After Spring Break

I ran a lot of errands today and saw a lot of people who are reentering their lives in Michigan after vacations in southern places. They were tan and relaxed and slightly smug, but they were also cold. These people come back weakened -- as sensitive as basil. But I've stayed in zone 5 all winter and am as tough as a pansy. Pansies thrive in cool weather. In the heat, not so much. But in a late April flurry of snow? They are tougher than lantana. Tougher than gomphrena. But nobody calls anybody else a lantana. Nobody says, "He's a gomphrena." This should be regional. A "pansy" should be a northener. A "lantana" should be a southener. And what of the gardeners who plant both? Peacemakers. All gardeners are peacemakers.