Loose Ends
Surviving winter
Susan Nienow

February is cocoon time. It turned cold just in time for me to curl up with a stack of seed catalogs. I dream of long rows of Queen Anne's lace interspersed with purple spikes of lavender. Some people think Queen Anne's lace is a weed, but it's one of my favorite flowers. And some people should probably keep their opinions to themselves.

I'd like several rows of sunflowers and a few pumpkin vines. And okra plants. Sorry, y'all - not for eating - to dry for arrangements. Oh, and hollyhocks. Those need a white picket fence or the side of a barn to grow against. I'll mention it to my other half. Fences and barns are his territory.

He thinks seeds are better than bulbs - they can be scattered rather than planted. And the rule is if I order, then I plant. There have been a few years when my fall bulbs were planted in February and more than once, not planted at all. Ok, he has been known to help with the bulbs.

We do have a division of labor in the yard. He does everything that requires turning on like mowers. I work with a trowel or a hose. Also, vegetables are his. He cooks so he grows what he wants on the menu - as long as we don't have big appetites. If I was in charge of vegetables, I would stick to the ones that are pretty or that can be used in dried arrangements.

When I looked at the pond, it was iced over, and little hills of white stuck up all over it. It was 32 degrees outside so I sent my other half down to see if they were tiny icebergs. Apparently a hawk had met his demise, and his downy feathers were stuck in the ice. Icebergs would have made a better story.

Since those little white tufts were so dramatic, I have ordered a catalog for water lilies. I also spotted a great bench and an arbor that I have asked my other half to build. He said, "Sure," but he didn't sound committed. He also mentioned the price of water lilies might limit us to a total of three.

In case I run out of plant catalogs, I brought home a "how to build a bird house" book. Unlike the crafters on TV, I can't be trusted around power tools, so I left it on my other half's chair in case he runs out of things to do.

I also have stacks of paperbacks - the fastreading kind that doesn't tax my brain. I don't want to have to figure anything out. I just want to escape to a sunny, warm place where the people and the events are exciting - without leaving home.

I count on having a February every year. I appreciate that it is technically the shortest month, even if it seems to last forever. And it gives me time to dream of things for my other half to do.