It's That Time Again...Seed Ordering Time!

My favorite seed catalog arrived not long ago to brighten my winter days. Johnny's Selected Seeds has wonderfully bright and colorful photos in their catalog. Their website is so very helpful and when I have called them, they are able to skillfully answer my questions. There are, I am sure, a great many seed companies that are reputable as well. Johnny's serves those of us in the northern climates so well with seeds that are bred for the north. Johnny's has been my seed supplier for some years and I have always found their seeds to grow very well. Of course, I still go to Bowser's Feed Store down the road to get peas, seed potatoes, corn and onions. They also allow me to buy just a few zucchini seeds. If I planted an entire package, my neighbors would lock their doors when they saw me coming with 'gifts'. A local greenhouse is where I get my plants such as broccoli, tomatoes and the like. I just don't have a good window for starting my own seedlings.

While it may be some time before I see the bare ground again, I enjoy thinking through what fun veggies I can try growing for the first time. It is also time to think about where to plant each type of vegetable--crop rotation--as well as what did we like and what did we plant too much of...or too few of.

Lord willing, I will not be laid up with another broken ankle this summer.

May I recommend reading a recent post by The Midland Agrarian on his review of the movie, Food, Inc., as well as his some of his thoughts on growing one's own food. I'm anxious for Part Two.

Sunny Winter Days

Here in Western Pennsylvania, we value sunshine quite highly. During the month of February, the sun has rarely been seen. (And it is not just winter when the sun is often hard to come by around here.) The snowfall has reached record-breaking levels and that brings with it the seemingly endless gray days. This is when I wish I had a digital camera to show the snow piles! It may be June before my tulips bloom because the snow is piled so high! However, the past two days have been a boost to the mind and spirit. The temperatures actually got above freezing, too! Seeing that the sky is still blue and that the sun is still up there has brought smiles to everyone around. What a blessing it has been. I think God knew we had had enough.

It won't be long until Spring. The days are already getting longer. I'm getting anxious to get my hands in some dirt!

ALMIGHTY GOD,
I am loved with everlasting love,
clothed in eternal righteousness,
my peace flowing like a river,
my comforts many and large,
my joy and triumph unutterable,
my soul lively with a knowledge of salvation,
my sense of justification unclouded.
I have scarce anything to pray for;
Jesus smiles upon my soul as a ray of heaven
and my supplications are swallowed up in praise.

--an excerpt from Assurance from the book Valley of Vision, A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions