They say home is where the heart is, an old and perhaps hackneyed phrase that nonetheless chimes with all of us.
That’s where it all begins on the home quarter. You don’t build a beautiful pool because you want a dip now and then; you build it so family and friends can gather and have fun together.
You don’t plant a garden full of fresh vegetables and fruit trees because you’re keeping up with the neighbours. You plant it to nourish and nurture your family.
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You don’t create a shelterbelt just for fun, either. You do it for the environment, for your family’s comfort, for capturing a little bit of extra moisture on a wind-swept plain.
You take care of your tools, so they work when you need them. You keep an eye out for coyotes and other predators, to protect your calves, dogs and other baby animals — not to mention small children. You feed your garden with manure, because it’s a natural way to nourish it.
It’s a farm, and it’s home. There is the annual round of the main work of the place — the seeding and the spraying and the harvesting. And this is also where you live.
Because there is heart, there is much to do, and much to learn in all seasons. It may be white and silver outside right now, but by January, we will all be thinking about seed catalogues and tree varieties and whether there is rust on the shears, because we just can’t help ourselves.
Our winter lives are focused on getting ready for spring.
Hopefully this late December edition will cheer you with its bright and colourful photos, and inform you with its home based stories. Think green, and take heart that spring is not really that far away.
