“When I finished writing this, the thermometer outside my door read 18 below zero. I now know that spring will never come. I shall spend the rest of my life reading seed and plant catalogues, and books about gardens and the people involved with them.”

This is a quote from Jamaica Kincaid’s “My Garden (Book):” It is printed on a page along with the following sketch by Jill Fox:

If you are in my area, I don’t need to tell you that the view outside the window today is quite similar; we are literally buried in at least 12 inches of snow, and it is still coming down out there. So I can relate to what Ms. Kincaid is saying.

I don’t feel quite so lethargic about it though. In fact I’ve been looking forward to this snow. The kids love to sled, and I hope we will be out a good long while this afternoon, as soon as the wind is not so strong that the snow is coming down horizontally. It gives us the morning to spend indoors though, with bread baking and me at the stovetop browning bison for tomorrow’s super bowl chili.

In addition to the weather similarities though, there’s also the reading. I have a stack of gardening books and seed catalogs that I’ve been moving from the kitchen table, to the arm chair, and now to the stairs. There’s no point in putting any of them away as I glance over them many times throughout the day. (And this stack has grown significantly since I took this photo. SigNIFicantly.)

I’ve already placed my order for my heirloom tomato transplants from Seed Savers Exchange, as well as a few vegetable and flower seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. (More on why I ordered from these particular sites and what I ordered from them later.)

I also have a few little gardening projects going on inside the house, to keep me going.

Herbs - Basil, Sage, Dill, and Cilantro:

Bulbs - Tulips and Narcissus:

And of course my African Violet. Remember, I have a son who loves purple. He is literally requesting right now that his yogurt be put in a purple bowl.