Once again it looks as if we’re in for another big snow. This has been a winter with snow like our grandparents used to talk about. It had warmed up enough that the drifts and snow on the roofs was melting and our rainwater cistern was nicely replenished. Now it has turned colder and is snowing again. It was looking so brown and dirty outside, now it is just beautiful. There is a lot of bird activity at the feeders and I notice the grandchildren are always interested in seeing what kind of birds are feeding. There’s a rare one around the neighborhood, a yellow-throated warbler that should have gone south last fall, and it visits a feeder right outside the window regularly. When they see it they get pretty excited. The hardy little bird survived the storms of winter. This winter I have done some quilt and comforter piecing. It is such a good way to “use up” scrap fabric. Although the cutting of the blocks can be rather tedious, that can be improved upon if you get family or friends together, sitting around the table, some marking, some cutting. You will be surprised how many tops you can make from your scraps. Getting together for some comfort (around here comforters are always called comforts, which is exactly what they are) knottings is enjoyable for everyone, even young people. The Red Cross and other charity organizations are always glad to receive comforts. Over the years I’ve made many a pair of pajamas or nightgowns for the grandchildren, so last winter I took the scraps left over from these projects and cut what I could into four-inch blocks. Then I pieced a comfort top. Then this winter I added batting and backing and knotted it together. It’s quite colorful, and since the fabric is practically all flannel, it is soft and cozy. Someday I hope a grandchild will receive warmth and pleasure from it. Another thing I still plan to do this winter is make different cheeses. The cookbook featured in the winter issue had such good-sounding cheese recipes that seem very doable. But wait—this is the spring issue, and I need to bring to mind all that spring entails—birds singing, spring flowers, spring peepers, rippling water in the ditches flowing from the tiles of our farm fields (don’t you love to take your foot and remove a small obstruction so the water can flow freely?), good smells, the list could go on. I started some seeds yesterday and felt this stirring when I thought about gardening. Gardeners know the feeling. The featured cookbook in this issue has such good recipes to use with the bounty of food we get from our early gardens. I seeded lettuce in my cold frame last fall and peeked under the snow-covered window and saw that it is doing fine. I should have early lettuce to make some good salads. Nice sunny days would no doubt revive and stimulate it. It would do the same for us, wouldn’t it? Have a good spring. E.K.

E.K.