I have no idea who's in charge, but I know I'm not.
Flashback #1 - Weary of the demands of an older home, I decided to make the condo move. My hunt for just the right space met with success. Then my bank guy called. "I can't approve you for this," he said. What?! My credit report was showing a five-figure debt, a loan that absolutely was not mine. Eventually it got sorted out, but in the six weeks (yes, six weeks) that it took to correct the mistake, the housing bubble burst, the stock market tanked . . . and I breathed a deep sigh of relief that I wasn't stuck with a new mortgage on top of diminished investments and a big house that would take too long to sell for too little.
Flashback #2 - I was all set to commune with the loons. I planned to camp around Lake Superior and venture into the wilderness of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. A fifth eye surgery (yes, a fifth) forced a postponement. As a result, instead of being beyond pavement and out of cell phone reach in northern Minnesota, I was at home when the warranty ran out on my appendix. The EMS wagon was in my driveway almost before I finished reciting my address. Six days (yes, six days) in the hospital was not the vacation I had in mind, but I lived to gripe about it. Which would not have been the case if I'd had my way.
A sixth ophthalmological procedure is now on my calendar. This one is no big deal, barely a blip compared to two transplanted corneas. (Yes, I look at the world through other people's eyes.) That I can see at all, that I live with these challenges in this rich place at this amazing time instead of ending up as some tiger's lunch, is no minor miracle. Just sheer dumb luck, eh?
About Me
- Jan C. Snow
- Since 1984, my light commentary, Marginal Considerations, has been a feature of Weekend Radio. Moving into the 21st century (yeah, I know - a decade late and more than a dollar short), it may be time to explore the format known as "the blog." (Still on the radio, BTW.) I am the author of A Natural History of Socks, illustrated by the late Eric May, You May Already Be a Winner (and other marginal considerations) and The Nonexistence of Rutabagas, plus maybe 1K features, essays, book and arts reviews in newspapers and magazines nearly everywhere, except perhaps Kansas. I live on Lake Erie one city to the west of Cleveland with too many musical instruments, several large plants and no cats. My front door is purple. I collect dust, take up space and burn fossil fuel. I kayak, knit, hike, sing, canoe, write choral music and play hammered dulcimer, but not all at the same time. I read too much and don't write enough, but what's new?
Monday, July 18, 2011
A passing
I write this to mark the recent passing of a woman I barely knew. We may actually have met a few times - I’m not sure - but through my decades as a radio commentator/ reviewer/ columnist/ feature writer and all-purpose ink-stained wretch, this woman would drop a note or phone me about something I had written.
People will fall all over themselves to call attention to an error or verbally thrash the living daylights out of you for your wrong-headed views but when you hear nothing . . . well, the piece must have been O.K.
This gracious woman took time to let me know when something I had written made her laugh or made her think. She kept an eye out for my by-line and let me know that she enjoyed reading my work. You cannot imagine how much that could mean sometimes. She was thoughtful and witty and oh-so rare, and, of course, I will miss her.
This gracious woman took time to let me know when something I had written made her laugh or made her think. She kept an eye out for my by-line and let me know that she enjoyed reading my work. You cannot imagine how much that could mean sometimes. She was thoughtful and witty and oh-so rare, and, of course, I will miss her.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Book review - more weeds
Great review by Kristen O. of Richard Mabey's new book, Weeds. Link is below. Read it.
http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2011/07/post_27.html
http://www.cleveland.com/books/index.ssf/2011/07/post_27.html
Rethinking weeds
As noted a few posts back, weedness is strictly a matter of context. "Weed" is not a botanical classification. Weed-itude - or weed-osity, if you prefer - has to do only with the undesirability of a given plant in a given place at a given time. Like crab grass in my perennial bed. Now, that's a weed. At any time.
My friend Lissy once shared her philosophy of gardening with me. It has at its heart the idea of offensive rather than defensive gardening. Offensive gardening, according to Lissy, is the planting and/or nurturing of plants you want in your garden, instead of forever being on the defensive and spending all your time pulling out the plants that you don't want, i.e., weeding. I would add, along with planting and/or nurturing, tolerating.
All it takes is a bit of rethinking. Cleome was a weed last year. I pulled out dozens of them in the back garden. This year, after seeing it for sale at Pettiti's (forgive me - I hope I have the correct number of Ts in Pettiti's), I decided to amend its status. After all, it does have very pretty pink and white blooms. So this year - ta-da! - Cleome is a flowering perennial. And I didn't have to buy it at Pettiti's. It was a volunteer.
I've also determined that bugle weed, a tenacious little plant that has spread all around in back, is no longer a weed. I'm never going to get all of it out of there so it's now a ground cover, at least in the back garden. It's still a weed if it shows up in the front yard. Of course I let it bloom so I can enjoy its nice blue flowers along with the cheery dandelions. Then I chop their flowery little heads off when I mow the lawn. (I don't want to think too much about the satisfaction this seems to give me. Some aspects of our personalities are better left unexplored.)
I have milkweed in my garden, too, and lots of Queen Ann's lace. I got the seeds last fall from some plants by the Drug Mart parking lot. Queen Ann's lace is a weed there, but in my garden, it's a flower. So are goldenrod and yarrow. They're all flowers.
Remember, acceptance is the key to better mental health. (Works for me.)
My friend Lissy once shared her philosophy of gardening with me. It has at its heart the idea of offensive rather than defensive gardening. Offensive gardening, according to Lissy, is the planting and/or nurturing of plants you want in your garden, instead of forever being on the defensive and spending all your time pulling out the plants that you don't want, i.e., weeding. I would add, along with planting and/or nurturing, tolerating.
All it takes is a bit of rethinking. Cleome was a weed last year. I pulled out dozens of them in the back garden. This year, after seeing it for sale at Pettiti's (forgive me - I hope I have the correct number of Ts in Pettiti's), I decided to amend its status. After all, it does have very pretty pink and white blooms. So this year - ta-da! - Cleome is a flowering perennial. And I didn't have to buy it at Pettiti's. It was a volunteer.
I've also determined that bugle weed, a tenacious little plant that has spread all around in back, is no longer a weed. I'm never going to get all of it out of there so it's now a ground cover, at least in the back garden. It's still a weed if it shows up in the front yard. Of course I let it bloom so I can enjoy its nice blue flowers along with the cheery dandelions. Then I chop their flowery little heads off when I mow the lawn. (I don't want to think too much about the satisfaction this seems to give me. Some aspects of our personalities are better left unexplored.)
I have milkweed in my garden, too, and lots of Queen Ann's lace. I got the seeds last fall from some plants by the Drug Mart parking lot. Queen Ann's lace is a weed there, but in my garden, it's a flower. So are goldenrod and yarrow. They're all flowers.
Remember, acceptance is the key to better mental health. (Works for me.)
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