Wintertime Doldrums
TALES FROM THE FARM
What to do to lift spirits in the cold, dark days.
Many of us have moved to this area to enjoy the great outdoors. Likewise, many of us have farms ranging from large commercial farms to small family farms to a garden and a couple of chickens. The thing we have in common is enjoying being outside and seeing the fruits of our labors. This time, of year it can be very difficult to get motivated, especially with the lack of sunlight and cold days. A couple of things that can help are planning, dreaming, and envisioning what this spring and summer will look like…
On our little farm, we are impatiently waiting for baby goats and sheep. I can’t wait to cuddle the cute little kids and lambs!! Also, we are now ordering our seeds for our garden and planning our rotational plantings. I love to make lists and check them many, many times. There are numerous online resources for companion planting and other gardening strategies. Here is my favorite chart for companion planting.
Meanwhile, each day we visit with the farm critters and do well winter checks on everyone. These cold days and nights can be difficult for farm animals, especially older ones. Keep a special eye on them. Sometimes a little extra feed can help keep critters warm at night. Make sure you are feeding the proper nutrition for your critters. Everyone likes their special treats, even the cows. Although I do think Fiver, our newly weened bottle baby Holstein calf, and Bacon Bits, our little piggy, get the most treats just because they are so dang cute. They are living in the garden right now, helping till it up and fertilize it for spring.
Hope you all have a wonderful winter. Just getting outside for 10 minutes a day or a little movement around the house can help with the wintertime doldrums and keep on dreaming!!
