My little town in Mississippi is finally emerging from the damages caused by a treacherous winter storm. I had no power for 3 nights and days, and part of me cursed the darkness and the cold–especially during the night that the temperature dipped down to the low teens. But another part of me enjoyed the fact that my hurried schedule was temporarily brought to a halt. For most of a week, i allowed myself to do what most of nature around me does. I lay fallow.

And then I thought. . . .

“Little shards of sleet fell upon the frozen ground. A mockingbird greeted me at my back door. Chittering chinks of ice filled the air.” Jacki Kellum

As I listened to the sleet plinking all around me, I was moved. I knew that an important time of my year was about to happen–the time to lie fallow–or to at least shift gears.

Winter is a time of lying fallow. It is a time of rest, but it is not a time to forget about nature. Even during winter, nature has a song.

For a couple of the ice storm days, I remained busy. I made candles from Crisco, and I made a slightly effective Crisco candle stove. But during the night, I pulled the covers all around myself and I pretended I was a bear in hibernation. Sleep provided temporary relief. But during the days, I was too cold to rest–until finally, my power was restored,

After a day of thawing, I could truly rest and enjoy being barricaded by the ice and snow outside. After a couple of days of  rejuvenation, I began planning my garden. My garden is a 4-season affair, and the ice storm had thrust both me and my garden into winter.

I am a 4-Season Person., and I grow a 4-Season Garden. Nothing in my garden is blooming today, but everything that has not died is resting and drinking nutrients from the soil and sunshine. Today, I ordered snapdragon seeds that I’ll start inside next week.

Snapdragons – An Heirloom Cottage Garden Flower to Sow Early Inside

I also ordered some sugar snap peas that i’ll soon plant outside.

Like my garden, I am not flowering and blooming today.

I am not painting things at my studio today, but I am recharging and getting ready for the new growth that lies ahead. Winter is merely a season.

”And the seasons, they go round and round,
And the painted ponies go up and down.
We’re riding on a carousel of time.” Joni Mitchell

What Is a Four Seasons Garden?