Newsletter — June 2018

For your enjoyment

We offer you a little gentle humor on the magical transformation of parents into grandparents in The Replacements, a short story on our website.

And for those children and grandchildren and their parents, some relevant medical information:

From the Academy of Pediatrics:
Children’s Environmental Health

From the National Institutes of Health:
Children’s Health – Why the Environment Matters

From the Archives of Cardiovascular Disease:
Cardiovascular effects of air pollution

To plant or not to plant?

Time is running out and the question waits to be answered. The sun is higher in the sky, no longer blindingly in our eyes, the shadows shorter. The morning air is filled with pollen and birdsong: robins, towhees, chickadees, pop from branch to branch looking for a place to land and start a family. The sweetness of early roses fills the air.

Unlike years past, we have not yet begun the garden, the possibility of growing our vegetables from seed having faded with the rainy days of March. Unseasonable warmth has thrown us off. And disappointment. The optimism of springs past has lately faded; last year was a complete bust. The rich soil which provided so many delicious summers of succulent tomatoes, crisp beans, English cucumbers and Boston lettuce has become depleted. And then there are the worms, the bugs, the fat and slimy slugs so eager to eat up the profits of our labor.

No matter. Spring is here, another chance to sow the seeds of healthy productivity. A new packet of pumpkin seeds waits to be spread on the ground so that come October, the children can once more play out their dreams of princesses, pirates, and angels, chasing the wicked witches back to their lairs. It is time once again to rise and plant the garden. *

*George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams and James Madison were all serious gardeners.

Wishing you another magical transformation of spring into summer!