Every day, the world gets greener. Appalachia in spring is lush. It fills your eyes with emerald and peridot, your ears with birdsong in twirs and twees, your nose with cool crisp mountain air.

To ease stress, I watch my garden grow. I pay attention to the flowers. The catmint is blooming in soft blues, and the salvia in indigo spires. The roses have started opening their deep red blossoms, the columbine shiver in lavenders and pinks, and the poppies have buds the size of a baby’s fist.

I have been watching the snapdragons in my flower baskets out back. They’ve seemed on the verge of opening for over a week. Yesterday, they finally began. Now I get to watch as each of those buds opens into a crimson flower. I hope the bees climb in.