The rabbit named Twenty-Two stood at the gate, knowing her time was up.

She had packed her bags with extra care, determined that her successor, Twenty-Three, would have as clean a slate as one could have with a garden.

Reflecting, as usual, her thoughts turned to the weather. Of course, she’d come through with flying colors for Easter, perhaps the most important day in Carol’s garden. She’d planted extra pansies and violas, so the garden was colorful.

Everyone enjoyed seeing the kids run around looking for Easter eggs and then running around some more to burn off some of their sugar energy.

Twenty-Two was a little embarrassed about her mismanagement of the weather in the fall. Oops, she forgot to turn on the rain. So dry.

Then right before Christmas, Twenty-Two hit the wrong switch and turned on a polar vortex. Did she overcompensate by sending temperatures up that high so quickly? “Oh, well,” she thought, “at least I ended the year with rain.”

Twenty-Two was proud, too, of the book she’d helped with, Carol’s seventh, The Halloween Hare. And she had tried to keep things interesting in the garden so Carol would have something to talk about on the weekly podcast she continued to record with Dee Nash.

As she continued to muse about the year, Twenty-Two, decided to jot down a few notes for Twenty-Three.

Top of the list was to look in the sunroom because she’d ordered and received quite a few packets of seeds. Surely she’d left enough? While in the sunroom, Twenty-Three needed to tend to the microgreens. Carol had begun sowing quite a few little flats of microgreens, which Twenty-Two was taking credit for.

The clock struck louder.

What else!? Twenty-Two left notes about three books she thought Twenty-Three should help Carol with.

Just as Twenty-Two finished her final note, she saw Twenty-Three arrive at the garden gate. “So fresh and lively,” thought Twenty-Two, “and look at me? Oh well, I don’t look so bad, all things considered.”

“Hello!” hollered Twenty-Three, disrupting Twenty-Two’s final thoughts. Twenty-Two looked up from her notes, greeted Twenty-Three, then handed her all the notes she’d taken. With a quick apology for the lack of time for further explanations and detailed instructions, she headed off into the past.

Twenty-Three bid Twenty-Two a quick good-bye, entered the garden, set down her bags, looked around, and decided that she liked what she saw. She was ready to get to work and carry on the traditions of the past while forging new traditions for the future.

But first, she decided she would like a cup of tea and a little cookie. After those refreshments, she would roll up her sleeves and start working on the long list of projects Twenty-Two left for her. If the list was any indication, Twenty-Two thought Twenty-Three was going to have a busy year.

Happy New Year, Twenty-Three