Happy New Year

In November a huge wind and rain storm hit the Pacific Northwest with hurricane force winds in some areas. This "Pineapple Express" came in from Hawaii, and blew down a lot of trees and flooded major transportation corridors in Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Thankfully, our islands were spared from any damage. Nearby parts of Washington were declared disaster areas, though.

With all of the rain, the garden is very wet and soggy. Lettuce is growing slowly under the Remay cloche (about 2 inches tall) and should take off by early Spring. However, we are harvesting Brussels sprouts, beets, kale, chard, and young carrots. We are also enjoying the raspberries, strawberries, blueberries and blackberries we froze, the dried beans and peppers, potatoes, and canned tomatoes! It feels so soul satisfying to eat food from the garden when the weather is so miserable.

Yesterday, I found a few pink roses blooming along the walkway into the Center of the garden. They even had a slight fragrance! Their delicate beauty was such a dramatic contrast to the fierce wind and rain storm that was blowing across the landscape at that moment. I checked to see if they had a fragrance, and they did. It was very subtle but enough to touch my heart and bring tears to my eyes. The presence of flowers is profound!

I feel the new season of gardening coming alive. The seeds are stirring with the return of the light. I'm already getting the urge to prepare beds for early carrots, lettuce, and peas. There's still straw and cardboard to put down on the aisles so we can work in the garden. February is right around the corner and I plan to be ready to go!