What We Do Around the Homestead in January

Reader Contribution by Anneli Carter-Sundqvist
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The short period of time each year where homesteader’s and summer-business owners like us get to freely bask in open-ended unscheduled time is as short as it is sweet and it reaches it’s peak right now, in January. It’s incredible, how much time can be spent getting seemingly nothing done, when at other times of the year one can spend so much time getting so much done yet never feeling like it is enough. January asks people like me, who actually like to stay busy, for creativity. Projects does not exactly present themselves but here’s some of what I do on this first promising month of the year:

Connect with friends and family: The unscheduled time is a great chance, and a unique little window of time, to relish in the company of friends and family, both here on the island and away. Here at our homestead, tending the chickens is the only absolute necessity and it’s easy for either me or Dennis to leave would we so desire. I’ll go to Sweden, this year as all years, to visit my aging parents and friends I haven’t seen in too long.

Order seeds: Since onion seeds need to be planted in February I order my seeds in early January before my trip so I’ll for sure have them when it’s time to plant. Ordering seeds is bittersweet – some years I’ve been so frazzled by the past gardening season I don’t want to see another seed package in my life. This past year I was more relaxed about it all and found it was pretty pleasant to go through what I had left for seeds and pick out the varieties for this year, throwing some wild, untried cards in the mix. See Fedco for an excellent seed co-op.

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