Waking Up After Corona Lockdown
The lesson of my geraniums
This year spring came early last month when we had a sunny 70-degree day, unusual this time of year in upstate New York. But these are unusual times.
Late fall before the first frost, I take my five potted geranium plants into the basement to hibernate for the winter. I put them on a shelf that is next to a west-facing window. Then I cease from watering or taking care of them in any way until spring. When the weather warms up, I clean off anything that died, cut back where necessary, start to water them regularly, and put them outside in the sun. Sometimes I need to bring them in again at night until the nighttime weather warms up as well. Soon I have beautiful, healthy blooming geraniums.
Longing for renewal especially during these stay-put-at-home days, I decided that the hibernation period was over and took my geraniums out of the basement and into the sunshine. I cleaned them up, watered them, and marveled at their potential for vibrancy and beauty. I even was surprised to notice some plants still had blooms that had dried out but retained their shape along with most of their color.
Now that the 70-degree weather has come and gone, the geraniums reside with me on the upper floors of the house. We play a game every day called Chasing the Sun. I move them from the…
