winter is plodding along

So I'm actually surprised to find that winter is plodding along at a decent pace. It's the 13th of January and i feel like the sun is slowly pulling us closer to summertime. Granted, it's still dark by 5:30, but at least feel like I'm getting a bit of Vitamin D during the day.

I put the garlic in the ground in the snow, Siberian, white striped, red toch, music pink, and another type that's escaping my mind today. I know you're supposed to plant them in the fall,

but life eternally gets away from me and the fall time is for falling back and making a game plan... and of course watching the Sunday afternoon games. I feel like just now, I'm starting to get a handle on where we're going with this year, and yes, it does take me the whole month of January to make up my new years resolutions.

We also made some cider before the holidays swept us away, pretty much just clearing out the old apples after the snow had knocked them all down. The shock in our hands was frighteningly painful, but we are all happily working up a sweat under ten layer, just thinking of hard apple cider, apple brandy, and whatever else we can do to make it deliciously alcoholic.

It turned out to be quite a process, but with a lot of people helping, is seemed like more fun than work. Well... at least for the people who weren't washing the apples with freezing cold water. and yes, that is snow in the pictures.

So far, I've already put in an order of peeps to be delivered Feb 16th and an order of seeds to come at the end of January. Soon we'll be starting the pepper and celery seeds and I'm happy now to have my sister home from Florida, albeit freezing here with us, but happy to help with the gardens and other events around the park.

This is going to be a great year. I can't wait to get started!