Dormant Virginia rockbreaker
I should have spent Martin Luther King Day doing something civic to properly honor the fallen civil rights leader. But after taking a week off to take care of my grand-daughter, I had deadlines that had to be met, so I spent much to the day doing things to keep a roof over our heads. I think Dr. King would understand. And when I had no words left to write, I went, instead of to the local soup kitchen or the homeless shelter, to the woods to cut and split logs for us and for my neighbor, whom I keep in firewood. I guess that's my day's contribution. Once that was done, I went for my walk. I found a stand of Virginia rockbreaker, a kind of wildflower that colonizes the thin layer of soil atop bare rock. These plants are tough and persistent, flourishing by gradually breaking down stony resistance to their survival. I know that Dr. King would understand the attraction.