planning

Planning. That's what we've been doing a lot of here so far this month.

Planning the gardens. Planning my yarn projects. Planning some shop updates. Planning Vacation Bible School. Planning meals. Planning school.

Lots of planning.

There's something quite wonderful and dreamy about the whole planning process. It holds so much hope and such high expectations, some of which do eventually fizzle. But it's still nice to add a little dreaming to the practical.

This year, I've decided that we're going to just stick with the veggies that I know work in our soil conditions. Last year, I tried to grow okra. Not because I have any particular affinity for okra. I've only had it one time in my life (a true northern girl I am.) But I often find excitement in growing new and different things, things we haven't grown before. This year, however, I decided that I need every single square inch of my gardens to grow that which I know our family will eat. This comes from us running out of all of our preserved and frozen veggies well before the new planting season. Save some potatoes (which are looking rather sorry at this point), our freezer and cellar has been emptied of all the broccoli, green beans, carrots, squash, and corn that I had put away. Bah humbug. I don't like having to buy my veggies at the grocery store. And that is why I'm planning more wisely this year.

I'm also planning some new shop updates. Items that are more suitable to warmer weather. I've been sketching some ideas, working on some prototypes, doing a little research. Oh, if only I had more hours in my day!

The sun is out today. My raised beds are actually visible after months of being buried beneath the snow. The smell of spring is in the air. The birds are chirping. My alpacas are actually venturing out into the pasture. And I'm just soaking in all of this renewal. I do love spring. The time of birth. The time of new things. The time of life.