TERRE HAUTE — Every blade of grass has its angel that bends over it and whispers, “Grow, grow.”
— The Talmud
In the timeless Puccini opera, “La Boheme,” the argument-prone lovers, Rodolfo and Mimi, sing a poignant duet about how they must part, but can’t bear to do it in winter.
“To be alone in winter,” they begin, “is a terrible thing! … But in the spring there is the sun for companion … Nobody is alone in April … One can talk to the lilies and the roses …”
That duet, which becomes a quartet, usually takes place on a dark stage with paper snow falling. Mimi is hunched and coughing with consumption, Rodolfo is heartsick, knowing he picks fights because he is poor and can’t provide a warm, healthy environment for Mimi.
In the relentless, bone-bruising cold, clinging to one another is all that either of them can manage. Something as wrenching as splitting up can be contemplated only with the promised fortifications of spring — bird song, blossoms, babbling fountains and warm breezes that spread “balm on human ills.”
I know what Mimi and Rodolfo mean.
Having just passed my fifth winter back home in Indiana, I have come to recognize the point in the season at which I am this-close to losing my mind. Really, that is not hyperbole. I mean, there is a time in late-winter when I nearly break with reality.
See, reality is, no matter how bad or prolonged the winter season, spring always follows. Always. It may be a short spring or a spring rudely interrupted, as was last year’s by a snow storm on Easter (Remember?). But spring always replaces winter.
When I am on the verge of winter psychosis, though, I forget “always.” The delusion starts in my cells and soul, then moves into my cognitive brain. A day dawns — bleak, gray, freezing, again — and I no longer believe that winter will end. Ever.
Nothing from my memory bank or stash of common sense helps. I can say aloud, “Don’t be ridiculous. Of course winter will end. It always ends.”
The words do nothing.
I can even look through zip-up storage bins at my own shorts, gauzy skirts and sleeveless blouses, or in the closet at the sandals and flip-flops that have been gathering dust in the corner.
So what?
Just because summer came last year, I’m supposed to believe it will come again? Impossible. I am convinced nothing can break through and conquer the all-powerful winter beast.
Then, just as I am about to lose my grip on sanity, the Tiny Ones begin to show themselves.
Pointed, little, half-inch shoots of daffodil plants poke up from the ground, sometimes piercing right through dead brown leaves that block their route to the sun.
Fuzzy little bullets of buds line up along the delicate branches of tulip trees.
Baby cardinals hop out of the hedges that line my driveway and jump around on the concrete, then careen back into the bushes.
Tiniest of all the Tiny Ones, perfectly formed little crocus simply appear in lavender puffs on a lawn that is still the color of straw.
Opinion
Related Photos
Discussion
STEPHANIE SALTER: Just when the mind is going, the Tiny Ones come to the rescue
- Opinion
-
-
RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: Robins
I’m sure you know the American bird is the Bald Eagle and I’m sure you know it almost didn’t get that job.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 29, 2012
• ‘Laboring in a rut of Darwinism’
-
LIZ CIANCONE: Avoiding the heat no puzzle to Indy the dog
When it gets this hot, I’m with my eldest granddog, Indy. We both look for a room with a ceiling fan. She also demands that the room have a tile floor to cool both bottom and top. She has the floor of course, but there is a cool corner for me in a comfortable chair and a small table for my ice water.
-
EDITORIAL: Saluting his sacrifice
If you need a new reason to reflect upon the historic meaning of Memorial Day, let the ultimate sacrifice that Arronn D. Fields made a week ago today be your inspiration.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 28, 2012
• Veterans, especially from WWII, deserve our lasting thanks
• All Bibles agree on ‘Golden Rule’
-
MARK BENNETT: Stuck in the middle with you
Thank goodness, members of Congress do not drive in the Indianapolis 500.
-
EDITORIAL: Remembering Henryville
In the era of instant communication, the past seems to arrive much quicker.
-
FLASHPOINT: Is this really the best we can do?
As you know if you pay attention to national affairs, the United States faces a perfect fiscal storm at the end of this year.
-
BRIAN HOWEY: Climbing the Ladder: 51 percent of the population in Indiana is female, and 31 of the 150
It was, utterly, one of the most painful political episodes I have ever had to watch as a political writer.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 27, 2012
• Alaska connection vital to Hoosiers who love wildlife
• Commissioners sell out Woodgate
• Same-sex marriage equalizes for all
• Mourdock can’t compromise on taxes
• Sweet lessons on ‘Lemonade Day’
• African Americans, slavery and Islam
-
READERS' FORUM: May 25, 2012
• Mayor, Republic solve trash issue
• Negative ads pervert politics
• VCSC team gives all-star response
-
RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: Confused
I am confused. For those who know me, that is not an unusual state. But, while listening to a political commercial on TV, I heard the announcer say the candidate was “real conservative.” If he is a “real conservative,” is someone not quite a “real conservative” an “unreal conservative”?
-
EDITORIAL: Towering response
It comes as incredibly sad news that a Garfield Towers resident has succumbed as the result of a fire last week at the northside apartment complex.
-
READERS' FORUM: May 24, 2012
• Cartoon unfunny, insults disabled
-
MARK BENNETT: 500 history runs in her veins, but she’ll pass on the buttermilk
Katy Balch appreciates tradition. The 20-year-old from Terre Haute understands how neatly her role as one of 33 Indianapolis 500 princesses fits her family.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 23, 2012
• The rule of the ‘government czar’
• Promises often don’t prove noble
• Smoking not going away soon
• Primary voting gets it wrong
• Where’s the pride in our parks?
-
RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: GSA Debacle
The recent General Services Administration debacle is enough to gag a whale.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 22, 2012
• Try a new approach to control drugs
• Our president is ruining the USA
-
LIZ CIANCONE: She wasn’t hooked by the fishing hobby
I’m told that eveyone should have a hobby. If “hobby” means collecting something like stamps or coins, I don’t have one.
-
EDITORIAL: Noteworthy in the news
• Cream of the crop
• Keep the ideas flowing
• Remembering fallen officers
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 21, 2012
• Some still don’t understand presence of pervasive racism
• Thanks for help in emergency
-
EDITORIAL: Hazards of the spring abundant now on I-70
A major holiday weekend is approaching. The weather has been consistently inviting for travel and outdoor activity. Gas prices are even inching downward.
-
MARK BENNETT: Roadway Role Models: Adults need to remember habits often rub off on teens
Plenty of dads connected with a car ad that first aired on TV two years ago.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 20, 2012
St. Ann’s gives thanks to those who supported its mission
No deception, just GOP spin
Disdain for only liberals
Writer doesn’t know the Bible
Flawed primary discourages voters
Recognition was much appreciated
Who’s fanning marriage issue?
-
FLASHPOINT:Bipartisan vs. Nonpartisan
During the primary election season there was much discussion regarding whether bipartisanship is a positive or negative attribute as it relates to the work of the United States Congress.
-
EDITORIAL: Embrace the Sycamores
Terre Haute should understand the rarity of an opportunity to celebrate a championship.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 18, 2012
• Romney imperfect, but better option
• Great support for Strassenfest
-
RONN MOTT’S MINUTE: ‘Political Super Pacs’
The Supreme Court has told us it is not constitutional to restrict how much money someone can put into a super political action committee.
-
EDITORIAL: Good choice for stability
For the first time in 25 years, Indiana will have a new chief justice for its Supreme Court. For those who value stability on the state’s highest court — and we count ourselves among those who do — the appointment Tuesday of longtime Justice Brent Dickson is good news.
-
READERS’ FORUM: May 17, 2012
• Don’t ignore what GOP won’t tell you
• Scotties help keep neighborhood tidy
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Romney Campaigns Ahead of Claiming Nomination
Raw Video: Cop Shoots Man Eating Another's Face
Obama Honors Fallen Troops at Arlington Cemetery
Man in Crane at Texas College Says He's Armed
Obama Honors Medal of Freedom Recipients
Raw Video: Deadly Explosion at Minn. Paper Mill
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
White House: No Military Intervention in Syria
Police Probe Similarities in 2 Disappearances
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Panetta: Asia the 'Project' for New Navy Grads
Even Fla. Police Shocked by Face-Mauling Attack
Romney Promises World's Strongest Military
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Couple doesn’t let tropical storm ruin their big day
Tori Bares Baby Bump in Monokini
Letterman on Family Life Post-Scandal
Evans: Serena in shock
Pregnant Reese Wears LBD
Volcano covers Colombian cities in ash
Meet the Crew and Good Ship 'Prometheus'
Los Angeles Bar Bans Bachelorettes
Hamster Plays Dead
Beyonce Shows Off 60 Pound Weight Loss at Concert
Drunk Women Breaking Into Houses: A New Trend?
LeAnn Rimes Rocks Short Shorts
Gordon Ramsay Carried Off Field
Man Dies Getting Lap Dance
Kim Kardashian Claims Items Stolen from Her Luggage
Bear cools off in Calif. family's pool
Ep. 3: Chopped Desserts
Air Force dad surprises family at baseball game
