Originally posted to the Chillicothe Gazette on May 4, 2025.

When speckles of green and purple crop up alongside the highway, dotting the landscape as if Bob Ross dabbed them there himself, I feel lighter. The carpet of green grass and contrasting blooms reminds me that even when the winter seems long, spring always comes again. Those long, gray, cold days really take a toll. It’s all I can do to get off my couch or out of my bed. It makes total sense to me why so many creatures sleep through winter and skip the whole affair.

We humans don’t have that option, unfortunately. We have to find bright spots to pull us through. A new series to help pass the weeks (so thankful for The White Lotus), bingeable audiobooks on hoopla (I’m almost always listening), and Tuesday Trivia at Fifty West Brewing Company (I don’t go as much as I would like, but it makes me happy to know it’s there).

At the library, we’re big fans of growth. Both literally and figuratively. When it comes to literal growth, we are bursting with it!

Visit the little Seed Libraries at all of our locations. Take up to five packets at a time for free and get to planting! Donations from harvested seeds or purchased seeds are always accepted to keep our Seed Library stocked.

The Main Library also has a Propagation Station. Stop in to find the windowsills full of plant starts that will grow your own collection. Take what you’d like and, if you can, bring some starts to share. In addition, CRCPL is offering a wheelbarrow full of garden-centric programming and resources that will keep you blooming until the Ross County Fair.

May 8 at 5 p.m. we invite you to glove up and help plant our Main Library Community Garden.

May 14 from 5 to 6 p.m. a member of the Wild Ones of South Central Ohio will be in the Myers Room at the Northside Branch talking about native plants and the winged creatures who love them.

May 16 at 5 p.m. you can learn to Garden Smarter, Not Harder at our Paxton Branch in Bainbridge. Ever wanted to learn about no dig gardening? Now’s your chance!

June 12 at 5 p.m., get your hands dirty with us and Wild Ones of South Central Ohio in the Main Library Garden.

July 5 at 9 a.m. is the last chance to get gardening with us and Wild Ones of South Central Ohio in the Main Library Garden.

July 9 at 9 a.m. Wild Ones of South Central Ohio will host garden enthusiasts at the Northside Branch to share knowledge, resources, and inspiration.

Our programs can offer some figurative growth, too.

May 20 at 5:30 p.m. you can try your hand at learning to sketch.

June 14 at 11:30 a.m. meet us at the Main Library for a guided walk of the downtown murals.

Join one of our book clubs, check out an Adventure Pass for a local attraction, or take home an instrument from our Beyond Books Collection to discover a new hobby or passion.

To learn more about various kinds of growth, visit our website at CRCPL.org/elibrary or come in to any location! We are happy to help you find what you need to get you growing in no time.

Sheena Brown is a fan of all positive growth and an Enrichment, Communications, and Marketing Clerk at the Chillicothe and Ross County Public Library.