March 20, 2014 Vernal Equinox

From the studios of Radio Station WBEZ, Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

Jeanne Nolan is here today to be interviewed on the Morning Shift with Tony Sarabia, in honor of the first day of Spring. Jeanne is chatting about growing vegetables with the host and taking a variety of calls from the listening public. A food grower for decades and the founder of The Organic Gardener, she can advise at length on the roots and shoots that make up a garden patch. But some of the callers have some oddball questions. "My rose bush looks like something out of a science fiction movie," declares a woman from Elmwood Park. "What can I do?"

My view of the studio is from the foyer where studio guests can lounge before going on air. I am here as Jeanne's driver. She is a busy woman, the entrepreneurial driving force behind our company, and as such can benefit from extra work time while cruising the roads and expressways of Chicagoland. That's why I, a landscape construction laborer, have been drafted into the role of chauffeur. I am sporting my navy wool blazer and my Donegal flatcap, doing my best to look like Tom Branson, the earnest motorcoachman who won the heart of the master's daughter on Downton Abbey.

I'm looking at Jeanne and Tony through soundproof glass and their voices reach me via the airwaves through a little speakerbox on the foyer coffee table. Jeanne is friendly, upbeat and confidently shares knowledge about soil and sunlight gained from her seasons of experience. There is real information here. I write myself the following email:

well aerated nutrient dense soil is the foundation. outdoor composting systems go fairly dormant in the deep of winter. pumpkins need full sun, which is 8 plus hours per day. How many hours for garlic? jonathan messinger asks how to acidify his soil for growing blueberries. hot pepper or garlic spray to deter squirrels

A homeowner in Lake Forest calls about tent caterpillars attacking his tree limbs. "We usually take a manual approach to insects," Jeanne says. "If they're not doing to much damage you can just pull them off. There is something available, a little heavier duty, Bacillus thuringiensis. BT. It's a certified organic pesticide. So you can try that."

WBEZ staff pass through the corridor as the spot moves along. I am not a true NPR junkie but I listen enough to be curious and a bit starstruck by the people that work in this office. A young woman in a beige skirt and matching sweater vest walks through the door with some acquaintances. Her voluminous blond hair is striking, hanging in waves past her shoulders. She says something to her friend. I know the voice from informative features on local politicos, delivered with the perfect dash of skeptical irony. It's Lauren Chooljian. I always pictured her with dark hair.

Jeanne's spot wraps and shortly she emerges from the studio. As we prepare to leave Monica Eng appears. Monica is a dedicated food writer and advocate, and I am pleased to be introduced. She and Jeanne express mutual admiration and chat about gardening. Somehow the conversation turns to Bacillus thuriniensis, BT. Monica asks what pests were bad enough to pull out the big guns for last year and Jeanne replies that it was the cabbage worms. "I know!," says Monica. "I looked up one day and those cabbage loopers had destroyed my kale!"

We return our badges at reception and make our way to the parking lot. We step out of the lampglow of the local media. Today is the vernal equinox, the first day of spring, but on the way here there was a shortlived snowfall. Now the air is getting definitely pleasant. We head north on the expressway and return to our ordinary work.