February has slipped away and now we’re only a couple of weeks from spring. February’s a short month anyway, and a flurry of activities seemed to propel us right through its brief days.

We’ve had a good snow each of the last three weeks, helping put much needed moisture into the soil, and gardeners’ thoughts are turning to breaking ground on this year’s plot. We’ve received the annual garden catalogs with lots of attractive offerings but haven’t made any plans for gardening yet. We only grew a few tomatoes last year, and Jim has commented that we still got along quite well by buying our fresh produce at the excellent farmers’ market.

A garden writer in an old Country Living magazine asked, “What could be better than a pot of spring blooms on a day when the garden is cold and bare?”

I have a pot just inside the cellar door with big buds of hyacinths and tulips about to bloom. I think it will still be a mite too cold on the front porch for them, so I plan to bring them into the living room to brighten our days soon.

Friday was Read Across America Day, a day observed in elementary schools across the country to focus on reading and to encourage young students to adopt it as a lifelong hobby. I grew up in the days when TV was in its infancy and video games were unheard of, so I adopted a love of reading early on. It’s always been my preferred entertainment and, even though the tube is on almost constantly, I usually have a book in hand and find few programs I consider worthy of watching. There are a few I’ll focus on fully enough to put my book down, usually gardening or cooking shows on the Create Channel.

March is National Craft Month. A column I was reading recently mentioned that working on crafts was a popular pastime in rural homes in bygone winters, a welcome way to pass the long, cold days. Many of the home’s furnishings were handmade as ready-made items were not readily available and budgets were stretched too thin to buy them. We enjoy the handmade woven rugs that keep our feet cushioned from the cold hardwood floors. They’re getting pretty worn now, but we’ve made no move to replace them. And all my friends in our monthly quilt class treasure those beautiful quilts passed down through generations of family members.

Jim has recovered nicely after having a couple of teeth pulled. He was delighted when he could eat “real food” again, and we’ve been out for a couple of meals recently where he enjoyed a steak, baked potato and salad.

That’s his idea of a good meal. I lean toward ordering the seafood on the menu, so I’ve indulged in some delicious crab cakes and coconut shrimp accompanied by grilled asparagus and creamed spinach with parmesan cheese. I always feel that spring is really almost here when fresh asparagus begins to appear in the supermarket!

Don’t forget Daylight Savings Time begins this Sunday, giving us an extra hour of sunshine in the evenings. That should be welcome as the weather warms and we focus more on outdoor activities, but it will make it even harder to get up on those chilly mornings when it’s dark an hour longer.

Every time these days to change the clock come around, I’m reminded of Uncle Mann grumbling about the change “because those old cows can’t tell the difference and they still come around the barn at the same time.”

Susan Holland is an employee of the Westside Eagle Observer and is a lifelong Benton County resident.

Opinion, Pages 4 on 03/06/2013