Winter into Spring

Recently, I have been feeling the pull of a new season, in other words, I am so ready for Spring. In Chicago, the winter hasn't been bad this year, however, my spirit has been wanting to do some deep Spring cleaning and brush away the cobwebs in my brain.

I have often felt the need to purge and reorganize everything. This need is related to the seasons and often can be a deeper draw than my strongest food craving. Last year I was determined to garden but my health issues and my work schedule interfered. I was drained after teaching my high school class and didn't spend the time that I wanted to successfully grow anything. Hopefully, I will be able to maintain and fulfill my mental to-do-list this time around the sun.

As a chef and a mother, I have always enjoyed the bounty that only a garden can give. My grandmother always had a garden going in the backyard and I would help out. I have kept gardens myself as a adult but lately it has been much harder with my fibromyalgia and knee pain. I will give it a go within the next few months.

If you have never attempted to grow things, not even a flower bed, I encourage you to do so. You will never eat a tomato, for example, that tastes better than the fresh grown in your own garden. You are in control of this process when you garden. You can grow and harvest the foods you like best, you can control the chemicals used, you can monitor and effect change in your garden, and best of all, you lose no time from harvest to your plate.

I am determined to push past my limits and plant this Spring and force other members of my household to deep clean every inch of my house very soon, the first 60 degree days coming to our area will signal the beginning of our purging period.

Does anyone else feel this way?