Bonsai Groundhog Day by Gregory Quinn Have you seen the movie "Groundhog Day", with Bill Murray? In this movie, a weatherman is compelled to repeat the same day - Groundhog Day - until he has proved his worth by becoming more humane and exchanging his automatic reactions for creative new ways of acting. The crux of the movie is when the weatherman learns to be happy in the moment, he gets the girl and "the day" finally comes to an end. Are you stuck in your own "bonsai groundhog day"? Always performing the same actions every year with the same, or worse, results? Are you focusing on the shortcomings, problems, and general failures of your trees? Change your viewpoint by reading bonsai books. Each author has a different bias on the art. David Young has reviewed a new book in the TBS library called "Bonsai Aesthetics", by Francois Jeker, in this issue. There are many others available. Our resident librarian, Mike McCallion, can help you find the right book. If you would like to recommend the book in a review, contact me by email (listed at back). Making drawings or taking photos of your trees will change the way you view them. If the photos are digital, you can play with them on computer using Photoshop; or just draw them, using tracing paper to depict different outcomes. Remember that the TBS collectively has hundreds of years of growing experience, so you can bring your photos or drawings in to the meeting for a critique. Start fresh by acquiring new trees, either by purchasing them from a bonsai nursery, or starting them from seed. Check the vendors section of the TBS website for nurseries; most seed companies have tree seeds available.