Mother Nature is tricking us into thinking spring will not come this year — and it may not, all because I’m planning for spring.

Getting the things ready, planning the garden, setting up appointments for the shearer to come down and getting everything ready for him to do his rounds.

I’ve had my lambing season already. Yes, I have the lambs early. Already tasting, in my mind, the asparagus. I don’t do a huge garden like my grandfather did. I just do tomatoes, peppers, garlic, herbs and broccoli rabe. He did a huge garden on an acre of land with veggies and fruit trees.

I wasn’t allowed in the garden. I was only allowed to take care of the rabbits — until I set them all free.

Every spring he would ask, “Do you want to visit the dairy?” Of course I would. I would forget what that really meant.

So off we went in the ‘56 Chevy. He would go and get the manure and I would visit the cows. The trunk of the car was so full you couldn’t close it.

We would pull in the driveway and my mother would yell, “Papa!” But what could she really say? It was his car and he was in his mid-80s.

I never will forget the day that he pulled the backseat out of the Chevy. It didn’t matter how old he was or if it was his car. My mother didn’t stop yelling for hours, it seemed.

He filled the trunk and the back of the car full of manure.

My cousin’s cousin also had a horse. I guess that was the good stuff. By the time dinner came around, all was quiet. Nobody was talking. So being a kid, I had the greatest idea. Ah, yep, the best that could solve two problems at once.

So I said, “Well, if we had a horse here, we wouldn’t have to go get the manure and dirty the car and grandpa wouldn’t have to move it twice.” Now don’t you think this be the best idea ever? Well, I was sent to my room.

I didn’t have a horse the next morning. But now I have a lot more, not horses, but other animals. A lot more manure to spread on the garden. Getting back to planning for spring, I have decided to do a huge garden this year since I will be needing to can stuff again. I also have a few fruit trees coming in. Now, where to put them?

Jane Capon is a guest columnist who resides in Keysville. She can be reached at southerndragel@aol.com.