Every spring at the first hint of warmth and green the planting bug strikes. In the past, this bug has been a challenge as I lived in a place where my planting was limited to pots and most green things were such an anomaly they were eaten within days. Now, I have over an acre of land on which to dig and plant and happily scour local nurseries for ideas. What's different this year is that I am not buying anything at those nurseries. Instead, I have decided to plant as much as I can for less than a penny. Surprisingly, this has not been the challenge I thought it might be. Others, it seems have a similar passion for plants and love to share. My parents brought over rhubarb and the bleeding heart (shown in bloom above). We transplanted them just a few weeks ago and already they have flourished. Yesterday, I stopped at a roadside sign that said "FREE" lilies. While I broke off some of the roots from the box on the road a lady came up from the house and asked if I wanted anything else. By the time I left I had a trunkload of phlox, lilly, hosta, primrose, iris and some kind of wild orchid. She waved goodbye and said "Happy Planting." I putter and plant, my finger tips darkened by earth, fingernails jagged. My primordial need to touch the earth met without going into debt!

I love losing myself in a good film. Seeing a film on the big screen however, has been a challenge as I haven't lived within fortyfive miles of a  theater in years but things have changed. I now live just three miles from a cinema which makes getting a fix for my habit real easy. I managed to see all the best film nominees for this year and concur with the Academy that Slumdog was by far the best. Admittedly, I have a penchant for Bollywood anyway but Slumdog had that extra verve and optimism that left me leaving the theater lighter on my feet. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button was abolutely lovely. The storyline of the Reader was mired in horror but Winslet's performance was brilliant. Milk is the kind of story that should never be forgotten and Frost/Nixon is about a piece of history that probably will be forgotten so that we continue to repeat our mistakes.  As for the Wrestler, it was not a nominee for best picture but did receive a best actor nomination, for Micky Rourke's performance so I went to see it as well. The film just left me cold and depressed. So there you go, get thee to the movies!