free digger
Sunday, March 02, 2008
What a Week
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These crocus are what gardening is all about. February is always the hardest month for me in New York. In California, where I’m from, February is when the daffodils, flowering plum, and acacia bloom. In New York, some of the coldest, snowiest days hit at the end of February. Spring doesn’t really get into full swing until April, although March is definitely a month for thawing. The end of February was especially hard for me this year. Last Saturday I fell 7 feet from the top of a ladder, breaking ribs and gashing my elbow. I’m fine--but coughing and sneezing still cause excruciating stabs of pain.
Then on Thursday I was mugged by a flock of teenagers. The mugging happened on a bitterly cold night at about 9 o’clock outside Bushwick-Aberdeen, my neighborhood’s main subway station. I live in between two subway stations; the other, Wilson Avenue, is a slightly farther walk. On Friday after work I stopped to buy some books. I found myself lingering and lingering in the bookstore. Then I realized I was avoiding going home. So I’ve been compromising and using Wilson Avenue, and paying much more attention to what’s going on around me.
So how nice it was to find these yellow crocus blooming outside my front door. They really, really, really lifted my spirits.