Seeds & shoots

My apologies for my absence and neglect. I have been struggling to shake the late winter doldrums. Not sure I want to delve into that any further right now.

But...

Spring has finally made it to southern Ohio. Hard to believe that this very long winter is finally coming to a close. I don't doubt that we may see snow flurries yet... rising this morning I heard news of the blizzards in Montana... which will undoubtedly effect us in some measure....

the forsythia has not yet bloomed, however, we can at last stand with the wind to our backs.

We have had some crisp cool days the past few weeks, and even some down right cold days, but we have had a some beautiful warm and some tolerable days that grab you by the shoulders and pull you up right and give you a hope and promise of renewal and a fresh start.

Burning off a lot of dead grass & brush from the front pasture and parts of the front yard gave the ground a chance to wake up and gave the grasses a chance to break free of the cold earth. Now it is nearly impossible to tell where the ground was once blackened from the fire. It all looks green and lush.

One beautiful afternoon this past week I cut scrub trees, grapevine, briers & poison from the fence line between the front lawn and horse pasture. What a bonfire that will make. Still have to salvage what perennials that may still be hiding there.

Last year I started two 'square foot' gardens. The kids loved it. They each got a 4 ft. square to plant whatever they wished. But we soon learned that would not do. It is just unreal to expect zucchini, squash, watermelons and tomatoes to co-exist in one 4 ft. section along with radishes, lettuce and peppers. The zucchini won out. We had a bumper crop. Now they lay waiting for new seed to reawaken them.



SPRING HAS ARRIVED!



This year a neighbor brought his tractor & plow in last week and plowed up a bigger new garden. The sod still shown over most and seemed daunting. Then Sunday morning he brought his huge tiller and turned it all soft rich, lush, loam. A beautiful blank canvas, ready to paint a new summer mural. Now I'm really getting impatient to put those seeds in. I can see the corn, potatoes, beans and tomatoes now, just waiting to be plucked and carried to the harvest table!

Clearing the leaves and last of the dead fall from my kitchen garden, I couldn't resist taking the trowel to a section and planting. I now have a few onions, peas, Swiss chard, spinach, radishes, carrots, cabbages & lettuce in fresh turned ground. Of course I had to cover the cabbage plants Sat. night to guard off the chill, but the sun came out to warm them early and their tiny leaves are billowing in the breeze.












As I wondered about the yard searching for true signs... mind you they weren't too difficult to find. Besides the tiny crocus, daffodil, tulips, lilies and the short green shoots of grass peaking their tiny heads from the cold ground...I discovered some tiny lettuce plants coming up. They must be from seed that the kids spilled last year, which got covered over and did not germinate... however somehow they managed to survive and emerge this spring.


God in all His magnificent wisdom rekindles all life. Spring always gives us new hope for the future and renews our faith in Him... that life springs eternal.

Soon it will be Easter when our Lord and Savior died on the cross for all man kind, was buried.... but on Easter Sunday rose from the dead to live forevermore.