It\u2019s a big responsibility writing a column for the newspaper, trying to touch on topics that readers will identify with while highlighting the humorous side of life. For a procrastinator like me, sometimes the deadline creeps up before inspiration settles in.<\/p>\n
This month I was going to go for a universal topic, and write about the onslaught of colds, coughs and fevers experienced by my family this winter. One cold followed another like a chain smoker lighting up the next cigarette from the butt of the last. Being good students who learned our lessons from kindergarten, we share in our family. Germs are no exception. Every single one of us got the chance to be miserable, including the oldest off in college in North Carolina. I\u2019m not quite sure how the germs made it to him through the telephone lines, but there it is. I told my mother that I wished I could heat my house on the fevers my family has suffered this cold and flu season. But as I write this, on spring break with lovely dry weather beckoning and yet another cold and fever keeping me housebound, I fail to see the humor in the subject.<\/p>\n
Then I thought I could write about a topic of the day, like Juneau\u2019s Democratic caucus. But I haven\u2019t actually attended the caucus yet, even though it will be over by the time this piece goes to print. I\u2019ve been invited at least four times, by earnest young callers from both candidates\u2019 campaigns, and yes, I do intend to go. I\u2019ll stand off in a corner so I don\u2019t infect too many other eager voters. Which corner remains to be seen, and I\u2019m not telling. Maybe that\u2019s why they keep calling me.<\/p>\n
I certainly don\u2019t want to write about the Republican campaign\u2014nothing humorous about that.<\/p>\n
I could write about Easter, since this column will appear in the Sunday edition on Easter morning. But I\u2019m pretty sure someone else has got that gig.<\/p>\n
So I thought I\u2019d write about skunk cabbage. Skunk cabbage is one of the first plants to emerge in the spring, brightening the woods with its lovely yellow flowers. It feeds the bears as they stumble out of their dens to forage, and it feeds our hopes that spring is on its way, really and for true.<\/p>\n
Fun fact: According to the National Wildlife Federation\u2019s website, skunk cabbage has the ability to produce its own heat as it comes up in the spring. The website explains that, \u201cduring the winter when temperatures are freezing, the flower buds can warm up to 70 degrees, which melts the snow around the plant.\u201d The site doesn\u2019t use the word \u201cfever,\u201d but one has to wonder. I don\u2019t even heat my house up to 70 degrees\u2014maybe I should gather up some skunk cabbage to do the trick.<\/p>\n
Then the skunk cabbage grows from its pristine yellow shoot into a big, green, smelly plant. Is there a metaphor for life here? No ugly duckling growing into a beautiful swan here. But in its green smelliness it somehow resembles Shrek, that odiferous ogre with a heart of gold. Hidden under the stinky leaves you can find a hint of magic, if you know how to look. According to Janice J. Schofield\u2019s \u201cDiscovering Wild Plants,\u201d skunk cabbage has many medicinal uses. If you know what you\u2019re doing, in conjunction with a number of other herbs, you can make a tea that is \u201can ideal beverage for smokers, as well as those with coughs, colds, or asthma.\u201d (p. 39). A cure for the common cold? Or even just a way to cough a little less and sleep a little more at night? Three cheers for skunk cabbage!<\/p>\n
In the end, you probably didn\u2019t encounter Shrek at the Democratic caucus, although you can see him on stage at Thunder Mountain High School next weekend. You probably didn\u2019t get skunk cabbage in your Easter basket, but you can enjoy a beautiful crop along the roadsides at this time of year. You likely have a cold, or know someone who does. I agree, there\u2019s nothing funny about that!<\/p>\n
\u2022 Peggy McKee Barnhill is a wife, mother and aspiring author who lives in Juneau. She likes to look at the bright side of life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It\u2019s a big responsibility writing a column for the newspaper, trying to touch on topics that readers will identify with while highlighting the humorous side of life. For a procrastinator like me, sometimes the deadline creeps up before inspiration settles in. This month I was going to go for a universal topic, and write about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":7,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-6100","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-life"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6100\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6100"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=6100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}