I feel safe saying that cleaning is not everybody's favorite thing to do.  Cleaning the farm is different though.  It doesn't involve dirty mop water and cleaners.  It is the time of the season for me when, playing roulette with the weather, is really inspiring and comforting.  I get to know the farm again.  Since I don't live on the farm, there are some days in the winter when I don't even make it down there.  "Dad, will you please take care of the chickens for me?"  When I do get down there and have time in between doing paper work, computer work, and juggling early season meetings, it gives me a great sence of relief.  

I know that spring is just around the corner and that I really have to get my butt in gear.  I start thinking of all the things that need done.  Starting with cleaning up the weeds, yes they never really go away.  The fields and ditches are fine.  The cows either take care of them or we burn them come spring.  Around the greenhouse and buildings it is a little harder to start a raging fire to control the population which seems to get out of hand rather easily.  It feels good to go home after a day on a rake and feel the muscles in your back after getting back at it.  This all depends on the weather of course.  It could be sunny and 55 degrees, just beautiful, and in a matter of minutes be snowing and the wind blowing (not just wind, but the kind of wind that blows right through you and makes the inside of your ears cold).  This was our expierence when we had folks out for garlic planting.  

The greenhouse is the perfect place to retreat on days like this.  If the sun is or was shining it is a safe bet to say that the weather in the greenhouse will be very pleasnt.  It may sound as if the whole thing is going to come down around you if the wind is blowing hard enough, but you are out of the elements.  There is always cleaning and prep to do in the greenhouse.  Anything from watering beds that have dried out after sitting fallow for the winter, to tilling them.  There are also plants that have been in pots in the winter in there that can always use some lovin'.  In addition to cleaning and prepping this is the time of year when we start to think of spring planting in the greenhouse.  We start getting salad mix, baby spinach, and some other cold hardy things growing.  This is our first season with a lot of space in ground, in the greenhouse, that we will be planting for early sales to restarunts and early CSA shares.  

Farm aside, the other perfect thing for me to do in the winter is to get my pottery wheel spinning.  It doesnt pay to have a degree in something unless you are going to use it eh?  I finally got a burner for my kiln and am hoping to have some pots to sell this summer.

I love playing in the mud!