Judging by the red and pink displays in the stores around here, Valentine’s Day is just around the corner.

And so is the peak (pique?) of cabin fever.

To those who know her, Ruth Goodwin is a barometer of cabin fever. She tries to control it, that irresistible itch to do something—anything—different, especially if it involves the color green.

So far, she hasn’t been successful.

Let’s see how she does this year, shall we? Here’s a sample of tomorrow’s story, the first of two parts, about Ruth Goodwin and her battle for an oasis of green in the gray world of February.

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