Another pilgrimage to our local garden center yielded another spree of plants to enrich our lives and freshen perspectives at home. I now have a long-desired hanging plant box for our balcony – the first of several I hope – and it was necessary that they be filled in time for enjoying the rest of the weekend, and since we were already there I thought a couple of new plant bowls for some inside greenery was appropriate for the occasion. The total bill for 16 plants, two bowls, 20 pounds of soil, and a solar-powered garden lamp was almost €80, which was a tidy sum, but felt rather justified after all the plants were in place. It would be a little unreasonable to think my new green friends will last this slowly creeping and inevitable winter but if they’re around for a few weeks this fall it would still be worthwhile. Here’s hoping.