making it through to March - suggestions for the winter doldrums

Winter seems to me to be a dead sort of time. Almost like everyone and everything is in a kind of suspended animation. People and animals huddle in their homes and shelters, sleeping more, going out less, some just trying to get through it. Certainly, I start to miss the life and vibrancy of growing things - green grass, blooming flowers, budding trees. Warm thunderstorms, humming bees and the trilling of spring peepers. It all seems so far away.

January is the worst, in my estimation. At least in December we have Christmas and New Year's to look forward to, and in February, you can almost convince yourself it's nearly March, which means it's almost spring. Know what I mean?

In January and even February, I look for ways to brighten my outlook so starting today and in the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing them with you. If you're like me and can hardly wait for spring, perhaps you'll enjoy some of my suggestions.

Suggestion #1: start planning your garden!

To get through these coldest months, an enjoyable activity is to start planning the spring planting. Seed and nursery catalogs have arrived, so armed with graph paper, pencil, and lists of desired plants, I sit down and spend a quiet evening or lazy weekend afternoon making planting plans. And for all too brief a time am transported to a place that's warm and sunny, where the air smells of freshly turned dirt and the birds are singing with the joy of being alive.