One of the beautiful mysteries of life is the yearly reoccurance of perennial plants. After fall harvest, they are bedraggled and brown, and through the winter they disappear as if never having been there. At winter’s end it sometimes seems spring will never get here. Rain, cold and snow stay around too long, and yet, somehow the first plants of the year push their way through the frozen ground to begin another year’s life.

How do they do that? Daffodils and Hyacinths come first, and when forsythia and pussy willows start blooming, hosta and lilies show up. Nothing stops them except maybe a hard freeze, and even with that, they seem to bounce back.

My biggest proof that spring is here comes from the vegetable and fruit garden. First up each year are chives, then the rhubarb and asparagus. There are leaves and greening on the red raspberries that last year were small upright plants, and this year are climbing all over their area. Soon it will be time to uncover the strawberries and make sure the cooler weather plants like beets, peas, radishes and carrots are in the ground.

It is time to make serious plans for the summer’s bounty. Having studied the seed catalogs through the winter, I know what I want to grow (everything), but common sense and a perusal of the canning cupboard tell me to cut back on pickles and jelly, and to somehow get rid of the horse radish that has taken over an entire box. Who knew that little root could become such a gigantic plant? I’m going to experiment with artichokes this year, a delicacy when dipped in melted butter, a perennial in warm climates but an annual here, and for certain, I need to plant enough of  everything to share with neighbors and friends.

The compost pile is a subject for another day. They are most helpful in enriching soil and using up the parts of fruits and vegetables we don’t use, but they get a little hard to handle when it is time to take the pitchfork and turn them. Actually, I’m seriously considering changing over to a worm farm. Now there’s a new adventure.

If you don’t have room for a garden, containers work well. With food prices soaring, you can cut back on the grocery bill a little with fresh produce from your yard. It doesn’t have to be back breaking work. My waist-high boxes are easy to work, get me out in the sun and fresh air and give me a little exercise. If you only have room for one box, you can have tomatoes, peppers, beets, radishes, carrots and some herbs. One of the better innovations in the past few years are seed tapes. Dig a little trench and lay the whole tape in with seeds perfectly spaced and ready to produce.

Why not try some plants this year? Once you have witnessed  life willing its way from a dried little seed pushing its way through heavy earth to become a full-grown lush green plant, you will know that miracles exist. You will know that spring will come again, no matter what. Your faith will be renewed and you will have something you can truly count on.

(Editor's note: If you know of a senior who is unique and deserves a story, please e-mail Lee Elliott at leeadirects@roadrunner.com. Please include contact information so she can share their story with our readers.)