"February" by Jane Goodwin Austin I thought the world was cold in death; The flowers, the birds, all life was gone, For January's bitter breath Had slain the bloom and hushed the song. And still the earth is cold and white, And mead and forest yet are bare; But there's a something in the light That says the germ of life is there. Deep down within the frozen brook I hear a murmur, faint and sweet, And lo! the ice breaks as I look, And living waters touch my feet. Within the forest's leafless shade I hear a spring-bird's hopeful lay: O life to frozen death betrayed Thy death shall end in life to-day. And in my still heart's frozen cell The pulses struggle to be free; While sweet the bird sings, who can tell But life may bloom again for thee!
Part of the fun of moving to a new place is discovering what the previous residents planted and nurtured here. Some of it is obvious already – one of the first things I noticed when we saw this house for the first time was the burning bush in front. That is going to be chopped down when the weather warms up (it’s a non-native, invasive species in Ohio). Of course, the birds love it and have been eating the berries, so I expect little burning bush seedlings to sprout up all over the yard.
We also have a lot of mature trees, including evergreens. And maples, clearly.
Of course, I can identify some of the trees and plants (and if I can’t, there is an app for that). But much of what we have won’t be apparent until at least spring. Our yard has been covered by a blanket of snow and ice for some weeks now. We have a couple days of thawing, and then a winter storm will sweep through on Thursday, bringing a wintry mix.
Even so, I can’t help myself. I ordered seeds and seedlings, dreaming of spring.
Seeds purchased:
- Ornamental gourds, small fancy mix
- Sunflower, Chocolate Cherry
- Sunflower, Sunny Bunch
- Carrot, Yaya organic
- Broccoli, Royal Tenderette Hybrid
- Coreopsis, Early Sunrise
Of all the seeds I bought, only the broccoli needs to be started indoors. I will need to get supplies to do that. I have grow lights already, and our Florida room offers a nice, bright spot for the seeds to grow.
I pre-ordered seedlings today from a local, women-owned farm: Foraged & Sown.
- Cherokee purple tomato (I’ve grown this in the past … absolutely love it!)
- Genovese basil
- Munstead lavender
- Yarrow
- Cucamelon
Honestly excited about the cucamelon. I have never tasted one before, let alone grown them, but the way their flavor is described seems right up my alley.
I’m not the only one dreaming of spring. My husband bought a shiny new zero-turn mower on Saturday and is anxiously awaiting its delivery, even if it sits unused in the garage for several weeks.
Karyn Johnson 