You blink, and it’s Tuesday again. As we settle in to the store/bakery space we turn our attentions back to the homestead. Rearranging, cleaning, and purging all make a good Mid-Winter focus for us. Punxatawny Phil calls me home every year to consider how I want the rest of my Winter to go – it will be Winter either way, Phil, but how we want to spend it is up to us; I’m going for a more positive spin this year. Generally, the Winter weighs me down. I have bad Winter history, a bit of SAD, and my health has not been the best in the past but this year is my first Winter where I am not under Lyme treatment (and I don’t have Shingles again, knock on wood, and J isn’t having surgery), and we have a whole new life! So, positive Winter thoughts are keeping us warm.
The child has been designing her garden space, expanding and extolling her garden delights. And we are dreaming of sensible but aesthetic pockets of growth and care. I always fantasize about flower gardens but I need my flowers to have multiple purposes – either medicinal/edible or rewilding for nativization and bug/bird benefit, or as stabilizing water accumulation, hyperaccumulating toxins, etc. I can’t just have flowers because they make me happy. At some point, that sort of simplistic need left me for something more important – like leaving the world a better place than I found it. Don’t get me wrong, when all these things come together, I’m pretty happy – it is a good goal, pleasure by purpose or at least purposeful action.
Join us at the store for a special day with The Wild Seed Project of Maine to talk about native plant spaces and getting those native plants started now: Thurs, February 2, 1pm-3pm (store open 10am-4pm). The seed swap is continuing (bring some to share!), and all seed books are 10% off until Spring (March 21st).
Happy Imbolc!
Rock Bottom Homestead 