One of my goals was to revisit the Conservatory next to the Capital on the Mall. I stumbled across it an eon or so ago when I finally succumbed to Kay's entreaties to take our children on a vacation to see our nation's capital. I had resisted as my many business trips there had left a negative aura and no room for pleasure. The Conservatory was a serendipitous discovery. It is no more, having been destroyed to make room for another museum.
Northern winters are the time to retrench from outdoor gardening and to look inward.
Garden catalogs and Web pages of sunny climes help dispel the more desolate landscape outside. Even better are the many plants I have growing indoors. A terrarium also helps. Lifting the cover lets the odors of the deep woods escape. Close your eyes and imagine summer.