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dispatches: February 2008

Builder of the garden

Rough start: My mother died earlier this month. I still find it hard to say that. It's been a terrible time for everyone in our family, even before - far before - we lost her. Her illness took everything away from her, everything she'd ever been able to do or say or think, and that's the worst thing one can wish for anyone you love. So I really haven't had anything to say here, on the Web, to the big wide world, or to the occasional passerby to this Web page. My therapies have been more hands-on ... a pottery class, which I love and wish I'd done sooner; house projects; and a little tinkering in the garden. It's just getting to the point when we can really prune and plant and not worry so much about cold weather zapping our Florida beauties, so I expect I'll be spending a lot of time in the yard soon. The red passionflower, which I thought would be happiest in summer, came to life this winter, blooming like crazy. I guess some things bloom when you least expect them. Maybe that explains the whole hope thing, which I'm trying to rediscover.