Summer will come again

But until then we wait.  I love the quietness of winter.  It's the only time you can go for a walk in our busy neighborhood and enjoy complete quiet.  Everyone is warm inside their houses enjoying the warmth of cozy indoor activities.  Winter truly is a beautiful season - this is what I keep telling myself while I watch and wait for spring.

This photo from simplygoodstuff.tumblr.com reminds me of one of my favorite things to do as a child.

I made little miniture snowmen and dressed them in doll clothes.  My patient mother let me pull icicles from the house and store them in the freezer for summer although fresh ice out of the freezer was the better choice come summer.

When I was a child I didn't mind the winter so much. I played outside everyday and loved the quietness of the farm.

I came across this quote from Sunset that made me aware that even though it doesn't look like anything is happening in the garden preperation and growth for spring is underway.

"January is the quietest month in the garden. ... But just because it looks quiet doesn't mean that nothing is happening. The soil, open to the sky, absorbs the pure rainfall while microorganisms convert tilled-under fodder into usable nutrients for the next crop of plants. The feasting earthworms tunnel along, aerating the soil and preparing it to welcome the seeds and bare roots to come."
- Rosalie Muller Wright, Editor of Sunset Magazine