Crafting, cooking and winter farm life

 The  sweetness of felted creatures on the fir tree - animals and fairy folk gathered to celebrate the dark of the year. Hiding in the green fuzziness, picking out of the deep nest of fir branches they go from the Christmas tree back to our nature table, to the fairy tale basket, to the pretend farm.

There are the Twelve Months among them - in their seasonal outfits gracing the fir tree, all gathering together once per year - the old ones of the winter, the young ones of the spring. All dancing together greeting the holiday.

Apple Blossom Fairy with her companion, the Woodpecker  - set amidst stars and lights - awaiting her glorious hours later in the spring - with our hopes that no late frost will damage the bloom, the harvest.

Greenhouse is largely inactive, yet still full of food. Greens and lettuce, with an occasional sweet pea - not too bad for December. Row cover floating over the plants, protecting them in this unheated greenhouse, semblance of snow during an otherwise dry winter.

 

In the garden things are alive still, despite 9F (-13C) temperatures for the past few weeks. Ground is frozen, but plants are quite cozy in their wire tunnel, covered up with wads and wads of row cover, plus more over the tunnel walls, plus a tarp just for the heck of it. Heat rises.... Thus the tarp - whatever we can keep from rising out of the wire tunnel will stay inside, keep plants alive. I know that come Imbolc, February 2nd with its festival of Candlemas, plans will awaken in a noticeable way. 

As it is, I feel that life is returning - I am suddenly inspired to clean house, rake mulch (there are patches in the goat yard that are not frozen solid!), figure out other improvements here and there. Dream life of the soul is in its full force - planning, resolutions, ideas, discussions. The will is waking up too, time to act is slowly unfolding. If there is mulch to be raked, lets rake it! And perhaps, for once, finish mulching the winter garden. There is always so many unfinished corners there, despite trying so hard to get it to perfection. Oh, how much we would enjoy the snow right now, to get all that mulch saturated with moisture!

This year, we made lots of candles for winter holiday season. We have grown used to candle light in winter evenings, perfect accompaniment for dinner, piano music, story time, bathing or child's bedtime routine.

 

 Our thanks go to our friends, the bees, for their honey-infused wax that makes such lovely candles! And to the sheep, for their lovely wool that allows for such sweet felted creations.

 

 Goats give us their manure and milk, former nourishes the soil in the garden - and the latter feeds us. Even in the cold winter months, our Rosa The Goat is able to produce milk, so sweet and delicious, white as winter.

happy winter dreams to you!
thank you
- Arina