February has been a month of change, as we witness the passing of winter and the coming of spring. More birds singing, daffodils flowering everywhere, and other varieties of wildflowers showing their lovely faces more and more each day.

Heavy thunderstorms have flooded the creek these past days, bringing in a small cold front.

Earlier this month some very unexpected flurries came our way!

Starting seeds has made us all eager for the garden season! It’s so amazing to see how each year has a cycle, and here in Tennessee that cycle follows the seasons (unlike farming in Florida). We all love watching the seasons change, at least I know I do!

In this year’s garden we are adding a new addition, red table grapes! Building the arbor for the vines has been one of our projects this month.

Every year our raspberries need pruning. The old canes that bore fruit last year have died, and they need to be cut off each year so that the rest of the plant might bear more fruit. This job reminds us of the words of our Savior in John 15 that read:

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit….Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”

The ongoing winter project of cutting fallen trees for firewood has continued this month, and Sam has learned how to drive the tractor! Getting a ride on the tractor certainly makes the job more fun for everybody!

With the weather being so lovely, we’ve gone on lots of walks. John has had a blast with his new birthday scooter (and some daffodils added in 😉 he dubbed himself “King of the Daffodils!”.

Spring is a beautiful time of year, and a wonderful picture of the transformation in our hearts when we embrace Jesus Christ freely offered to us in the Gospel, and devote our lives to His glory. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism so rightly says,

Q. What is the chief end of man?
A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

– Riley