Signs of Renewal

Chives and garlic...these are always the first to emerge; to me it's the first real sign of spring. And it amazes me, it really does. I've mentioned in previous posts about the harshness of this past winter (I don't mean to keep harping on it, but it really was cold and snowy...even by Buffalo standards) and I am amazed that these plants made it. I mean really...their roots only go a few inches under the soil and the frost-line is something like 3 feet, so they were without doubt frozen solid for a few months.

I planted a tiny chive seedling and pushed a few cloves of garlic into the soil the first spring after purchasing this house 7 summers ago, and they come up like clockwork each year; by early summer I'll have to cut them back and give some away because I won't be able to use them as fast as they grow. Then, come autumn, they'll wither above ground and their roots will go into hibernation mode, only to sprout again and poke through the cold wet soil and reach for the sun when the time is right. At any rate, I really do see these plants as a time of renewal...even though it's gray and dreary out today (and only 39F as I type these words), when I see these bright green plants in all their glory I know that things are being renewed and the lushness of summer is just around the corner.

For everything there is a season.
Ecclesiastes 3:1