SPRING AT LAST!

I wasn't sure it was ever gong to be spring but as is usual in New England it arrived practically overnight. I am making garden plans in spite of the fact that the seedlings I started stubbornly refuse to grow beyond their initial two leaves. I know where to buy plants ... There are, however, a number of things that I can plant directly in the garden -- spinach, arugula, chard, onion sets, peas, pole beans, lettuces -- and I have my fingers crossed that these will prosper. Planting seeds is after all an act of faith!

A QUILTER'S GARDEN

I've been planting seeds in my garden,

A delightfully muddy affair,

While sniffing the freshness of springtime

That swirls in the soft vernal air.

Soon the shoots will be showing soft greenly

And then the battle begins

Against slugs, cats and weather --

Who knows if I will win ?

If I do I shall harvest grandly

Treasures for table and eye:

Shapes, colors and tastes for my pleasure,

Satisfaction that one cannot buy.

My plants are not garden show winners,

But that's not why they came to be:

My garden is just for my pleasure

And to see what will grow for me.

I like to make quilts in this spirit,

Enjoying each step as I go:

Choosing and cutting fabrics,

Then watching the new quilt grow.

My quilts don't bring me ribbons,

But that's not important to me.

They have grown and bloomed 'neath my fingers

And that makes a sweet memory.