Because we didn’t get moved into our new place until the beginning of April, we’ve gotten a late start on our garden this year. I have the feeling we’ll manage to get a nice harvest this Fall nonetheless, but it could be a close call for us. At any rate, I’ve gotten so much satisfaction from working in the dirt this weekend, planting veggies & weeding, breathing in the warm scent of Springtime earth while listening to the chorus of Mother nature all around. My friend Lindsey even came out & popped a few veggie plants into the ground with us! We played with ducks & chilled in the hammock, sipped some icy cold beverages & she even kind of battled a snake! Not really, but it was a little cool & dramatic. Anyway – I have such high hopes & big, dreamy visions of what my garden will evolve into over the next few years. I’ve been collecting canning recipes for ages that I can’t wait to try out. I plan to grow most of the vegetables & fruits necessary for these delicacies & I want to purchase as much local produce as possible to make up for what I can’t or don’t want to grow on my own. This year I will start very small. Tomato sauces & soups, fruit preserves & freezer jams, salsas & pickled yums – just enough to give me a taste of summer during the long winter months. I’ve done a little of this in the past, but my heart is set on making a huge shift, changing how we eat, where we get our food & how much of it we produce on our own land. I’m not afraid to start out small & work my way through the lessons & mess-ups & life experience it takes to become a little more self-sufficient each year. I’m not trying to conquer it all at one time. Slow & steady wins the race, right? Right now I’m spending a lot of time gathering research, tapping into local resources, learning about meat birds to incorporate into the homestead next Spring & the ups & downs associated with small breed cows. I’ve been chatting with a local farmer about goats & milking & making cheese. It will all come on line in due time. Until then I’m enjoying the self-seeking education of it all. I stopped by a neighbor’s house down the road & introduced myself. I’ve been seeing her (& her hubs) outside working with their bees all Spring. I’ve been waiting for the right time to pull over & pick their brains a little. I chatted them up about beekeeping & they suggested some wonderful resources to help us prepare. Cool, cool peeps & lucky for us, they’re just right down the road. Their garden is tidy & perfectly pleasant for a small family. I’m sure we’ll see them more in the future as I’ve joined the local beekeepers guild, which they’re also members. We’ll be taking a short course in January to prep for keeping our own hives next Spring. It will be something wonderful to look forward to this Winter when we’re all struggling with cabin fever & aching for some glimpse of Springtime’s musings. Every morning I wake up & I thank God for the inspiration & possibilities that fill my heart & mind & life on a daily basis, they are endless.