I realize, most readers will assume that I am the biggest cheerleader there is for simple living. It’s far from the truth. In fact, I get tired of Two-Lane Livin’  (not the magazine, the lifestyle).

A former city girl, there are times when I just wish I could go back to the world of paved walkways, fast food, malls and museums, mainstream media and all the things of my past.

There are times when I miss the microwave, and wish I could just pop a hot pocket in and zap it and not have to cook, dirty a plate or even a knife.

There are times when I want to cover myself with chemical cleaners, lather my skin with chemically enhanced lotions, style my hair with toxic gels, decorate my face with animal by-products and petrochemicals, douse myself in false fragrances, dress up in spandex and nylon and shake my booty in a disco somewhere.

And the times when I think of these things, or miss these things, or want these things — usually happen in February and March. This is what I call “stir crazy season.”

Everyone, it seems, has their own favorite sign of spring. Some favor the sight of the first robin, while other revel at the sound of the spring peepers. For some, spring arrives with the discovery of daffodil or crocus sprouts. These are all wonderful signs of Spring’s proximity, but I can tell the moment spring arrives by the smell.

Winter is so sterile. Snow, ice, frigid air — has no scent. But inevitable, some random day each March, the winds of winter soften to a breeze that brings the scent of…. earth. It’s the smell of moist soil, the smell of earthworms, the smell of rotting leaves and nearby waters. It’s a scent that stops me in my tracks. It catches me off guard; so familiar after being gone so long.

I relish that moment. I close my eyes, turn into the breeze, lift my face to the sun and breathe in as deeply as I can. In comes new life, promise, hope for the possibilities of a new season. When I breathe out — out goes the tension and dustiness of winter. Life, in that instant, is lighter, looser, and all the containment of winter is released.
When the moment has passed, I feel like I fit in my skin again.

Shortly after that annual experience, I throw open all the doors and window in the house, prepare the sweeper attachments, and start moving and rearranging furniture. Dust bunnies, cob webs, dog hair — they all have to go, replaced by the scent and the particles of spring that blow through the corners and crevices of the house.

In so many ways, that first “breath of fresh air” is the catalyst that brings fresh ideas, designs, projects and a fresh outlook to the forefront. Everything old seems new again. The calendar says the new year starts in January — but I say it starts on a random day in March, when the smell of spring rolls through the hills.

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This is the fourth spring for Two-Lane Livin’ Magazine, and we’re letting some spring air “flush through” these pages as well. We’ve rearranged, adjusted and added a feature or two to freshen our content up a bit.

We have three new features premiering this month: Highway to Health, Gospel Gator and an expanded look at Two-Lane News.Highway to Health is brought to us by David Hawkins, a Master Herbalist and Certified Nutritional Consultant. Gospel Gator is a cartoon created by Ron Brown of Lost Creek, WV for a Sunday School class, now made available to our readers.

Our Two-Lane News now features events and developments that affect the rural life, simple living and farming lifestyle. This feature includes sometimes hard-to-find environmental, farm and food news that affects us all, and replaces our local news highlights, which are readily available on the Internet, or by subscription to local newspapers.

Although we realize some readers might miss the updates from surrounding communities, we always seek to provide information that is not readily available elsewhere, and is applicable to all of our readers. This now includes our growing Digital Edition audience — readers from all over the country, not just here in Central West Virginia. To enjoy all the articles from current and past issues, visit our download pages. You can view all of our most recent publications at www.twolanepubs.com.

Also, due to the overwhelming number of submissions we’ve been getting for our reader’s page, “From The Passenger Seat,” we’ve expanded that section from one page to two. Now we can share even more of our reader’s submissions in each issue. We welcome your photos, poems, stories, artwork, essays and recipes! We also love getting your letters, so keep them coming!       ~Lisa