Preparing for the Signs of Life

As we sit here counting down the days until our third child is born, I am thinking that there is nothing like anticipation to get you excited about the things to come.  I saw a few of the tops of the crocuses starting to poke out of the ground, reminding me that days of flowers and digging are just around the corner.  The lettuce seeds are chosen and mixed, but the ground is too frozen.  I can only declare that I will not be planting any radishes.  Other than that all other possibilities are open.  There is unlimited space in the garden and no seasons have passed yet.

This is the time to continue drooling over your seed catalogs.  I would also recommend visiting your gardening stores.  There is no better time to check out the good deals and not deal with those annoying people who only want to buy red geraniums.   You know the ones I am talking about.  Go and see the cool pots, typically they have some serious deals around this time of year.  They are as desperate to see you as you are to feel like you are accomplishing something outside. You can also peruse the seed aisles before they are picked over. 

We have had a few days of warm weather lately and the snow is slowly retreating.  Underneath the layers of brown snow lay the secrets that you have been waiting for, hoping would show up.  After your plotting and planting, those tiny little seedlings, that will fill the bald spots in your garden.  They are still too small to tell which ones are coming up, but I just keep repeating to myself; only a few more months. 

My anticipation is killing me.  I am waiting for a baby, waiting for spring, waiting for the warmer weather, and waiting for this headache to go away.  But for now, I will eat my ice cream and enjoy a little quiet before the noise of kids and summer fill my life once again. 

Christmas In January

So I was sitting on my couch this week when Mindy asked me to go get the mail.  I got up and trudged through the melting snow, and opened the mailbox.  And what to my wondering eyes should appear but my joy and eight tiny seed catalogs.  I know it probably wasn't what you were thinking..but at this time of the year a person who gardens is mainly stuck dreaming about next year. 

And so now I am the one riding the bus and reading my glossy magazine, only mine are filled with possibilities for next year's garden.  By the end of the winter, my poor gardening books and magazines have had a major work out.  Flipping back and forth between the pages trying to eek out every idea and ounce of genius.  What can I find this year that is new and exciting?  What have I been trying to find forever?  What reminds me of growing up on the farm? 

I think that this year, although I will have to throw in some exciting new things, I am going back to the basics.  Sometimes there are reasons that we have those "old reliables".  You know what I am talking about...that old t-shirt, pants, or underwear that you should have thrown away a very long time ago, but they are comfy and there is something about knowing what you are going to get.  There is no guesswork, just memories.  Sometimes I get so drawn up in my ideas for what things I can find that some soccer mom down the street won't have, that I lose track of the main results: beauty and produce. 

Like I said before, there is no way that I can resist my shiny new red tomato or purple potato, but I am reading my magazines this year looking for something more reliable.  I will still brag about the new things that work and try to hide the ones that don't (hopefully there aren't too many of those).  I will also relish in picking things that produce, but for now I will just enjoy looking at my pretty pictures.