Cow Farmer Says Early Winter

The Farmer's Almanac is probably where he got his info. That's how a farmer would know it will be an early winter, wouldn't it? Well, natural signs can be read, of course, in the environment. I've heard that when you see the geese flying south early, when you notice your animals are getting their winter coats early, and not because it is cold outside, it'll be an early winter, that these signs tell you about coming winter. It's in the air, the bite, you can feel it. Yesterday I bought a new winter coat. That's a sign. I need to get my car in to have the antifreeze checked too. I thought of snow makes me shiver. But there are already reports of snow on Mt Baker. Sheez!

Well, the good news is that I've been asked over for dinner by a new friend. And he just went to the mountains and said he hiked in snow. Wet snow of course, but still, snow. When I was growing up in Spokane, we frequently had snow by Halloween. I'd like to see snow this year, maybe even enough to cross-country ski. I have old skis. They are practically embarrassing, like they could be nailed to the side of some building in the alps, a decoration. They are wood skies that need to be waxed. I'm not sure you can even buy wax now. Jack was good at waxing the skies. He would pick just the right stickiness, and dab it on the length of the wood, then heat is slightly, smooth it out. He was talented at many things, later his talent became tipping back a bottle. It's a sad story, we needn't go there.

The Farmer's Almanac also suggests when to pick vegetables and when to plant them. Sometimes it says how to measure them for proper growth. I haven't seen the magazine in years, but perhaps having a guidance chart for when to plant would be a good thing. Peas by a certain date, potatoes on Good Friday. Are there other holiday dates, corn knee high by the Fourth of July. I'm on to something here. Maybe dried beans by Halloween. Maybe…

Well I'm still in bed nursing this cold. Hot tea, a snuggy blanket, my cat. I can hear the wind howling outside the condo. The way the buildings are built here in a grouping causes the wind to howl through them. It's agonizing at times. Nerves, loss of sleep. Everyone complains. Nothing you can do about it, except maybe, a big sheet of cloth. Yes, stretched from building A to the parking lot. A sail. That's it. A sail to catch the wind.

Peace,
Flower