Monday, December 20, 2010

Almost Christmas - Ninety Days Till Spring!

Christmas is coming!


Christmas will be here in only five days! Then everyone will start counting how many days it is to Christmas again. I always count how many days it is until the first day of Spring, which is March 20th. Not counting today, it is 90 days. That doesn't sound like much does it? But I know they are 90 hard days, depending on the weather. The thing is that when you live in the city or even a town or the suburbs, the weather does not effect you as much as when you live in the rural country. Sometimes moving back to that type of life sounds inviting. But you know what? I remember very well why we wanted to live out here like this. I honestly do not think I would ever be happy living that city life again. Especially after having the freedom of living in the country.

Living in the country means you have snow clean up. Shoveling paths to the manure pile, to the place where I dump the kitty litter and the drive way of course. We have many paths for various reasons. The path to where we put the hay for the horses in their paddock is easier. You can follow their paths and not have to make your own. My husband likes to put it out in several piles spread out so no one can hog it all, and it makes them have to move around. Especially in the winter that is important.

I am counting the days until Spring because I want to get a head start on my garden this year. Like I did last year. Usually I don't start squash and pumpkin seeds in the house, just put them right in the ground when the ground is ready. But this year, I started them inside and was even able to get the plants in the ground early, because our weather was perfect this past year. So my crops were awesome and I had plenty. 

I am in the middle of planning my garden right now. It is what I think about when the weather is bad. I can plan it and picture it in my mind. Making sure all my garden space is used smartly. This year I am planning on buying some blueberry and raspberry bushes. We have wild of both growing around us, but to get really big berries, I need to plant some domestic bushes. Blackberries seem to grow big, wild, but not the other berries. Strawberries is another area, I need to work on. They are a low carb fruit that I buy a lot of, and would like to grow my own supply.

Another project I cannot wait to work on in the Spring will be our flower bed out front. I started it a little last year, but this coming year I really want to develop that. I want lots of flowers out front. Before I only wanted to plant food, but flowers give me pleasure, and I deserve some of that too. What are you thinking about for your garden? Are there some plants you are not going to plant this year? I am not planting tomatoes at all. That is a first for me. I will have to buy mine from a local organic grower I know. But I need to rest my garden ground from the Late Blight this year. Two years in a row of being hit with that did it for me. They take up a lot of time and space to lose the whole crop every year now. So I am not growing them.

Have fun getting your last minute Christmas shopping in this week! I don't have to worry about buying anything but our groceries for our dinners. One for Christmas Eve and one for Christmas Day. I may make some Christmas cookies for hubby as a surprise. He deserves it. He takes good care of me and our family of critters.


Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2010  Kathleen G. Lupole



3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I definitely am ready for spring as well. I look forward to your garden growing and being able to read all about it. BTW, how do you make gingerbread cheesecake?

Paula & Skip said...

Oh yes, I know this season is needed to recup nature I know however I need Spring or I wont recup quick.....

katlupe said...

Thank you for your comments. I will post the recipe for the cheesecake when I make it. I haven't tried it yet.