Early Spring

Last fall I led a group of good friends on a weeklong wine-and-food tour through Burgundy. During our short stay in this eastern area of France, we visited wineries during the day and dined in restaurants in the evening. It had been a long time since I had traveled in this region, and I had forgotten just how delicious Burgundian food is. Night after night, the chefs amazed my companions and me with their incredible creations. Such dishes as a terrine of foie gras and smoked duck breast served in one restaurant and a savory gateau of guinea fowl and fresh artichokes offered in another were true works of art, but were too complex to reproduce in my home kitchen.

The common names for the usually small, early spring, ephemeral plants conjure up a world of magic and play. Names like false mermaid (Floerkea proserpinacoides), harbinger-of-spring (Erigenia bulbosa) and spring beauty (Claytonia virginica) suggest a storybook world. They are playful in their habits too, for many are mysterious and elusive to find, identify and cultivate. Ephemeral is the term for many flowers that come up in the early spring, bloom and, along with their foliage, quickly disappear.

Things we love about spring: Everything seems fresh and new. Possibilities abound. Buds appear on bare branches, and early spring flowers blossom in soft yellows and pale lavenders. The light is different, almost shimmering with expectancy. Even chilly mornings are quickly warmed by a suddenly radiant sun. What we don't love about spring: It's a time for cleaning out (the house) and cleaning up (the garden). But even the most tedious chores can be made more palatable if you intersperse them with small springtime treats.

California and Florida kumquats are at their peak from November through February; and sometimes into early spring. Choose plump, firm fruit. Wrap loosely in plastic; they will keep in the fridge for up to a month. Candied kumquats can be used to decorate cakes or garnish frozen desserts. -- Cole's Cooking A to Z

Q. I'm confused about what kind of lights to use indoors to grow flower and vegetable transplants. Do I need special growing lights? A. No, all you need are inexpensive cool white fluorescent tubes. Most of the light they produce is in the blue segment of the spectrum, but that's fine for growing foliage. Keep them lighted for at least 14 hours each day and position them only 1 to 2 inches above the tops of your plants. Q.I was amazed to see my daffodils pop out of the ground in early December.

The U.S. Senate would like to hand a fat check to Fort Meade for construction projects, but the House of Representatives and the president will first have to approve the budget that has $25 million allotted for the post.The military construction appropriations bill for fiscal 2000 includes money for new barracks on the base in western Anne Arundel County and a new processing station where enlistees could get physicals and take tests. The bill was approved by the Senate last week, and a House subcommittee is studying it.It has not been scheduled for a vote.

The first hint of spring begins with the light: more light, warmer light. Then the mood: that sensation of waking up and slowly stretching into alert anticipation.The light of March sweeps over sepia fields, illuminates backyard play, burnishes the metal faces of office buildings. And as it travels, none watch more closely than artists -- the painters, photographers and cinematographers whose work depends upon it.Compared to the solid predictability of summer light, the light of spring is itchy, on the move, they say. Some call it "the new light," not so much because it's fresh as because it makes them see things in a novel way.Artist Barry Nemett has explored spring light from his bedroom window in Stevenson.

A disquieting novel from South Africa rich in myth, magic and horror; a story collection of abiding wit; a tried-and-true detective story with an academic multicultural setting and Spenser at the helm; an exotic post-colonial send-up by an American; an identity saga set on an Indonesian island medical school -- these intriguing works of fiction will tame the icy winds of early spring. In "Devil's Valley" (Harcourt Brace & Co., 416 pages, $24), the distinguished South African novelist Andre Brink invades the origins of Boer culture finding in a no-man's-land of inbred whites the origins of what became Apartheid.

Freshwater trout and white perch continue to provide the best fishing action for bank fishermen, and croaker continue to surprise tidewater anglers on the lower Eastern Shore.According to the Department of Natural Resources, medium to large croaker are being taken on hook and line from northern Tangier Sound to Upper Hooper's Island.The early arrival of croaker seems to coincide with the early movements of many tidewater species which have been influenced by the early warming trend this spring.

I just moved into a house in the city with a large back yard that is in partial shade. Are there any types of fruit trees I can grow? I'm an organic gardener and don't want to spray any chemical pesticides.Fruit trees require sunny, well-drained locations as well as lots of attention. It's difficult to harvest good, edible fruit without using pesticides but it can be done.Blueberries, currants and gooseberries all can be grown successfully in partial shade, and usually produce good crops in an urban setting without any sprays.