THERE ARE FEW LIONS parading in with March and any rawness that was February has begun to fade. Winter winds still blow on occasion, but when the clouds expose the sun its warmth reminds us of just how close we are to that imaginary arc encircling the globe at latitude 23.7 N degrees, the circle that separates us from the tropics. The turned earth welcomes the heat once again and the seeds already in the ground are taking firm root. Renewal of life is under way. Farmers begin to check rain gauges, praying for a world that is like e. e. cummings’ “puddle wonderful.” It doesn’t take long before a new green coat begins to paint over a brown landscape. By the middle of the month comes the first of the spring produce. Asparagus fills fields in perfusion and if one has not already begun pickling some of the tender spears, now is the time.