There is no place like home. I just returned as I write this from our nation’s capital. I was pleased and humbled to attend the women’s march — more about that later.

Washington is a beautiful city. There are no factories so the air is relatively clean and there is plenty of public transportation. We were fortunate to stay at an apartment close to the White House so were able to get around on foot.

Naturally I spent some time admiring (or criticizing) the flora. The sidewalks are lined with tree beds, it seems that most of which are recent transplants. Almost every bed had my least favorite ground plant, liriope. You may remember my less-than-charitable remarks about said plant when the roundabout was planted full of it. If you will notice, most of that planting has died. Quelle surprise.

Where was I? Washington sidewalks. The liriope was bordering huge areas of still-blooming yellow pansies. I was curious about the large numbers of enormous cement planters in front of the many buildings. They were filled over the top with small gray gravel. I wondered if it was to simply look tidy over the winter or a zero maintenance statement.

Many of the small yards at residential apartments looked like my own place — ignored completely until spring. Sad.

One fun thing happened while I was away. All my onions and leeks have germinated. Now it’s time to think seriously about seed planting in the greenhouse in particular for early spring. Whoopie.

Next week I will have written this column for 10 years. Hard to believe. I entertained some thoughts of calling it a day, especially after the election. Guess I was in some sort of grieving process. From time to time I do receive a fair amount of criticism for my opinions — fair enough. However, so far we still have freedom of the press, my editor supports me and the column is entitled Gardener, not Gardens. Therefore, I shall continue to take liberties as a gardener. Thank you my fan base, it means a lot to have some positive feedback.

Speaking of positive, what can I possibly say about the march on Washington last weekend that can do it justice?

I did some serious demonstrating while living in the District of Columbia in the late 1960s. Nixon’s inauguration was memorable. I’ve been tear-gassed, corralled, chased down alleys by mounted police, and witnessed several serious clubbings.

Saturday’s event could not have been more different. There were elderly folks in wheelchairs, fathers with young daughters, babies in strollers, aging hippies, passionate youth and smiling bullet-proof vested Marines taking selfies with young women.

Some of the signs were downright hilarious as well as spot on. There’s a wealth of creativity in our country.

I was struck by the genuine kindness and good will. There were times that the crowd was a bit overwhelming, but everyone was respectful and good natured. I met people from all over and struck up immediate conversations. I like to think I spent the day with half a million BFFs. While all that was fun and inspiring, there must be a next step. I have made a commitment to hand write all the members of Congress as to my concerns about the new administration and to remind them all that they work for me. This will probably take a year or more if I am serious, but honestly, we all should — what’s that expression — put our money where our mouth is.