What’s wrong with me? I hate the heat and humidity in summer but now I’m whining about the cold. It’s January, for Pete’s sake, and a 20-degree day should not be a surprise. Folks in the deep South and Texas have every right to complain. I cannot quite picture snow in New Orleans.

Here at home, I have blooms on two white hellebores. They are just at ground level in the ragged remains of last year’s plants. I know they are referred to as either the Christmas or Lenten rose. Wonder which this could be — wedged right between the two seasons.

I finally ordered my vegetable seeds. I’m always happy with my phone experience at Pine Tree Gardens in Maine. They answer right away and there is no pesky recording and/or horrible “on hold” music.

Sadly my experience was not as wonderful at Gurney’s. Think I’ll go elsewhere next year for sweet potato plants.

The plants are expensive everywhere. Twelve for 20-something dollars. They arrive late spring in sad condition. Remarkably, they quickly take to their new home and produce like crazy.

I still have a basket of large tubers left. We’ve been eating them at least once a week.

Since the seeds are en route, I’m in the greenhouse mid-day when it warms up.

I’ve been sanding and applying linseed oil to all the wood tool handles. I wish I could brag that I do it yearly but the condition of some of them tells a different story.

It’s great bread-making weather. The oven warms the kitchen nicely.

I stocked the freezer with several bags of locally grown flour. Dan Sternback has been selling his product for several years at Mermaid Farm. He grinds it himself. This fall he offered rolled oats, rye and wheat flours. The name of the company is Lost and Found Grains as a shout-out to some ancient varieties.

My geraniums are potted up and residing in an unheated backroom. I’ve only watered them one time so far and like real troopers they still live. My great-grandmother used to yank them from the garden and hang them upside down in the basement. She called them magic plants since they always came back in the spring.

There were two newsworthy events on Monday, Jan. 20. One does not rate any comment at this time. The other was the annual celebration of the Martin Luther King Jr. birthday — a national holiday. In honor of the day and to avoid any coverage of the other event, I reread Letter from the Birmingham Jail.

To refresh your memories, Dr. King was in the jail after Bull Conner supported fire hosing of peaceful young people. It was on national news; I watched in horror as a high school sophomore. The letter is quite long but incredibly well-written.

I was talking to Violet about it. She recalls reading it as a middle-schooler at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School. Kudos to the teachers for presenting the historical letter to children here on the Vineyard. Education of our young may be our only saving grace!