As much as winter seems to be the red-headed stepchild of the seasons, I personally love the rest that it brings.
It forces us to slow down and tuck in
It’s the season of sipping warm fireside drinks. Of reading the books that have collected dust while we were out elbow deep in the garden all spring, summer, and fall. Of reflecting on the seasons past and reconnecting with our family.
The season for comfort foods
Winter is the time when soups and stews are always simmering on the stove, and opening a jar of jam that we canned back in the summer can bring tears of gratitude and anticipation for harvests to come.
Winter is vital to a gardener
For us to recharge and forget how much we wanted to pull our hair out in the summer when we had pulled weeds for 3 days straight and had cucumbers, squash, and tomatoes taking up every square inch of counter space in the kitchen. It’s the time for us to plan, and dream, and tweak the gardens for the coming year. To order way too many seeds, and watch way too many YouTube videos of cottage gardens and homesteads.
As much as I truly love winter, that doesn’t mean that my soul doesn’t treasure a warm February day. I rejoice in open windows, chirping birds, bare feet, and sunshine. Even if the air is still crisp.
I can feel the world beginning to move and come alive again.
The weather does the same for me. We have had some unusually warm days that hint at the promise of spring to come. On these days, we spent every waking moment outside. Pruning fruit trees, checking our honeybees, and freshening up the chicken coop. All of my people and critters went to bed with tired bodies and content hearts.
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