New Year's Eve

After the excited rush and colorful bustle leading up to Christmas, the final week of the year is a dull stretch. Once all the presents have been opened and the holiday feast is over, a disappointment sets in. Suddenly all the best cookies are gone, the greens are looking dry and tired, and we all just want the new year to begin already. There is a weariness palpable in the people in this last week, as if these days were the last days of a punishment. It has reminded me of how winter can feel for the gardener sometimes, like something to be endured with a resigned sigh.

As the year fritters down to it's last hours I usually give some thought to how the year has been, what has happened that I'm proud of and what I'd like to avoid repeating. In the next couple weeks I'll begin doing the same thing for the garden as the new catalogues with all their lovely temptations slip into my mailbox. But for the moment, it is time to relax, reflect and savor the year that has been.

Happy New Year!