AeroGarden Day 7

We're in the seventh day of herb growth in the new garden of Eden. God would have created the universe in less time. The chives and dill plants are more than an inch high. The basils, both purple and Italian, are abundant and compact, as are the thyme plants. The mint, the most prolific of culinary varieties, has been slower to germinate. I'm sure it will make up for lost time soon. The parsley, which is a difficult herb to cultivate outdoors, has yet to sprout, although I do see indications of seed swelling. All indications are this fool-proof contraption in living up to its reputation and takes my attention from the bitter cold to the cozy indoors.

Front page headlines of yesterday's The Times (Trenton that is) cited "killings fell by nearly half since 2005 - but Trenton accounts for every one in the county." Scary to know that the second killing of the year occurred March 14 at 940 Melrose Avenue. It was a domestic violence murder in which an adult male stabbed to death the mother of his 7-year-old daughter. So why am I so fascinated with Trenton, the birthplace of me and my six siblings, you might ask? Well, our childhood houses, yes there were two, happened to be on Melrose Avenue, just one bloke away from the homicide victim's homestead. More than forty years ago we left behind the hard times of a Chambersberg area neighborhood, in the southern portion of Trenton notable for its strong reflection of Italian and Italian-American culture, to the Main Line of Philadelphia. Best move we ever made!