Now I don’t know about you, but this time of year for me brings renewed hope and excitement as I am finally unlocked from winter’s grip and I am able to get outside.  The outdoor season started a little earlier this year because we ventured into syrup making in mid March.  This weekend, the weather got into the mid 50′s and the March winds had finally subsided.  It was also busy; the Masters was played (a sure sign of Spring), we had commitments on Saturday and Easter was Sunday.  Hope and promises were on display all around us in the midst of it all.

Earlier in the week, I picked up seed potatoes for the garden.  Now last year, when I got ready to get plant the garden, I waited too long and the seed potatoes were all gone.  They sell faster than anything else because they can be put into the ground as soon as the frost is out.  Also, the year before, we went on a trip out west and came back to a garden that was lost to the weeds.  So, needless to say, I was a little stoked about getting the best of the potatoes, earlier than usual.

I tilled the garden on Friday and I am thinking I can get some cold weather plants in a little early (lettuce, carrots and potatoes).  I hacked the raspberry bushes to within a foot of the ground.  The trees I trimmed this winter were still on the ground, so I brought those to the composting place.  Is everything ready to go?  No, but I can feel it.  I can see the grass turning from brown to a light green.  I can see the buds on the trees plump and full, ready to burst open.

We typically do not take a vacation in the winter so this time of year is especially gratifying.  I absolutely love it.  In the upcoming weeks we will be moving some shrubs, planting some trees, vegetable garden, and our annual garden, rearranging and expanding our perennial garden, and enjoying every minute of being that much closer to God in the process.  We still have a lot of “work” to do, but I cannot wait to get my hands dirty.

With all the changes happening in our lives and the technology world that I live in, this is the best and most satisfying thing that Spring brings.  It is theripudic to my soul.  This spring, may you also find the time to get your hands dirty and breath in the rich smell of the earth as you plant your own garden.