From the beginning

The month of March lends itself very naturally to creative living. There are buckets of water in the shower waiting for the garden soil, a spreadsheet inventory of all frozen and nonperishable food items, and already a new plan is brewing for April. The stack of empty egg cartons on top of the stereo speaker must not be left out, either. February has left us with several coolers of rain water and a burgeoning compost in the backyard. Lenten promises made in the vicinity of a Murphy bed have led to a cheddar cheese shortage and an empty chip shelf.