After my first year as a farmer, I now have a deeper respect for winter. Spring is exhilarating! The prospects and potential of what will come out of the soil. The anticipations of those first signs of life. The tender seedlings and the first blooms. With summer comes maturity and first harvests. The constant battle to maintain proper moisture and nutrition, protect from harmful pests and keep the weeds at bay. Then comes autumn with the cool nights and crisp mornings. The glut of the harvest and the labor to collect it, to sell it and to preserve it before it spoils. From green to gold! It’s exhausting but rewarding. I brought forth a plentiful bounty from the soil beneath my feet. I fed my family and my community. It was a success, but I am ready for rest. Bring on winter! When the land gets a break and the over population of pests is put in check. The weeds return the favor to the soil and become compost. The worms sleep and the animals pick over what’s left.
Nomadic Farmer 