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Right in my Own Backyard by Brandt Carter - Pansy Time by guest columnist Jim Misner
posted: Apr. 23, 2020

Right in my Own Backyard header

Pansy Time
What a pleasant surprise! Someone left a planter full of pansies on our front porch. We tried to guess who the thoughtful person/people could be. We thought of dozens of friends and neighbors who would be so kind. Several had already offered to shop for us and one even wanted to give us a tank of propane for our grill.
Now, when we go on walks, the pansy has special significance. They seem to be in every park and front yard, and we are paying more attention to them. The pansy is a perfect plant for this Corona (Covid-19 Virus) Spring. Pansies can withstand the ups and downs of our volatile spring weather. They are impervious to the frost and bask in the afternoon sun with their glorious yellows and purples. Our neighbors are also shining through with hope and optimism whenever we see them, while at the same time bracing themselves for the frosty reality of Corona.
pansy
Quan


When I was a kid, the pansy did not have such a lofty connotation. If you wanted to tease others about their "guts," you called them a "pansy." You're a "pansy" if you don't dare to enter the spooky house!" Or, "Don't be a "pansy", ask her out on a date!" The last thing a teen-age boy wanted to be called was a "pansy."
How did the brilliant pansy become a wimp? Certainly, pansies don't like hot summer days. "If you can't stand the heat in the kitchen, you 'pansy,' you had better get out." But for now, during these turbulent times, I prefer the resilient pansy as a symbol of our daily, tenacious response to Corona.
I hate to admit it, but I was becoming a "pansy" even before Corona. Every hang-nail, blister, abrasion, headache, sore throat, you name it, was a big deal. I was worried whether my immune system would be able to repel a disease or infection. Perhaps, I was confronting my own mortality for the first time.
In a sense, Corona has put mortality back in perspective, and I have stopped "sweating the small stuff." Maladies I once worried about will have to wait until we get through the pandemic. Doctors and nurses on the front line don't have the time to be concerned about my bad back, tennis elbow, Achilles tendonitis, swimmers' shoulder, plantar fasciitis, inflamed hamstrings, etc.
I think I will stop "being" a pansy and start "acting" like a genuine pansy. I will try to show my bright, colorful side whenever I can. Like the pansy, I will weather the cool mornings when I get out of bed and look forward to the warm afternoon sun. This virus has forced us to rethink many things. One thing I know for sure, in the future I will call the pansy the "Corona Flower" in memory of this unforgettable spring of 2020.
- guest columnist Jim Misner



Brandt Carter, artist, herbalist, and naturalist, owns Backyard Birds at 2374 E. 54th Street. Visit her web site www.feedbackyardbirds.com. Email your bird questions to Brandt@BroadRippleGazette.com




brandt@broadripplegazette.com
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