The Long Winter

Laura Ingalls Wilder has been my hero since childhood: mother, teacher, writer, pioneer. I always considered Laura and I to be "kindred spirits," like Jo from Little Women,(or rather Anne from Anne of Green Gables). After this Maryland winter--Minnesota and Maine folks are now laughing, "Do you call that winter?"--I realize that I'm not cut from the same stock. A March blizzard (by Maryland standards) caused the collapse of my hoop house, even though I went out in boots and ear-flap hat to sweep it off at 11 p.m. After that, I gave up and have been holding my breath for spring ever since.

Will spring ever come? Oh, it's here. The signs are everywhere. The crocuses have already come and gone; the daffodils are in full bloom. The grapes, blackberries and blueberries are budding, but I have yet to prune them. You see, I can't seem to handle 45-50 degree breezy days anymore. I hung clothes on the line for the first time in three months last week, and then had to come inside and turn up the propane stove. Our new woodstove is wonderful, however, we have run out of wood trimmed to the smaller 16-inch size and so we haven't burned it for two weeks. Turning on the heat is out of the question, of course, so it is 59 degrees in my house most days. I find myself fantasizing about just driving around my Subaru station wagon with the heated seats on.


The spring chores are piling up. We had one beautiful 60-degree day last week, but I had to spend most of it traveling up to the northern part of the county to pick up a quarter of organic beef that was ready. By the time I got home, I only had time to plant about half of my onion sets (about 100 plants) before leaving for a school function. Potatoes are waiting to be planted, blueberries and strawberries are to arrive any day, and I haven't even finished building my last raised bed. Pansies I purchased two weeks ago are still sitting in their grower packs on my front step. The weeds are doing great, though!

I am pleased to report that last fall's spinach and surprisingly some romaine lettuce survived the hoop house collapse and are growing like crazy. We had a nice spinach salad on Sunday. Unfortunately, these are growing where I planned to put the strawberries. What to do?

Even now, I am avoiding going outside. Yesterday was in the fifties, but felt bitter to me because of the 25 mph wind. Today is sunny, with highs forecasted for about 60. Yet, here I am writing instead of changing into my gardening clothes, content to watch the garden from the window. I can see things are happening but--well--it's just warmer inside. Something about winter lulls me into an attitude of watching and waiting. Watching the birds, waiting for a warmer day, watching the flowers and trees bud, waiting for the seeds and plants to arrive. I feel like I'm stuck out of gear and can't shift into drive.

I know I'll get moving eventually. Winter planning has set events into motion that I will have to deal with, regardless of the weather. Soon, perhaps even today, the blueberries and strawberries will arrive at my doorstep. The still unplanted onions are starting to shrivel. I guess I'll pull on my flannel-lined plants and find a place to put them. Spring is here, whether I'm ready or not.