It’s January. The Christmas tree is down–in fact it is down by the road awaiting pickup and recycling by the town.
All the extra lights–and light–from the holiday are put away so the house seems darker now. And while we are past the winter solstice, so sunsets are very gradually getting later, at this moment, it is still difficult to tell. The one pleasure is that winter sunrises and sunsets tend to be lovely.
But this very cold and dark time of year is always a time of sadness when it is difficult to look forward to the coming spring and the gardens. This year it even more difficult with the news of each day and the pandemic. I try to keep my consumption of that to a minimum and even then, the sadness is sometimes almost unbearable.
Still, I have a lovely crop of forced hyacinths coming along, as well as some new amaryllis. These days, that may be the best I can hope for until warmer weather (which of course could be any day now–we have had some crazy warmth in between the snow and ice).
And before I know it, it will be time to get back out and do a little pruning and weeding–true balm for my soul.
Until then, I will keep my news consumption to a minimum and take walks with the dog. And maybe even start a few more bulbs.
Gardendaze 