"I have seen women looking at jewelry ads with a misty eye and one hand resting on the heart, and I only know what they're feeling because that's how I read the seed catalogs in January."
-- Barbara Kingsolver, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, 2007
I love this quote from Barbara Kingsolver, and it echoes my feelings now in the middle of January as thoughts turn toward Spring and my garden. This year is a special year for my garden, as it is already planned--during my studies in the Fall, one assignment was to lay out our spring garden and then spend the dark, winter months ordering the seeds, preparing compost, and getting the raised beds ready for their summer crops. I barely noticed winter this year, and when I did, I realized that this dormant season is important for the earth and for us as we use this dark and fallow time to prepare our hearts and minds for the rest of the year.
I will have a Three Sisters Garden this year, and peas and beans and tomatoes. I will have vertical gardens to use all of the space I have, and I now know how to take care of my fruit trees. I will begin pruning them tomorrow so they have the proper shape not only for aesthetic reasons, but for reasons that will allow them to grow properly and to produce their maximum yield.
I can't wait for the first warm and sunny days that signal to us that another season is on the horizon, and this year I'll be ready to go, armed with new resolve and knowledge to kick off 2011.
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