Solstice and a New Year.

Last week we delivered/distributed that last of our 2016 vegetables. There’s not much left aside from some squashes and short stalks of brussels sprouts. Potatoes, many of which will be seed for next year’s crop. We used it all up.

Teo has left for Mexico. We are alone for the winter. The holidays are over. We sent our glowing Solstice lanterns into the air to say goodbye to a trying 2016. And now we welcome the hope and possibility of a new year. 2017 will be fresh and exciting, and smaller.

Downsizing means recalculating everything. How much do I really need to plant? How much do we need? How much seed will it take, and how much space? I’m reinvesting in hand tools, because a smaller scale doesn’t need as much mechanized equipment.

After January, I’ll start looking for helpers. Fresh, enthusiastic help. Two to three people who are as excited about these changes as I am.

But now, it’s cleaning-up season. Cleaning up the desk and doing bookkeeping. Cleaning up the greenhouses to get ready to plant early crops in just a few weeks.   Cleaning up outside and getting ready to plant the earliest crops as soon as the ground is dry.

Change is scary. But mostly change is exciting and full of possibilities!