Email Chain with my Liberal Philosophy Professor about Presidents’ Day

Me:
Good afternoon Professor,
It just occurred to me that tomorrow is President's Day. Considering we closed for MLK day and that it’s a federal holiday, I wanted to make sure that we would be having class as usual.

Professor:

Hi Studentname,

Yes, we are having our usual class. This may be a federal holiday but Campus is open (as are most other colleges). Perhaps right now there is nothing to celebrate?

Best,

me:

Do you like gardening?

I have wanted a garden since I was a child - I was always intrigued with the existentialist view of the world. My first novel was ‘My Side of the Mountain’ where a young boy lives off the land, I’ve read it every year since I was a boy.

Anyways, I finally planted my first garden a few years back. It was the first garden that patch of grass has ever seen. The ground was hard, there were roots and debris that made it very difficult to use. I pushed through, and before I knew it I had a nice dirt patch, organized in rows, labeled, planted, and watered.

Over the next few weeks the weeds began to grow. All the grass I had tilled spread seeds throughout the garden. That first year was difficult. I spent whole days in the garden on my knees pulling the weeds. Soon enough the seeds that I had sown began to sprout and after watering and weeding daily; I watched as they flourished. Few things in life are as rewarding as the feeling of cultivating something and watching it grow.

As the seasons changed and the harvest grew nearer, I looked forward to the taste of of fresh vegetables and home made pesto. The vegetables were beginning to ripen on the vines.

One morning before work, I went outside to water my garden but to my horror, it had been destroyed in the night. Deer had come onto my property and destroyed my entire crop. It was a crushing feeling. I thought to myself, there would have been so much extra food. I would have gladly shared - but instead they ate the plants, chewed down to the roots and left the unripened crops to rot on the ground.

Ever since that time, I’ve built a wall around my garden. It’s not that I don’t like rabbits and deer, it’s that I believe a man has a right to property and to determine how it should be used and shared.

I’ve got to tell you though, that the wall has worked every year and I’ve never lost another crop.

Happy Presidents Day!