I can’t help it. I’ve got to plant something.

It’s all this new growth –the blossoming trees, the blooming flowers and the fragrant buds. I want some blossoming, blooming buds of my own.

My sister Beth and her boyfriend, Jon, came to visit us in February.

While they were here, they whipped up a feast of mushroom-topped venison, cream cheese mashed potatoes, Asian salad and bread pudding with lots of raisins, simply to kill time.

Just call her Beth Stewart.

When I was little, I remember being introduced to my cousins’ sourdough starter. Quite literally. His name was Fred, and he was more like a family pet than a lump of smelly dough.