Say goodbye to winter and expect to see temperatures seesaw a bit before smoothing out. Get outside where the birds know that spring is at hand. Since a garden begins in the mind, there is no time like the present to glean ideas and make plans. Journey somewhere different to pick up tips, look at life differently, and bring back fresh thinking to your community.

Celebrate National Agriculture Day on Wednesday, March 18, an event organized by the Agriculture Council of America (ACA), a nonprofit organization composed of leaders in the agricultural, food and fiber community, dedicated “to increasing the public's awareness of agriculture's role in modern society.

Agriculture is life; if humans worked with the earth instead of against it in many ways, we'd all be better off.

Agriculture Conference on Soil Health on Saturday, March 14 at the UConn Middlesex County Extension Center, 1066 Saybrook Rd., Haddam, 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Admission, $15. Sponsored by the River COG Regional Agriculture Council/CT Advocate Program.

A new installment at the Five Faces of the Farm Bill USDA series features Pete Berscheit, who “dreamt of being a farmer from the time he was five.”
Read more at www.usda.gov/farmbillstories.

The 15th Annual Lowell WinterFest continues Saturday, March 14 – to celebrate the end of winter (hooray). More details about this family fun event at www.lowell.org. Friday night activities include a hot chocolate bar 6 to 9 p.m., fire pits, live music, food trucks, and lighting along the canal. Wildlife tracking walk at Hawk Valley Farm on Saturday in partnership with Massachusetts Audubon Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary. Free, but RSVP required; gwen@lowelllandtrust.org or call (978) 934-0030 for directions.

Is Your Farm Ready for the Public? Agritourism 101 is Monday, March 16, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, New York. Cost is $15. Learn what you need to get started, how to evaluate your farm for agritourism success, how to work with local media to get attention for your event/farm. Register at https://reg.cce.cornell.edu/agritourism101_203 or e-mail Carol at clf62@cornell.edu. Starts at 9 a.m.

Learn the basics of beekeeping on Saturday, March 14 at the Taghhannuck Grange Hall, 4 Dunbar Rd., Sharon, Conn. Bring your favorite dish made with honey to share for a potluck lunch; $35/family – however you define it. To review reports on past bee workshops, follow this link or call (860) 672-0229 for additional information.

Maple Weekend, Saturday, March 21 and Sunday, March 22, at participating restaurants in Massachusetts, all listed at massmaple.org. Many sugarhouses will offer special events for the weekend.

The 11th Annual Vermont Grain Growers Conference is Wednesday, March 18 at The Essex Resort. Keynote address by Paul Muller of Full Belly Farm, a diversified vegetable and livestock farm in northern California. For details see www.buylocalfood.org.

In New Haven and need a farm fix? The Yale Farm is located at 345 Edwards St., between Prospect and Whitney. Parking is available at the Leitner Observatory, 355 Prospect St. Celebration: From Food Ritual to Food Feast – part of “Chewing the Fat” series, is Tuesday, March 24, 5 p.m., Whitney Humanities Center Auditorium, 53 Wall St. Jane Kramer, European correspondent for The New Yorker visits as Poynter Fellow.

“Whatever you do, do it with all your might. Work at it, if necessary, early and late, in season and out of season, not leaving a stone unturned, and never deferring for a single hour that which can be done just as well now. The old proverb is full of truth and meaning, ‘Whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well.' Ambition, energy, industry, perseverance, are indispensable requisites for success in business. Fortune always favors the brave, and never helps a man who does not help himself.”

― P.T. Barnum, who also said “Advertising is to a genuine article what manure is to land, – it largely increases the product.”

Hmm. Think on that awhile. Or visit a museum – online – dedicated to Barnum and his ingenuity. The mission of the site is “To Inspire curiosity, creativity and confidence through instructive entertainment.” Or check out the “Our Envisioning the Future!” exhibit which features artifacts that belonged to P.T. Barnum, Tom Thumb and others. Open for viewing 11 a.m. to 3 p.m on Thursdays and Fridays, located in the People's United Bank Gallery adjacent to the historic museum (closed due to storm damage from the F1 tornado that struck Bridgeport in 2010).

Here's a link to bald eagle sightings reported by folks around the state to get you inspired to haul out the binoculars and load up your family for a field trip. There is also a dedicated Facebook page with shared photos that are simply amazing. Here is the one for the Bay State. A tried-and-true viewing spot is the Bald Eagle Observation Area at the Shepaug Dam on the Housatonic River in Southbury. The Audubon Shop of Madison offers land-based day adventures through March. Reservations are necessary; fee is $20. Call (203) 245-9056.

The Connecticut Wine Trail is 24 vineyards with tasting rooms where visitors can sample a portfolio of wines; some offer tours as well. Call (860) 334-4774 or visit www.ctwine.com for seasonal or special events. Tours are generally free, with a charge for tastings.

Looking ahead, here is an event you may want to plan and attend to bring back ideas for where you live: the Creative Communities Exchange is June 2 and June 3, 2015 in New Hampshire. This professional development happening is for New England leaders who are engaged in a “creative economy” and want to leverage that energy to revitalize and grow their community. Keene is a community that demonstrates “strong cross-sector partnerships between the arts and local business, local government, the local colleges, the broader Monadnock region, and Arts Alive, this year’s local host.” Activities will take place in various locations, including Keene State College and downtown. Registration is open; note that there are opportunities to lead a workshop and share what works in your own community with a wider network.

Make time for Seven Steps to Balancing Your Busy Farm Schedule a webinar on Tuesday, March 17, noon, to streamline your life, increase productivity, and find balance. Presenter Margaret Viebrock, a faculty member of Washington State University, is also an extension county director. The presentation of The Women's Agricultural Network (a program of UVM Extension), will be available at a later date as well.

For a listing of National Wild Horse and Burro adoptions call 1-866-468-7826 for the most current updates. Contact the BLM's Eastern States Office at (800) 370-3936 or visit the BLM's Internet adoption listings.

Love horses? See our Horses & Life page for more listings of things to do. Remember to be respectful around horses and their people.

“Necessity may be the mother of invention, but play is certainly the father.” – Roger von Oech