Garden-minded

Gardening has been on my mind a lot lately. Late December is the time gardener’s start getting contemplative (antsy actually). We all know January is just around the corner: and that means it's almost time to order new seeds and dust off our hoes and shovels. We become garden-minded, letting our thoughts turn to peas and lettuce and carrots and corn, and turning the back half into a new pumpkin patch. Garden center numbers adorn the fridge. Our seed catalogs cover the coffee table. Our flats and seed beds come down from the shelves. We're gardeners and we want to get things going, now.

Yes, veggies are on my mind... But with winter still in full force - I don't know what to do with these thoughts. I want to start preparing the soil now, but I have no idea what’s in store for us on the weather front, nor have I finalized my plans for the new garden arrangement, and that means a little extra planning if I want to do it right and have a successful garden.

I’ve talked to friends and shared my predicament. They are sympathetic, but yearning as well. We are like-minded folks, spending days in our respective offices, but going home to our chickens and gardens and berries and trees. Our families are as involved and excited with our backyard homesteads as we are. We always have something to talk about when we catch each other on the phone.

I’ll think about ordering new seeds, little gems that will grow to grace my table. If the weather holds and winter lingers longer than normal I could just put up a few hoop houses and start some beds of cool weather loving seeds or build a couple of cold frames or plant later in the season.

I don’t think my friends had any idea how happy those few ideas made me. I did a little happy dance at the thought. When you live without a safety net you take little gifts as they come. I hope I never forget how good gratitude feels at 5:36 PM on a Wednesday.