Groundhog Day

So Punxatawney Phil has made his official prediction--six more weeks of winter. I wish he would reconsider. I'm so ready for spring, not six weeks from now, but right now.

Last night I watched Groundhog Day, one of my all-time favorite movies. The theme of this movie--that you can't control the circumstances of your life, you can only control your responses to them--is an idea that is resonating with me a lot right now, but it's also a good lesson for gardeners in general. There is a lot in gardening that you can't control--rainfall, temperature, disease, and more. Stuff happens. Seeds may not germinate, seedlings may succumb to damping-off, and mature plants may curl up and die for no discernible reason. What are you gonna do? As Bill Murray finds out in the movie, the only thing you can do is roll with it, learn what you can, try to be kind, and whenever possible, find something to laugh about. And keep on gardening.