It’s been awhile since I was here typing up a new post. 2015 was a year of great changes and new territory and I didn’t blog for a few months as I have been trying to keep up. But here we are with the year drawing to a close and what a great year it has been.
I am, of course, looking forward to Christmas and seeing my family- but I am also looking forward to the winter solstice. It holds no prominence in my religion or anything of that nature, but I love that solstice. The longest night. For me and so many other farmers and gardeners, it is the day with the greatest opportunity for rest.
Working with the land is a hard job, so many things can go wrong, so many things are out of your control and winter is a time of rest. More than New Years or the first day of school, the winter solstice resets the clock. From this day forward the days will get longer, spring will be fast approaching and then the summer solstice- the longest day of the year. I don’t notice that day quite as much because I am moving like crazy to keep up with the gardens, herb shows, and markets. Grass grows faster than you can pull it and the weeds are formidable adversaries. At that time, the slow pace of winter will be as distant a memory as the pretty little narcissus bulbs that were flowering when all else was grey and bleak.
But for now, the winter solstice is approaching giving us ample time to sit quietly and reflect- a new year is coming what will it hold?
Holly K. Ross 