Yea, spring is here… sort of

Now I understand spring fever. After months of scurrying from the car to the building, and donning grandma and mom’s furs, it has finally started to warm up a bit. My new sister-in-law explained to me that here in the Midwest when spring arrives, people are more than enthusiastic (and frequently take the day off from work in celebration).

I decided to have my own spring celebration over the weekend. Scott put together a planter box for me out of lumber. We filled it with soil and planted spring veggies under the deck (so the mid day sun doesn’t wilt my lettuce). During the "growing up" years, I always remember my Mom having a garden. Not only is an economical way to get your fresh fruits and vegetables, but she would use her 2 day laborers (my brother and myself) to help maintain the garden. The garden also gave us an opportunity to learn how things grow and what different fruits and vegetables are called. She would hand me a pair of scissors and ask me to get a handful of parsley. I would dutifully walk back to the garden and promptly forget what parsley looked like. She would have to show me again before cutting her a handful.

What's amazing to me is in the age of video games and razor scooters, my step son is just as intrigued about the garden as I once was. This weekend he was more than happy to help with the yard work. He even insisted on using his own children's garden tools and gloves. I'll admit that I felt nostalgic when he asked me how it was that I knew how to plant lettuce. I just smiled and showed him, as my Mom showed me, exactly how to dig, plant, and cover up the tender baby lettuce. Now I just hope that it grows.