Counting Down the Days

Everyone has a different reason for counting down the days on a calendar...a special event, a big test, a birthday, a vacation...some joyous reasons, others dreaded. Nevertheless, we are devoted to counting down those days on the calendar.

We gardeners feel much the same way with our calendars, although our "holidays" tend to differ from the general idea. A holiday for us is a day of sunshine in winter or early, early spring--sunshine that gives off a gentle warmth. It pulls us out from our basement gardens and away from our house plants out into the gardens to delight in one of our favorite pursuits...puttering around. We poke at the dirt, we pull a few random weeds or grasses that hung on throughout the winter, and we continually look for a hidden treasure...the spare leek, some still tender pieces of kale, a snippet of an herb that has been sheltered from the elements.

I have my calendar closely marked beginning with the 10th of March; according to the Almanac and some weather forecasts, that's when I can start moving the nursery of little indoor vegetable and flower plants into the greenhouse to begin the hardening-off process getting ready for their big new world of the garden. I'll plug in the little space heater once again and gingerly return them to their little sheltered windowed world in the great outdoors. (They were there once, but mean 'ol frigid February chased them back indoors.) I'm seeing highs of 50s and lows of 30s during those days...ideal for these little seedlings.

So, I'm counting down the days...and my smile grows. Yes, the next couple of days promise to be anything but agreeable, but I keep my eyes on my calendar, and I count these stubborn days away in anticipation of more plant-friendly ones.