Mid-Winter Bits

Each February, just as the winter doldrums start to settle in, the kind folks at the seed companies throw us a bone and send out the seed catalogs. Those coveted booklets land in our mailbox reassuring us that spring is on its way.

We pour over them, making unrealistic lists of what we'll grow—giant watermelons, tiny yellow tomatoes, purple string beans, and white eggplants. We get all starry-eyed and forget the size of our garden. No matter, though. We can dream of bigger-than-life gardens while we're snuggled up warm inside. And anyway, we add a new raised bed almost every year, as a direct result of our overzealous seed ordering. The promise of spring that comes with these catalogs is infectious. And once those seeds are sprouting in their cups, there is no looking back.

Speaking of the winter blahs, I had a good dose of action this past weekend at the aptly named artisan show, Cabin Fever. It brought lots of shoppers looking for Valentine's Day fodder and a chance to get out and about. A few new pieces I had been working on made their debut there, like these Cuff Rings.

Oh, Valentines, Day. I am not crazy about this "holiday" but I have to admit, I do love the colors and art that comes with it. The girls and I were looking at some cute illustrations the other day and we came across a painting of a bowl full of hearts. I commented that I would love to have a bowl of hearts like that, and the girls giggled, "we have a bowl of hearts, Mama!" They were right. We did, in fact, have a bowl of hearts right on the table. A big bunch of multicolored salt-dough hearts, made for classmates.

School vacation is next week and soon, it'll be March. Then it's all crocuses and daffodils, Easter eggs and jellybeans. And seedlings, of course—maybe my favorite thing about winter.