Spring! For real this time! And the onslaught of growth and hard work are here. If winter is a time of dormancy, hibernation, and rest, then spring is the time of explosive growth, the youth of the year. Growing like teenagers, one second the grass is turning a bit green the next time you turn around it's up past your ankles shooting up like the weeds. It's also beautiful and often overwhelming. We are definitely several weeks behind at this point waiting for the weather to warm up consistently enough to plant without running the risk that seeds will just rot in the cold, snowy half frozen ground. However, it seems that we have passed that thresh hold and now we have peas in the ground along with lettuces, cabbage, brocolinni, kale, radishes, carrots, and this week onions and potatoes (be advised this sounds a lot more impressive than it looks). I may wait one more week for the early planting of corn, we'll see how the garden drys out. Strangely, Oregon State University's offering of a free online introduction to permaculture class started last week. I would have preferred to take it in say January, when it wasn't such a busy time on the farm but you have to make hay when the sun shines (literally) and take classes when they're offered. So add late nights watching videos and reading articles about permaculture design to the schedule, but having a better handle on site design can only help as we continue to make decisions about the future of the farm.