I get excited about the smell of blossoms and the first new baby plants at the stores. I get excited when I see the seeds for sale and I have to control myself so I don’t buy too many seed packets. So far, I think I have accumulated about 20 or so seed packets. I am drawn to the seed and plant displays everywhere I go. I am also drawn to the crates and barrels of onions, seed potatoes and asparagus crowns. I want to get them and put them in the ground.

I used to think my favorite season was summer. This spring, I realized I was wrong. Spring is definitely my favorite season. A time to be excited about new life. I have lots of new life around me. A puppy, a kitten with many names (DC, Jody or Clarice) and loads of seeds waiting to be placed in the ground. Only one of the fruit trees is not yet completely pruned. I think I need to separate the rhubarb and I need to find a place to put the asparagus.

It isn’t really spring yet…but is seems like spring. It is a time for contemplation as it is also Lent. For Lent these past few years I have given up murder mysteries. Murder mysteries are my chosen form of escape from the world. Instead of existing in my world I can exist in a world where some detectives figure out who the murderer is and maybe even why. During Lent I choose to read something that makes me think about more than who the murderer might be. This season I chose to read a book by Barbara Kingsolver: Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. This is a book about the importance of our food. It even looks as though I picked up a signed copy at the used bookstore, which is a bonus.

This book has inspired me to plant asparagus. Long ago I decided to eat only local strawberries when they are in season. Strawberries shipped from a warmer southern climate do not compare to the local strawberries that are RED and SWEET and taste like a strawberry. This will be the summer to load up on freezer jam from these local strawberries, as well. The last jar from two seasons ago is in the fridge right now.

Back to the asparagus. When I was younger I was not at all interested in the overcooked asparagus presented at family dinners. These past few years I have enjoyed grilled or roasted asparagus that still have some green and crunch left in them. Never have I enjoyed asparagus eaten on the day of harvest. I want to do that someday. I want to chop it and then eat it. I know that once I do that I will never buy it in the store again.