Spring is taking a firmer grip on the garden now, the daffodils out in sturdy ranks with their golden banners flying. The early blooming shrubs and trees are joining the show, tender green leaves and grass filling in the background with growing confidence. The night temperatures still threaten an occasional light frost, but the official start of spring is close at hand.

I've been setting out more cabbages and broccoli and sowing lettuce, beets, Swiss chard, mustard, and a risky early planting of beans in the garden. The results of the earliest plantings are now apparent. The first sowing of peas was destroyed by the foraging wildlife and the second planting is thin, but the third planting is coming up well. The spinach was somewhat thinned but is up well in most of the rows. The earliest plantings of the later vegetables are coming up well, too.

I discovered another reason that some of my rows have noticeable gaps in them. The cats have decided that I kindly made them a bigger litter box and have been happily scratching in the loosened soil wherever they will. Once again, I remind myself that they are so lucky to have become so beloved when they were kittens. It explains why there are stray seedlings appearing a row or two farther than the rows where I planted that kind of seed as well.

The tomatoes and eggplants are coming along well in their flats, the earliest sprouts already sporting their first set of true leaves. I have another sowing of peppers to make to back up the first sowing, then the early spring sowing indoors should be done except for starting a few flowers.

The new fig tree is still plump but hasn't sprouted any new growth yet. The two rose bushes in that bed are loaded with lots of vigorous new growth, happily appreciating all the compost and fertilizer that went into that bed. The yard looks much better this year in general, thanks to the extra compost and other soil amendments that went in last season and in late winter.

Rapunzel and Baby have definitely noticed the turn of the seasons as well. Their loads are warm and an earthy smell wafts up when I open them to add more scraps and paper in noticeably increasing amounts. Their soil microorganisms have awakened and are hungrily devouring the new offerings with gusto.

The wildlife is also stirring with gusto. The squirrels are chasing each other in nuptial pursuit as well as the birds pairing off and seeking paper shreds for nesting material. The robins fly off with beakfuls of it, occasionally dropping some in the front yard. My brother Steve dutifully carries it back to reclaim the mulch for its original purpose.

It is strange that this spring would be marked by a peculiar human controversy, the surge in gay marriages. Humans often fall into the sway of spring romance and consummate it in a June wedding, joining the rest of the natural world in establishing nests to bear another generation of young. The gay marriages are strangely barren, prevented from fulfilling the basic purpose of the vows by the alternate union of couples who cannot reproduce within their pairing. Their drive for love and companionship is provided by the relationship in which they seek it, but they thwart the basic function of both marriage and reproduction by the method they prefer to join with another lover.

Still, spring flows on with life's courtship and reproduction in the offing. The time before autumn's weary warning of winter at hand is short and new youngsters have to be nurtured and taught how to survive on their own before the food supplies dwindle and winter shelter must be found and defended from other rivals. The garden plants are preparing for their annual show as well, new sprouts appearing from the established perennials preparing for another season of bloom.

I'm already looking forward to a break in tending seedlings when the flats are finally emptied of young plants except for a few pet house plants. I'm hoping that using a heavy layer of mulch around with plants won't bring on an outbreak of slugs, an occasional problem in the garden. Most of the mulch is pulled back to the edge of the bed, holding back the monkey grass from its perpetual march to fill up the beds. Using mulch for weed control would considerably cut the kneeling work in the garden, an increasing annoyance given that I have to stand up again afterwards. It is one thing to pray for the blessing of my garden, but quite another to pray for a crane to help my creaky knees lift my bulk from the good earth once again.

The crafting is proceeding along in spurts. I finished the second side of the third sweater and sewed the shoulder seams together. I'm working on a ribbing to finish the neckline now. The rest of the crafting is shuffling along the organizer list, passing through the gardening planting dates rising to the top of the list. A few gardening entries have been shifted to the end of the list for the fall or for next year as their planting date range passed, already nudging me about a spring yet to come, the Lord willing.