β€œWhen spring came, even the false spring,
there were no problems except where to be happiest.”
Ernest Hemingway

After weeks of frosty mornings and ice-covered windshields, it’s wonderful to step outside into warmth and sunlight and bits of green here and there.

These days I look forward to hanging laundry on the line and watering my gardens instead of having to psych myself up for the freezing ordeals. It may be a false spring but it’s healing, glorious weather and I’m loving every minute of it. Is there anything better than sunshine on bare shoulders after the cold of winter?

pink hollyhockSuch balmy days inspire me no end. I’ve been digging new garden beds, hauling rocks for borders, and – most fun of all – collecting all sorts of interesting seeds and seedlings like sandpiper figs, ruby red Brussels sprouts, mouse melons (you can pop them in your mouth whole!), strawberry guavas, dragon fruit, and lilly pillies. I’m eager to find just the right spots for them so they can flourish and provide us with all sorts of deliciousness in autumn.

Bear has caught the inspiration bug too, building an amazing pen for our chickens full of mulberry trees and climbing vines to provide both food and shade. It’s shaping up to be a beauty and I’ll share pics when it’s finished. He’s also collecting all the bits and pieces we need to fence in and cover two orchards full of plums, apples, oranges, blood oranges, lemons, hazelnuts, chestnuts, figs, and pomegranates, with room to add in other trees as we acquire them. It’s so exciting to see these projects come together bit by bit.

winter daisiesIt’s great to have these outdoorsy things to do in between my writing projects. Sometimes I simply can’t string one more sentence together, and it’s fantastic to turn my computer off and head outside to check on the progress of the kohlrabi and red cabbage, find a warm spot to watch the goats play, or just sit on the sun-drenched veranda with a cold drink.

mulching with strawWhat’s your favorite downtime activity when you need to rest your brain?