Early tradition

~ Tradition is an explanation for acting without thinking ~ Grace McGarvie
In all actuality a lot of thinking goes into this tradition.  Many years ago Cyndy told me my seed order had to be by Groundhogs Day.  I have religiously followed that. 

The catalogs arrive before Christmas and are tucked away until the hustle and bustle stops.  Then with a steaming cup of coffee, curled up in a chair next to the woodstove we crack the covers.  Immediately dreams of the perfect garden go swirling through my head...an illusion...but one I succumb to yearly.  I write down what I want to plant that year...less tomatoes but more beans, no cabbage this year, try celeraic instead of celery etc etc etc.  I don't have a garden big enough for all the things I would like to try so I have to keep it to things that are going to feed the family. A whole list is made and prices compared catalog to catalog.

Then the catalogs and list sit and marinate while I do the daily chores....for days and sometimes weeks.  The stack moves from the kitchen table to the coffee table in the hopes I will be motivated to finally finish.  Ahem, I have been known to procrastinate a little.  Then after #2 son's birthday I finally dig out the old seed packages and saved seeds and find out what I really need.

Yesterday being his birthday and tomorrow being Groundhogs day, I knew what was on my plate today.  I did not save any tomato seed from last year and I will not use my potatoes as seed so I thought that I was going to buy most of what was on my list.  Surprisingly I have more than enough leftover seeds from last year and seeds that I did save to not warrant putting in a seed order.  I will need seed for green beans, peas and cabbage but those I can pick up when I get the seed potates at the feed store.  

And now that I have participated in this annual ritual, daily life can resume.  And daily during this time of the year means fiber.  I tried the combs and spun up some of the shetland but found it to be so much easier to just toss the wool through the carder.  The two don't even compare in softness but I have not been known for my patience either and when I do want to spin I do want to spin...NOW.  So into the carder it went and now I have lots to spin.  I also washed up the rest of the alpaca blanket from Louise.  This was Amigo's from 2007!  How the hell did that much time go by?  I was almost done carding the shetland when the kids came home.  In anticipation of the nephew's coming up, I decided to pack it up until tomorrow.  However, before I finished I carded up some alpaca.  Beautiful. 

Then I took the dog for a walk.  While out there I decided to check the daffodils and they were up!  I never got back to take a picture but they are up about 1/2 inch or more.  I will have to pay more attention while strolling around the yard, looking for the first robin and checking to see what else is coming up, before the snow falls tomorrow.  Until then I have some fiber to spin.