The prairie wakes up


Usually by this time of year, I am whining and pining away for spring and all of its glorious things. (Though, honestly, by this time in Kansas, it typically is here in full force). And sure, spring is here. But it is not like any spring I've experienced in Kansas (and this would be number 4). For the first time in my Kansas life, spring is taking its time raising it's sweet head from the under world.  I wore my winter coat one day to work this week, an activity I am not sure I had ever done before in Kansas in April. It felt like a very "Illinois" thing to do. (I grew up in Illinois, where March and April tend to feel more like post-winter than spring).

Part of me is very grateful that spring is slow in coming this year because I am not ready for it. (I know. Who is writing this? Surely it cannot be Anna Yoder) But it is me.  Honestly, I still feel like that. Don't get me wrong, I am tired of cold and having to wear so many layers that I feel like a stuffed potato. But I wish I could slow down time. If spring is not going to be forthright in coming, than I feel it is only fair that it should not yet be April 5th.

Generally speaking, work is what I am blaming for making me feel this way. This is the first Saturday I've been home in 4 weeks. (But I leave for PA tomorrow). All the spring plans I have (which are always garden plans) have had to take a back seat to packing and unpacking. Thankfully, the weather has not allowed for very much gardening. But now it is getting to the point where the earth is ready, and I still am not. I feel like I want to shout "Wait, wait wait!" at the weather. I don't want to miss it (especially since I always have the real fear that spring weather will last for exactly 2 weeks before it is suddenly in the high 80s).

As the prairie wakes up, I find that I have to consistently remind myself that I am downsizing my garden this year. Just because today is sunny and 60 does not mean I need to be outside acting like a crazy homesteader. I still have way too many canned beans in the basement (not that it is time to plant that anyway). And really, I've done all I've needed to do thus far. Last weekend, before I went to La Junta, I planted some onions. I also have spinach in the ground and coming up in my cold frame (which got owned by the intense 50mph gusts of wind we had earlier this week). And yesterday, I managed to get a few potatoes into the ground. That's good enough for now. After all, my garden goal this year is to not have to spend what feels like every waking hour watering and watering and watering.

We'll see how it goes.

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