Closed For The Season

Our gardens have successfully made the transition from autumn to winter.  What had been filled with pale greens and tans is now white.  Cold, and white.  Any thoughts of doing any more work out there this year have been dashed.  I hope the snow will stay, and be insulation for the plants that remain.

I've been to all of the "Sun Belt" states, and I confess that the idea of spending a winter season without any coat, but just a light jacket, sounds appealing.  The thought of doing some gardening in January sounds good.  The thought of not shoveling snow is an idea I could get behind.

That being said, there really is nothing like stepping outside on a crisp December morning with fresh snow and 20 degree air.  Twenty degree below zero air, with 20 mph winds is a different story all together, of course, but winter does have its charms.

In an ironic twist, both the seed catalogs and the forms from our tax preparer generally come during the week before Christmas.  One thing to dread, and one to which we look forward.  Guess which is which...

As we sit in the house at 5pm these days in total darkness (until we turn on the lights), it's hard to remember the days in June when it was still light after 9pm.  It should be a surprise in either occasion, because it's always been that way, but it does give me pause to think about what life near the Arctic Circle must be like.  

Soon it will be Christmas, and then New Years.  Then, before you know it, Groundhog's Day, when people are allowed to think about the coming of spring.

The soil is resting now, and I guess it's okay for us to rest too.  It was a good gardening year, and I hope for us, and for you, that next year will be just as good.