Leave the Lights On

It has been a very busy few days, planning for the inauguration and finishing the stairs. Barack and Michelle invited Cheryl and I to spend the first night at the White House but we had to decline. We go to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm, so we thought why not just let them celebrate without worrying about us? We can visit later.

The cold weather from the inauguration made its way to Florida, threatening to snuff out my mango crop. Today the tree seems OK, but it takes a few days to see if the buds have died. Last year we lost all the buds. We also have a particularly delicate and young Tibouchina urvilleana (cute, with velvet leaves and purple flowers) that I strung up with lights to help fight off the cold. I had one of these die a few years ago from just a mild frost. You can't be too careful.

I worry about Obama, too, but what can you do? He keeps telling me that he "can take it from here," just like a kid you have just sent to college (who is smarter and more mature than you are, anyway) . Maybe he's right. After the past eight years it is hard to believe that politicians are capable of crossing the street without some hand-holding. And, to be honest, I haven't done such a good job with things either.

The president is in a warm bubble now. It is such a big job, though, at such a tough time and in a vicious political environment that can turn to ice overnight. He seems like a kid sometimes, young and optimistic. Of course, I am his main go-to guy, an older-but-not-too-bright-brother type of guy, with all the responsibilities that go along with that, but I need to get started on my window project soon and finish off the big set of stairs. Next month I will have loads of yard work--fertilizing, pruning, etc. Maybe he can make it without my help...