Four Days 'til Spring

My garden is eager to go outside. So am I.

Green amidst the Bleakness of Winter

I adore snow storms and I'm even more tolerant of the cold this winter, as opposed to winters passed. I was also able to stand the cold ocean this summer -- maybe my body has finally achieved an acceptable level of fat? Whatever the reason, it has kept me from hibernating too much this season. Leaving the security and warmth of my bed is a struggle, but there is work to be done!

Pictured above are the first sprouts of my recycled-bottle garden. I had originally planned on buying all sorts of fancy, indoor-planting supplies -- but why bother? I already have what I need.




I've always loved planting things. It amazes me how fast seedlings sprout up and start reaching for the sun.




Hopefully in the next few months, the snow will melt and the ground will thaw. I plan to build raised beds, since the dirt is less than favorable. I'm going to use recycled materials if possible, including some sort of fencing material to keep the neighborhood cats from using my garden as a litter box.




Until then, I will happily tend to my little chair-top garden. The smell of the organic soil makes my heart beat a little faster, and the vivid, green seedlings bring hope in the monotone winter.

A Girl Can Dream

(Photo taken at Ort Farm in Long Valley, NJ)

It’s kind of crazy for a little suburban girl to want to uproot to the middle-of-nowhere, start a small farm and train a sled dog team. But I guess I’ve never been all that sane.

Yesterday I biked around Sandy Hooky with my dad, Dan and Dexter. The weather was just cool enough for Dexter to run the whole five or six miles without any problem. It felt great to be back on my bike after a month without it (although my knees thought otherwise at 4 am this morning).

On the way down to the shore, my Dad and I talked about selling the house and moving to the country. We’d get a little house on a big piece of land, and raise alpaca. My mom would grow her fruits and vegetables on a larger scale, and my sister would make farm-fresh baked goods (pies, muffins, etc.). We’d sell our goods at farmers’ markets, or maybe in our own little country store.

I’d still do graphic design, but I’d also tend to a small chicken coup and train sled dogs. In the fall, we’d have a pumpkin patch for people to visit, and the sled dogs would cart around guests’ pumpkins. In the winter, we could pull people around on sleds. A taste of Alaska, right in New Jersey.

Of course, this is all just a fantasy. Fun to think about, but something my parents won’t really do. But that doesn’t mean I won’t. I’m looking at farms for sale right now. Much too early to seriously consider, but fun to dream. A few more years of working and building my freelance portfolio, and paying a mortgage won’t be out of the question — especially if it’s on a little farm in bumble-fudge.

In the mean time, I guess I’ll keep working with Dexter. Hopefully in the spring I’ll get another sled-worthy dog, and by the following winter I’ll have them training together. I also hope to have a successful garden next spring/summer. My own miniature, back-yard farm.

A girl can dream — even if it’s not about handsome men, expensive shoes, or designer purses.