Springtime for Michelle

Dateline: Summerisle

While John Galt may have seen his shadow, leading to another five to twenty-five years of economic winter, don't expect Michelle Obama to be gloomy. Today she and a classful of future health care debtors turned their frowns upside down as they propitiated the old gods in hopes of a single season of bounteous crops. The First Lady wants us to learn that subsistence farming is about more than survival; it's about community! (Loren: It is if you live in one of the many Obamavilles sprouting like organic arugula around the former United States.)

La Michelle "told the students that no matter where people live or how old they may be, they can still garden, noting the fun of spending time outdoors and digging in the dirt." (IOW, we're all going to be spending a lot of time outdoors cough--homeless--cough and digging in the dirt cough--for tubers--cough, so get used to pretending it's fun.)

"To illustrate that point, the first lady knelt in the 1,500-square-foot garden and planted two rows of broccoli as well as some rhubarb. (She would have planted seed corn, but turns out the Porkulus ate it.)

After the rhubarb was in the ground Mrs. Obama and some of the children performed what she called a "growing dance" around the wooden planter. The group chanted "grow, rhubarb, grow" several times, then circled the planter and finished by throwing their hands in the air. (I know that feeling.)

White House assistant chef Sam Kass, who oversees the garden, joined in for the last round of the dance." (Before the music stopped.)

But just as the citizenry is waking up to discover about Administration economic policy, eking your living from the ground isn't all song and dance. Nature, like Mr. Obama, demands sacrifices and is not easily appeased. Remember, when you look around the table and have to ask yourself who the ritual blood sacrifice is, chances are it's you....




Not to worry, though: Sumer is icumen in. Loudly sing, cuckoos! While you can.