Under the blanket of snow and ice my happy garden plots sleep, dreaming of the seeds that I will be planting in spring.
Okay, maybe the dirt isn't dreaming, but I know I am!
By mid winter, I am dying to play in the dirt. I miss the smell of the earth. I miss the sun on my face. I miss the fresh air, as the wind blows around me. I miss the colors of nature; the beautiful green seedlings that blossom into colorful ripe fruit and veggies.
To keep myself from going stir crazy, by mid-winter I begin looking forward to the mail. Yes, I still like getting snail mail. No, not the bill part! My motivation to jaunt down the snow and ice covered driveway to the mailbox in my boots and parka is for...
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Oh! The excitement, I cannot contain myself!
The seed catalogs! The garden supply catalogs! The farm supply catalogs! The chicken catalogs! Nothing is more fun than flipping through the vastly colorful pages with images of flowers, fruits, vegetables. Photography depicting Mother Nature's artwork in a kaleidoscope of colors when Upstate, NY is mainly snow white.
I sit next to my wood stove with a hot cup of coffee and a big red pen.
My wish list begins with big red circles around everything I would like to purchase. Of course the wish list is always larger that the pocketbook allows, so whittling the list down to the purchase list is painstaking. With my garden journal in hand, I take notes of what I would like to try. I look back through to previous years of garden notes to remember what we liked and were successful at. In my head I begin to map out my garden layout. In my journal, I sketch out where my darling little plants might find a home. I cannot think of a better way to hibernate indoors when the temperatures outside are freezing. Now to survive the farm supply stores as they set out the seed displays.... oh, the torture of having to wait till planting time!
I think this City Gone Country Girl will continue to hibernate...
~Jenn
