The start of the garden.

I have a dirt under my fingernails and there are muddy footprints tracked all through my kitchen. It was a good day.

It was totally random, not at all intentional, but on today, March first (which my seven year old declares the first day of spring, "because March means spring, Mom,) we got the garden ready for the season, cleaned up, straightened out, and planted the first seeds.

Ah, what a thrilling thing it is, looking across the freshly tilled plot that will (hopefully) provide us with good things to eat in only a couple of months. It makes my heart go pitter-patter, I tell you, just knowing what's in store.

My fantastic, devoted, hard-working and creative husband built me two raised beds for the front yard, where I planted approximately 140 pea seeds. I say I - I mean we. The girls helped, and so at the south end of the beds, there may be a lot more pea plants than ought to be in one place, because toddlers are like that. But it's alright - the peas are in!

The garlic's coming up more and more each day - at least forty sprouts now. I'm not as worried as I was - forty or fifty heads of garlic should get us through the year. More than that will be kept on hand for medicinal reasons, and handed out to family and friends.

To the Littlest One's utmost delight, there are "Baby flowers, Mom! Look! Baby flowers right there!" Tulips and daffodils have poked their cheerful green leaves above the soil. Apparently they believed me when I told them spring was coming.

There is one lonely little lettuce plant sprouted in the cold frame - it was planted last fall and nothing ever happened. I gave the poor thing some water, it was obviously parched. Maybe the extra drink will convince some more seeds to sprout in there, after having hibernated all winter.

I'm a geek. But if you're reading my blog, you might very well be a geek too. Just nod and smile, and carry on.