Warm weather one day, then cooler with a bit of fog, then windy and cold...how is it that March gets away with this every year? I can appreciate the novelty. Everyday there is something new.

Sour news from last week: A good friend's student died, at home, from a sudden accident. He was eleven, the same age as our daughter. The unpublished cause of death was self-asphyxiation. What realms these young people are exploring through oxygen deprivation, I am certain can be taught to them with much safer methods. The mind and imagination are limitless, though our culture does not have a tradition of tapping into its infinite potential. For our American youth, it has not yet been offered as a brand, lifestyle choice or identity.

It shakes a parent in a certain way, this idea that life is so close to death. Death itself is not wrong, or right. It seems like a matter of appropriateness. Explore other realms in a safe and loving way, in a way that does no harm. As a parent, it reminds me to help my kids access new and exciting ways of experiencing the world.

Along a lighter note, the Meyer lemon tree is nearing bloom. There is one final lemon (still green) from last year's growing cycle hanging on the tree. The south-western winter sunlight keeps it happy. The garden beds which were prepared during the last warm days of the autumn are ready to plant. Today I set in some sweet pea seeds along the fence. Snow peas are germinating on top of the fridge. Next week: radish and spinach.