Living Life Anew in Spring

I live in the San Joaquin Valley of Central California, and spring means to me a newness to life once again. Flowers of every kind abound here, color galore to make you feel alive. The air is fresh and clean. Spring also means summer is on its way, a time when our Valley is strewn with fruits and vegetables on every country corner. Vine ripened tomatoes, strawberries, grapes, watermelons; tree ripened peaches, plums, cherries, nectarines - a litany of luscious tastes and smells you get in very few places across the globe. Spring is the start of it all, and I anticipate it as early as the new year, knowing it won't be long before the life-affirming new growth is nearly upon us.