winter prep

“I’m not ready for winter” I say and lay my head down on the table with an exaggerated sigh! “Honey, winter doesn’t care” was Linda’s response. I lift my head and give her the look.

Yesterday, most of it was spent preparing for freezing overnight temps that will be starting and continuing through the week. I still have tons of beautiful fall/winter greens out in the field and they are all cold hearty but I still must save them from frost and wind damage by covering the rows with a fabric called Agribon. Beets, turnips, carrots, spinach, chard, kale etc will all be protected and this should buy me some time until the high tunnels have enough density to start harvesting. This is the plan at least but if I’ve learned anything it’s not to have attachments to “the plan”.

I’m excited for winter, exited for cold days, warm yurt heated by a beautiful fire in the stove. After three winters on this farm we’ve got a winterizing plan and routine. It takes a couple of days of work but four months of less stress. The first year there was no winterizing the farm plan and we suffered, the second year we were set, over prepared and thus no suffering. This year will be even better. We’re over wintering in the yurt. It’s pretty easy and economical to heat a 400 square foot room than it is a 1200SF house.   The yurt is cozy and peaceful and a perfect place for contemplating the New Year to come. That’s what comes after the work of winterizing, contemplation. Not like I don’t do enough of that already but this I could call a focused contemplation of the evolution of the farm. Long title to write on the to-do list.

It’s an exciting time, it always is. Feeling like I have some say and control over my future is an exciting prospect. It may not turn out the way I planned i.e.drought, 112 degree days in the field, etc…but I learned so much and I have finally made peace with what I do and don’t have control over, that has made life so much more pleasant, although I still can be caught foot stomping in frustration at the wind, so enlightenment still evades me.