I think, one reason I hate winter so much is because I have to miss all the things I love about rural West Virginia that happen in the warmer months.

I really, REALLY miss my back porch swing in the winter. And now, with the arrival of spring, it’s time to garden, time to mow, time to hunt mushrooms and clean the outside of the windows. (Nothing shows dirty windows like spring.) And, I can again enjoy the back porch.

We’ve come into festival season, camping season, hiking, muddin’, riding, boating season. Spring is time to get up, get movin’, get busy.

Each year, a friend of ours holds a party in early March. Some years, it’s warm and beautiful, others, it’s raining and cold. This year, while soaking up an unseasonably warm day, so many of us agreed -- it has been a long, long winter.

Perhaps because of last fall’s election, or because of the current economic conditions, it feels as though winter arrived early, and has over-stayed its welcome. These annual March parties by "the hostess with the mostest" gives all of us a compelling reason to leave our hibernating homes and enjoy laughter and fellowship with or friends and loved ones -- because when we least feel like it, we need it so badly.

Finally, winter has released its grasp. Though the economy still squeezes us all, spring provides us with a sense of renewal and hope for the future.

Who can plant a seed and not have hope for the future?

I hope all of you have some kind of garden this year -- in your yard or in pots on the back porch. A $1 pack of seeds or $3 plant adopted now will save you hundreds of dollars in the fall. That thought alone lifts my spirits, knowing that even if the sky should fall -- I’ll still have fresh cucumbers and tomatoes.

If you do garden, wouldn’t you like to have free compost? It’s easy to make your own -- save on buying compost, and possibly save on your trash bill. This month’s "Only Organic" column tells you how. This month’s "Knowing Nature" even teaches you to make your own rope.

And for spring cleaning? Why purchase all those pricey chemical cleaners when all you need is ammonia, baking soda and vinegar? Learn about cleaning with ammonia in this month’s "Use What You’ve Got."

Love doughnuts? Save money and make your own with this month’s Recipe from Mom.

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I feel so fortunate to live in a region and culture that knows how to live a simple life and accomplish much with very little.

For some, it would be an embarrassment to say humbly, "we do the best with what we’ve got." But, in a world where people are calling the economy of our future a "Creative Economy" I can think of no better bragging rights. To have very little and survive well (and even flourish in many cases) this is the ultimate creative challenge in my book.

For example, another friend of mine needed a fence or border of some sort to keep her chickens out of her flower bed. This is an issue on my mind because I need borders around my beds, and have decided this spring to get chickens.

I’ve tried rock borders. They’re a weedeater’s night mare. Landscaping logs rot, and the plastic borders, after one winter, get rather fragile and break easily. And the short metal roll-out fences are no match for our beagle.

But my friend had some cut bamboo, and recently trimmed the trees around her yard. In a few hours, with bamboo sticks as fence posts about a foot apart, she had woven the branches and twigs between them like a basket weaver would, created a beautiful, sturdy, rustic fence almost a foot and a half high around her perennial bed. Something practical and beautiful from what so many would consider bon fire material. Martha Stewart eat your heart out.

The times have come when we polish our skills to use what we’ve got. To create much ado from nothing. The "disposable" economy we’ve all enjoyed has been disposed. The healthiest food you can eat is the food grown in your own yard. The quality long-lasting products you need can often be the ones made by your own hands, or the hands of your neighbors. If there’s something you need, it’s very possible you have something you don’t use or need that could just as well serve the purpose.

A recent study noted that most Americans have up to $5,000 worth of stuff in their homes they don’t use. Perhaps this year, when you spring clean, you could plan a yard sale at the same time. That clutter isn’t just money sitting, it’s stealing your mental peace of mind. Who’s maintaining it? Storing it? Cleaning it? If you aren’t, you’re wasting it. Get rid of it. Stuff you don’t use, pass it on via trade or barter, recycle it, or sell it.

If you have a yard, use it to garden. If you have a skill, develop and market it. If you have time, use it -- for yourself, your community, or your neighbors. If you do have to buy something, buy local.

A recession is a time of sacrifice -- and service. It’s a time when you make the most of what you’ve got, and you support your community and neighborhood by sharing what you harvest from your creativity.

Spring may help lighten the gloom, but our country seems suspended in a season of worry. But West Virginians have a history, a culture of living on little. This is why we hold great value to things that are priceless -- hard work, skilled trades, family, tradition, music, stories, community.

It’s time to adopt the Use What You’ve Got mentality, and bring out that Help Your Neighbors generosity - something so many West Virginians already have. How very fortunate, we are that when our society comes to face one of its greatest struggles that we already have practice, the tools we need, and the support of our friends and family to maintain our lives.

~ Lisa