The past week hasn’t been a week of no work (the kind you get paid to do), but it was one of those quieter weeks. One of those with the after-holiday lull and before the commitments kick in. You know, the kind of week where an extra cup of coffee is enjoyed. As you drink your coffee, you take the time to read about compost piles, building the soil, starting a worm farm, mindlessly flip through the seed catalogs, and then browse the emails full of plant offers. The algorithms and the gardening articles give me away. Those darn marketing people. They make it too easy to chase gardening joy.

I experienced joy this week, buying too many flower seeds (I need a PO box with another name), dreaming of a cow panel trellis (plural), and sending the hubby blueprints for a roadside flower stand. In addition to algorithms and pretty seed books, Pinterest is evil when time is limited, but I call it “friend” when the coffee pot is full.

I chased extra joy by making a mess in the basement. Playing with dirt outside is too cold, but the basement is warm and cozy (wood stove). I dragged my dirt, seeds, and containers to the basement table. It’s early, I know, but the grow lights and heat pads were dormant, and the Feverfew was lonely. I told myself it was okay since I pulled the cool-weather flower seeds—cherry Rudbeckia, Sahara black-eye susans, and some other flower I can’t recall. It sounded pretty. And okay, I admit I planted some lettuce in plastic boxes to see what would happen. Gardening is nothing but experimentation, right? I’m not sure salad is in my future. Stay tuned.

Besides gardening, I spent some time in the snow, walking the farm, hearing nothing but the crunching sounds of our boots and the creek trickle. It didn’t stay long, but it brought joy to many folks around here, especially the milk, egg, and bread makers. 🙂 A couple of extra bonuses to the snow were the full moon lighting up the snowy landscape at night and the neighbors’ adorable sheep. They didn’t seem to mind the cold at all.

I hope you chased some joy this past week. If not, it’s a whole new week. Take a few minutes to do so. Speaking of algorithms on social media, this link brought me joy, and it might do the same for you. It’s hard not to smile at Rico, the porcupine.

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1AH457QjFJ

Have a great week!

Carrie