On Beets and Crocuses

Having returned from visiting Val who is managing to eat almost entirely organic food she cooks from scratch herself, I have vowed to put more effort and thought into what I eat. So on my way home from my lesson yesterday, I stopped at the little produce store and bought two beautiful bunches of beets. J had requested I make borscht for us a while back so I figured now was the time. Making it all the better, the beet greens (which fall on the crinkle-index somewhere between Chard and Collards) were still attached by their spindly red stalks. Walking home with them peeking out the top of the plastic bag, I felt strong, like Gary Larson's triumphant vegetarians returning from the hunt with their giant carrot. And while proudly carrying my beets I saw the first crocuses of the year (likewise triumphant in their gaudy yellows) it occurs to me that Spring is a good time for resolutions. No one can keep them in the doldrums of winter and so we conclude that we are not resolute enough and give up. So in the spirit of flowers and vegetables, I hereby muster my resolve to cook more food, to practice more music, to read more books, to take more risks, to write more letters, to be a better friend.