain about the high cost or unavailability of food; others have been to protest the incompetence and outright criminality of the government in the handling of the economy. Nothing like that could happen in our country, right? Right? Is there some fear that exposing too much of what is going on in other countries might stimulate something like that happening here? This kind of behavior just be might be infectious. Virus, any one?
At a couple of the smaller pools in the desert I learn about events in our own country that have gone largely unnoticed. At the same time as these events have been occurring overseas there has been testimony from some of our own USofA government officials before Congressional committees about the necessity of being prepared to handle any domestic upheavals that may occur right here in River City. Since these are not the best of times, plans are underway to handle any riot that might be heading your way sometime soon. Like at a super market when the food runs out because the truckers who bring it to the stores every three days or so either couldn’t get, or couldn’t afford, the fuel for their trucks. I mean, what are you going to do if you can’t get chips and salsa? Or worse, coffee and sugar?
Here in the USofA the “economy” continues to erode, dissolve and generally circle the drain in a slow spiral of decline. What the country will look like, quite literally, after this process reaches some sort of conclusion, probably an inconclusive conclusion but some sort of stasis condition nonetheless, is anyone’s guess. Just how long that will take is yet another question. In some ways it feels as though we are caught up in those scenes from the Godfather when Michael Corleone is visiting Havana. There is a sense of menace and mordant electricity in the very air. Everything appears to be “normal” yet there are discordant and disturbing incidents that happen quite suddenly and unexpectedly; violent, transformative incidents pop up and then evaporate almost as though they never really happened. The Godfather attends a perfectly “normal” evening event, an opulent, extravagant dinner party. All of a sudden the scene is interrupted by an aide to the then-dictator Batista rushing in to tell the dictator that Castro has just entered Havana and it is time for him to leave, immediately. Batista, all coolness and calm, makes a very brief announcement, then rushes hurriedly out of the room. Poof, he is gone. In a few brief seconds everything erupts into chaos. Everything changes. Soon, I believe we will be visited by such events.
Most of the people I encounter here are convinced that nothing like that could ever happen in the USofA. I, however, am not so sure. I have the distinct feeling that we are living in a similar kind of faux normalcy. We are all caught up in a flow of seemingly calm and ordinary events, a chain of circumstances that encircles and embraces all of us in familiar routines. The corporations and the government are exerting all of their powers to maintain the appearance of stability and order. And as for the people: We are acting out our ritualized behaviors in a kind of dumb-show semblance of placidity. Yet there is crackling around the edges and rumblings under the surface. Fleeting, faint, jagged purple-blue auroras snap and sparkle at the corners of our vision. Tiny splinters of fear tickle us awake at night or stab at our side-thoughts during the day. It is a menacing time that causes us to think not IF, but when. Lately it has become very clear to me why people gathered together in abbies and monasteries in the Dark Ages and pulled the doors shut behind them. I am tempted to unplug myself from the technological web and retreat into the solace of tomatoes and peas, the soothing beauty of beds of herbs, and the cushioning balm of quiet faith behind some stone walls. And engage in chanting. But it is too late for me to take that path unless I am willing to submit to a lobotomy.
So it is playing out this way: On the left we have an increasingly shrill chorus urging some sort of civil protests about the increasingly obvious greed and probable criminal behavior or many banks and corporations. In the middle we have increasing outrage expressed by “ordinary citizens” who have finally realized how screwed they have been and continue to be by corporate financial interests who shamelessly raise credit card rates to 30% while at the same time they are taking hundreds of billions of dollars of money from the government. On the right we have an equally shrill mob calling for the government to keep its hands off of everything and let the “market” sort it out while urging folks to arm themselves for the coming unraveling of the 'mericun way a life. It’s not a bad idea. The arming yourself part, I mean. And buy 50 pounds of rice and a solar stove while you’re at it. BTW: gun sales have gone through the roof and ammunition is not only hard to find, the price has risen to nearly three times what it was a year or ago.
And just to brighten things up, behind another dune I found a little pile amongst the items in the Terra Daily News. There was a short note about the changing climate of our planet. It seems that the earlier scary scenarios the IPCC put out were wrong. They were way, way too conservative about the extent of climate change, the severity of its impacts and the speed with which it is all happening. We aren’t going to have to wait as long as we thought to grow those Pino Noir grapes in Vermont after all. Tune in to a quick visual update, a video at 11 showing all of Florida being swallowed by the sea, in 17 seconds.
I think I’ll just go order some seeds and pour another stein of cheap red, while I still can. And look at my mantle..... while I can.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
‘Forcing’ your way towards Spring
Would you like Spring to bloom early in your house? Maybe in the kitchen, living room, or even the bedroom? Have you ever tried ‘forcing’? It is the practice of cutting some branches or stems from woody spring-flowering plants and putting those branches into water in a warm environment. Though it is a horticultural term long in use, ‘forcing’ sounds a bit too harsh or aggressive, and maybe even a little misleading. Coaxing, cajoling, and encouraging seem like more appropriate terms. Seduction is another word that comes to mind. After all, you can’t hold a gun to the head of flower bud and make it blossom, or bully it into flowering. What you can do, to be pop-psych correct, is ‘enable’ your shrubs to reach their ‘potential’ earlier by providing a ‘caring and loving environment’. Give them water, warmth, and attention and the cuttings of many common, and some not-so-common shrubs, will bloom inside weeks earlier than they would outside.
Encouraging plants to flower early inside is ridiculously easy as well as simple. It requires very little equipment and none of it is specialized. All you need are pruning shears and some appropriately-sized vases or other containers that hold water. Most shrub cuttings when brought inside and placed with their cut ends in water will respond quickly. Within a few days there will be noticeable swelling of their buds, both leaf and flower buds. In some instances the flowers the will open before the leaves do and in other cases the reverse will happen.
FORSYTHIA
Some shrubs are more amenable to coaxing than others. Forsythias are the easiest, least fussy and most reliable plants to bring into early bloom. As spring nears, the stems of the forsythia turn a slight but distinct yellow; it’s a harbinger of their readily recognizable golden flowers perhaps. They actually seem to welcome being asked to come inside.
You can cut their stems or branches to any length you want. I tend to cut forsythia branches to a length of at least 24 inches and often to as much as 36 inches. When cutting the branches be sure to leave the growing end intact. Bear in mind that the branches of most varieties of forsythia tend to ‘weep’; and the longer the stem, the more pronounced the droop. The shape and size of the container for your cuttings is important. Your vase or container should be tall enough to contain the forsythia stems, but wide enough at the mouth to let the stems display their natural cascading form. Because of the weight of the stem pulling down you will need a hefty and heavy vase to keep your display of cuttings from tipping over. Of course you can add glass marbles or even rounded river pebbles to the vase to give it extra weight at the base. I have a pair of thick, cut-glass vases that are about 15 inches in height. Because of their heft I don’t have to put in extra weight, but I often do so anyway just because I am fond of the color of the marbles.
Fill your container with water to within an inch or so of the top and put in your freshly cut stems, cut end first. Within probably no more than ten days to two weeks you will have a sunny display of bright yellow flowers strung along every stem. Note: if you leave the stems of the forsythia in water for three weeks or so after the flowers have passed, you will begin to see new small white roots beginning to sprout out of the stems. You can plant these sprouting stems into the ground if you want to enlarge your crop of forsythia or start a fresh new hedge.
CRAB APPLES (or any apple for that matter)
Apples are another early spring woody plant that is easy to coax into early flowering. There are always some branches that can be cut for forcing. Just don’t get so enthusiastic about cutting apple branches that you leave your plants looking shorn or mowed. Unlike the slender and single stem wand-like form of the forsythia, Crabapples and other apples are stiff and angular; they have multiple branching on a single stem. You probably keep your cuttings to no more than 24 inches. For holding and displaying these cuttings you will need a more bowl-shaped container; it should have relatively high sides with a wide mouth but one that closes over slightly so the branches are held upright and slightly spread without being crowded. Apples will generally take three to four weeks to start pushing out leaves and blossoms. The two may come somewhat simultaneously. As apples also tend to flower more heavily in alternate years, it is difficult to predict how generous your display will be. But even if its mostly leaves, they’re still a refreshing and welcome boost in the grey times of winter.
DOGWOOD
The common White or Pink Dogwood (Cornus florida) can be pushed into early flowering, but it is not a reliable bloomer, at least in my experience. I have had great luck, however, with the early, yellow-blooming dogwoods, Cornus mas, aka Cornelian Cherry, and Cornus officinalis, aka the Japanese Cornel Cherry. Both of these hardy and beautiful small trees are much less common that they deserve to be. The Japanese Cornel Cherry flowers a few days to a couple of weeks earlier than Cornus mas. It is a handsome plant at any time of year, but in the spring it is outstanding. Small, luminous yellow flowers cover its branches and persist for almost a month. Though rather tiny in size there are generally so many of them that from a distance the entire tree seems to glow. The flowers of Cornus mas are similar but their overall effect is less striking because the plant itself is less graceful. But whichever you use, their branches practically burst into yellow vibrancy when they are brought inside for forcing. Usually it takes no more than a week. The branches of the dogwoods should be displayed in a similar fashion to that of the crabapples.
VIBURNUM CARLESI
The Viburnum family is one of the largest, most diverse, and useful of all landscape shrubs. But one plant in particular is, I think, a must for every garden: Viburnum carlesi., AKA the Korean Spice Bush. Among its other virtues, the plant itself is stalwart, sturdy and reliable. But what it is most valued is its delicious fragrance, lush and reminiscent of gardenias.
Though the Spice Bush blooms in May, after a few days of consistently warm and sunny weather, you can usually coax it into an early flowering. I generally wait until late February or early March to clip off a dozen or so small branches that display the knobby little buds clustered together like a tiny fist. Cut the stems to no more than eight inches or so. (Again, don’t mow your plant or denude it so much that there will be no flowers for later when it supposed to flower.) Divide these stems into two or three groups, put them into small vases no more than four inches high and distribute them around the house; add water and then wait, for a few weeks. Viburnums can’t be rushed, nor are they quite as reliable as the other plants discussed above, but generally patience and diligence is rewarded. There will come a morning you will be pulled from your sleep by a rush of rich, sweet perfume that fills every corner of the house. When you track down the source you will discover it is spilling from the golf-ball sized clusters of pink/white flowers blooming in all those tiny vases you have spread around the house. You may even be moved to offer up a prayer of wonder.
You don’t need a green thumb in order to encourage many plants to deliver their floral and fragrant bounty early. So get out those pruning shears, gather together some vases, add water to your cuttings and practice a little patient attention. It’s an easy and rewarding way to bring natural color and surprising fragrance into your house. Try it once and you may discover that it becomes an annual pre-spring ritual. Enjoy!
*****************************
Encouraging plants to flower early inside is ridiculously easy as well as simple. It requires very little equipment and none of it is specialized. All you need are pruning shears and some appropriately-sized vases or other containers that hold water. Most shrub cuttings when brought inside and placed with their cut ends in water will respond quickly. Within a few days there will be noticeable swelling of their buds, both leaf and flower buds. In some instances the flowers the will open before the leaves do and in other cases the reverse will happen.
FORSYTHIA
Some shrubs are more amenable to coaxing than others. Forsythias are the easiest, least fussy and most reliable plants to bring into early bloom. As spring nears, the stems of the forsythia turn a slight but distinct yellow; it’s a harbinger of their readily recognizable golden flowers perhaps. They actually seem to welcome being asked to come inside.
You can cut their stems or branches to any length you want. I tend to cut forsythia branches to a length of at least 24 inches and often to as much as 36 inches. When cutting the branches be sure to leave the growing end intact. Bear in mind that the branches of most varieties of forsythia tend to ‘weep’; and the longer the stem, the more pronounced the droop. The shape and size of the container for your cuttings is important. Your vase or container should be tall enough to contain the forsythia stems, but wide enough at the mouth to let the stems display their natural cascading form. Because of the weight of the stem pulling down you will need a hefty and heavy vase to keep your display of cuttings from tipping over. Of course you can add glass marbles or even rounded river pebbles to the vase to give it extra weight at the base. I have a pair of thick, cut-glass vases that are about 15 inches in height. Because of their heft I don’t have to put in extra weight, but I often do so anyway just because I am fond of the color of the marbles.
Fill your container with water to within an inch or so of the top and put in your freshly cut stems, cut end first. Within probably no more than ten days to two weeks you will have a sunny display of bright yellow flowers strung along every stem. Note: if you leave the stems of the forsythia in water for three weeks or so after the flowers have passed, you will begin to see new small white roots beginning to sprout out of the stems. You can plant these sprouting stems into the ground if you want to enlarge your crop of forsythia or start a fresh new hedge.
CRAB APPLES (or any apple for that matter)
Apples are another early spring woody plant that is easy to coax into early flowering. There are always some branches that can be cut for forcing. Just don’t get so enthusiastic about cutting apple branches that you leave your plants looking shorn or mowed. Unlike the slender and single stem wand-like form of the forsythia, Crabapples and other apples are stiff and angular; they have multiple branching on a single stem. You probably keep your cuttings to no more than 24 inches. For holding and displaying these cuttings you will need a more bowl-shaped container; it should have relatively high sides with a wide mouth but one that closes over slightly so the branches are held upright and slightly spread without being crowded. Apples will generally take three to four weeks to start pushing out leaves and blossoms. The two may come somewhat simultaneously. As apples also tend to flower more heavily in alternate years, it is difficult to predict how generous your display will be. But even if its mostly leaves, they’re still a refreshing and welcome boost in the grey times of winter.
DOGWOOD
The common White or Pink Dogwood (Cornus florida) can be pushed into early flowering, but it is not a reliable bloomer, at least in my experience. I have had great luck, however, with the early, yellow-blooming dogwoods, Cornus mas, aka Cornelian Cherry, and Cornus officinalis, aka the Japanese Cornel Cherry. Both of these hardy and beautiful small trees are much less common that they deserve to be. The Japanese Cornel Cherry flowers a few days to a couple of weeks earlier than Cornus mas. It is a handsome plant at any time of year, but in the spring it is outstanding. Small, luminous yellow flowers cover its branches and persist for almost a month. Though rather tiny in size there are generally so many of them that from a distance the entire tree seems to glow. The flowers of Cornus mas are similar but their overall effect is less striking because the plant itself is less graceful. But whichever you use, their branches practically burst into yellow vibrancy when they are brought inside for forcing. Usually it takes no more than a week. The branches of the dogwoods should be displayed in a similar fashion to that of the crabapples.
VIBURNUM CARLESI
The Viburnum family is one of the largest, most diverse, and useful of all landscape shrubs. But one plant in particular is, I think, a must for every garden: Viburnum carlesi., AKA the Korean Spice Bush. Among its other virtues, the plant itself is stalwart, sturdy and reliable. But what it is most valued is its delicious fragrance, lush and reminiscent of gardenias.
Though the Spice Bush blooms in May, after a few days of consistently warm and sunny weather, you can usually coax it into an early flowering. I generally wait until late February or early March to clip off a dozen or so small branches that display the knobby little buds clustered together like a tiny fist. Cut the stems to no more than eight inches or so. (Again, don’t mow your plant or denude it so much that there will be no flowers for later when it supposed to flower.) Divide these stems into two or three groups, put them into small vases no more than four inches high and distribute them around the house; add water and then wait, for a few weeks. Viburnums can’t be rushed, nor are they quite as reliable as the other plants discussed above, but generally patience and diligence is rewarded. There will come a morning you will be pulled from your sleep by a rush of rich, sweet perfume that fills every corner of the house. When you track down the source you will discover it is spilling from the golf-ball sized clusters of pink/white flowers blooming in all those tiny vases you have spread around the house. You may even be moved to offer up a prayer of wonder.
You don’t need a green thumb in order to encourage many plants to deliver their floral and fragrant bounty early. So get out those pruning shears, gather together some vases, add water to your cuttings and practice a little patient attention. It’s an easy and rewarding way to bring natural color and surprising fragrance into your house. Try it once and you may discover that it becomes an annual pre-spring ritual. Enjoy!
*****************************
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