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By James Gardner

Clark County Public Library

I am excited about winter potentially making way for spring. Or, I am tentatively happy about winter loosening its grasp on the Kentucky landscape. I am fully aware that a surprise blizzard could dump a few inches of snow on us by next week. I’ve lived in Kentucky long enough to realize Old Man Winter isn’t driven away by the coming of spring; it’s more like Old Man Winter gets bored and wanders off.

And yet, there are still signs in the air. The days are getting longer, the sun is getting brighter, and there are days here and there where you could forget a jacket and not be immediately punished by the wind. One of the biggest signs that spring is upon us is seeds. Shout it from the sidewalks and capitalize the words in your Facebook posts: the Library’s seed program is returning for another year!

Perhaps I’m excited by the seed program because the excitement for seeds is contagious. While at the circulation desk, I usually can’t go a day without someone asking when the library will be giving out seeds. Many librarians have been as busy as Santa’s elves preparing the seed packets for distribution. The seed program has even provided a good percentage of my work wardrobe by providing funny shirts featuring anxiety-riddled vegetables. When I think about the seed program, I think about the immortal words of Ron Burgundy, as played by Will Ferrell in the movie “Anchorman” (DVD Comedy Anch). The seed library is indeed “kind of a big deal.”

What’s not to love about the program, really? It involves free seeds that will eventually become delicious vegetables, tasty herbs, and beautiful flowers. Still, there may be something more to it than just the tangible items that grow in one’s garden. The library has many books that can teach all kinds of skills, from how to grow a tomato to how to bake that tomato into a delicious sauce. The real appeal of the seed program might not be in the plants themselves but in their growing of them. The work, care and even love one puts into growing a plant becomes as important an experience as eating a salad made with homegrown produce or smelling a rose grown in a loved one’s backyard garden. There are many different methods that gardeners from all walks of life swear by. The library has them in books like “The Gardener’s A to Z Guide to Growing Flowers from Seed to Bloom” (635.903 Powe) and the “Guide to Kentucky Vegetable Gardening” (635.09769 Reev), meaning that the library can provide not just the seeds but the knowhow to get them growing. It makes me happy that the library can help gardeners of all skill levels from planting to harvesting, so for those getting seeds from the library, may you savor the scents and tastes of whatever you grow and find joy in the growing. And we also have books about canning, like “Can It! from Better Homes and Gardens” (641.42 Can). If you want to enjoy the veggies you grew when Old Man Winter comes sauntering back, come whenever.

Upcoming events

The Kentucky Picture Show for March 1 stars Robert Redford and Paul Newman. Following the murder of a mutual friend, aspiring con man Johnny Hooker (Redford) teams up with old pro Henry Gondorff (Newman) to take revenge on the ruthless crime boss responsible, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw), through a very elaborate con. The movie begins at 2 p.m. Snacks will be provided.