Winter is over because those last signs of spring’s arrival are in place.

The garden hose has been brought out from its inside storage space where it was placed last November, ready for a summer of car washing, garden watering, or anything in need of rinsing.

Or possibly a quick blast of water aimed at an unsuspecting cat.

Winter is so far gone we are now into rites of spring. One annual rite is Good Friday with its time to plant potatoes. A few weeks ago, it did not seem possible that the potato patch would be ready as it was covered in snow.

However, the sun did its job and the snow is gone. The ground looks ready for the tiller and I am sure my favorite store has seed potatoes waiting to be brought home.

It will not be the same planting potatoes this year as last year when my neighbor Dave did the tilling. Little did we know that less than 60 days later he would be gone. I have a tiller of my own I can use. but it was more fun having Dave and his Cub Cadet, known as Cubby, show up and work up the garden ground.

There was lots of conversation to accompany the tilling. Some of it was done while the tractor was moving, but most of it was after we were satisfied with how the ground looked and the engine was shut off.

It would take at least half an hour for Dave and me to adequately admire what we had just accomplished. That would be about our ratio, half the time to work and at least half the time to talk about it.

Spring is the season of renewal and the reminder that life goes on. This spring will take its place with the millions of springs that have already happened reminding us that nothing on this earth lasts forever.

Spring also reminds us that, with its renewal, it is a time to try again. It is a time of new choices and fresh starts.

Hold on to the things that we depend on, but here is our chance to improve on those things that did not work or we were disappointed with.

While we focus on what is in front of us as we move forward, the events of last year will be like the objects in our rear view mirror, growing smaller in the distance as we travel until they disappear, leaving us with only memories.

The memories will be a mix of those things we hoped would never end and the things that we thought could not end soon enough.

Spring is a new season with seeds to be planted or some seeds already planted when I look at a female cat that obviously has a litter of kittens on the way.

Spring is the beginning of the future so it is a time to prepare. Do not wait for better days because for better or for worse, this is it.

Spring is here. Fresh asparagus is on the way. I can hear my dad’s voice, even though he has been gone over 10 years, saying one of his favorite phrases, “It’s time to get moving.”

Rye is a Farm News staff writer and farmer from Hanlontown. Reach him by e-mail at crye@wctatel.net.