Greetings, Rural Sprout readers,Â
 Despite my growing cabin fever and green itch, the weather is determined to remind me that it’s still winter - a time to rest. My kiddos up in Buffalo definitely got the message. It came in the form of four feet of snow, leaving them snowbound for much of the
week. Â
If we would only slow down a bit and listen, nature tends to be a good teacher.Â
 Over at Almost a Homesteader, we’ve been discussing the inherent wisdom in the seasonal calendar that the pagans followed compared to the Gregorian calendar.  Obviously, not everyone can follow the season-based Wheel of the Year.  If you live in a climate that
doesn’t have a dramatic shift from one season to the next, it can be a bit tricky. However, attuning your daily activities to the natural rhythms of your particular season, no matter your address, is always a good idea.  Our modern way of living places so much importance on doing, going, working, and bustling all through the year. We all but ignore the natural period of rest that’s offered to us each winter to recover from all this
activity. Â
It’s no wonder stress is such an issue.Â
 When agriculture was the mainstay for most people, resting in the winter was compulsory. I’m certainly not up for a return to serfdom or the like. And I know most of us still have to get up and go to a job each day, no matter the season. But we can – and should - use the winter as a period to recuperate
from the stressors of everyday life. Â
This is why I’m adamantly against New Year’s resolutions.Â
 Okay, maybe not all of them, but specifically things like going to the gym, starting to run, or some other type of new activity that requires you to be busy or overly active.  We're in the heart of winter. It goes against our natural bodily rhythms to start doing all this stuff
now. It's different if it's already a part of your normal routine.  According to a recent poll conducted by Forbes magazine, the most common New Year’s resolutions center around fitness. This same poll found that most resolutions last for around three months before being
abandoned.  I want to submit a crazy idea to you, dear reader.  Â
Perhaps this failure rate has far less to do with our willpower and much more to do with the calendar.
 Why do we pick an arbitrary date on the calendar to upend everything and create new goals? It makes more sense to set resolutions and start new activities in the spring when daylight returns and the natural world wakes from its slumber.  I wonder how many of us would keep our resolutions
if we started them in the spring? Should we start a campaign for setting Easter resolutions? Â
I have a hunch we would see a far better success rate.Â
 Many of us are starting seeds indoors right now. Let’s take a lesson from the seeds we sow. Bide your time in the soil. Then, when spring arrives, you will be ready to burst forth, new and fresh and green.   In the spirit of resting, we have some great new articles up on Rural
Sprout this week for you to read. Sit back, relax and read up on all things growing and gardening. And for heaven’s sake, put down that dumbbell.  Â
|
|
It's about this time of year that every gardener gets what I refer to as "the green itch." The…
|
|
|
|
Creating an ecological garden is a lofty pursuit indeed, but an immensely worthwhile one. With the 12…
|
|
|
|
Even our editor, Tracey, has been known to sniff her houseplants. If you asked me to think of a smell…
|
|
|
|
The growing season is still a couple of months away, but I can't wait. So why not start right now?…
|
|
|
|
Whether you're new to peperomia or you're just clicking out of curiosity, there are a few interesting…
|
|
|
|
Plant these perennial vegetables (and fruits and herbs) just once and you can enjoy their bounty year…
|
|
|
|
"Force" your rhubarb to grow earlier in the season with this clever little trick. Plus your rhubarb…
|
|
|
|
Neem oil should be in every organic gardener's tool kit, but more importantly knowing when and how to…
|
|
|
|
If you want to get your garden started on the right foot this year, it helps to be prepared. Yet,…
|
|
|
|
Should you pitch the paperwhite bulbs you grew at Christmas? Maybe, maybe not, read on to find out…
|
|
Did you miss a newsletter or want to go back and read a few for inspiration - Click this link. Don't forget to check out our Facebook page for daily updates. Â
That's all for this week, Rural Sprout Readers.
|
|