Winter's quiet

Gosh it's been a long time since I've written. I think my inspiration was buried under the piles of snow that have graced our fair city, then work and life get in the way and before you know it, weeks or months have passed. I'm trying to get back into a routine, to find comfort in ritual, and cooking has always provided that. And - it's almost time to start thinking about the garden again! I'm so looking forward to planning and nurturing my little space of land. While I can't say I was off-the-charts successful last year, I took some good steps in the right direction and learned a lot. This past weekend I bought one of those timers you stick in the electric socket so I can have the grow light manage itself. I think my future seedlings will benefit from automation instead of relying on me to stay on top of them. After a fairly unsuccessful go at seedlings last year, I toyed with the idea of just skipping it altogether and hitting up the Menands Farmers' Market for plants this year. But there's something about the anticipation, seeing that first little sprout emerge, and the sense that with some time, effort and patience you can create something greater than what you started with. That's a sentiment that would do me some good right about now, so seedlings it is. Here's hoping...