Today it seemed we crossed a threshold.

For one, all the snow has melted and the ground is thawing. For another, I noticed the air was full of the song and flight of birds. This afternoon's rain punctuated the change -- not a winter storm but a very springlike downpour. Everywhere was the rush and tumble of water. The new season is right around the corner.

In the greenhouses, though, it's high summer, at least when the sun shines. We started sowing seeds for the CSA last week. Leeks were the first to go in. They're also one of the last things we harvest, so they always feel like the bookends of the season. This week we seeded onions, chives, celery, and celeriac. We've also been busy in the certified organic greenhouse, seeding eggplants, tomatoes, and herbs for the Harvest in Harmony seedling sales.

These are some of my favorite times on the farm. The four of us -- Michael, myself, Aaron, and John -- sitting around the work table, talking about anything, making plans for the coming season, and, often, mocking each other mercilessly. The whole of our work is bounded by the walls of the greenhouse and seems so manageable, able to be organized on a clipboard with yellow legal note pads. But soon enough, the work will spill out the doors and into the fields, and I am always a little stunned by the sudden scale and complexity of it all. Each year it makes a little more sense, though, which is encouraging, and I am always impressed how Michael can keep track of it all. For now, though, it's good to sit and talk and seed.