Seed Catalogs

I think they time the sending of the seed catalogs nicely, and purposely, to rescue us when winter gets to be to much. They start arriving as the days reach their shortest point in December and continue through the bleak blustery days of January. When the fertile soil of the garden is frozen rock solid and summer seems naught but a cruel dream, they arrive. Bright shiny pictures of vegetable plants and flowers and sun shine.

We will start to pour through them shortly. Comparing their offerings to what seeds we already have. My devoted gardener husband will chose the practical, the tried and true. I will chose multicolored tomatoes, purple carrots and grey pumpkins. With just one of every variety that looks so scrumptious in the bleak mid winter we will be planting far more than we can eat. But the excitement is at its highest point, all things seem possible during those cold dark days of dreaming.

This year, we tell ourselves, this year we will can more tomatoes and keep up with the okra. This year we will keep the weeds pulled and pickle some cucumbers. This year we will gorge our selves on sweet corn until we are sick with it. This year I will smush up the peas for baby food, for that matter I will make all our baby food fresh from the garden. We will cut our grocery bill in half by growing all our own food.

Soon it will be time. One more month. In February we will start the precious little seedlings. With careful water, heat and lighting they will  grow offering hope that spring is on its way.