Winter White

Christmas Day was an unusual seventy-three degrees on the farm. My husband and daughter went on a two hour trail ride while I sat in the rocking chair and sifted through the seed catalog Santa had brought. My other daughter played catch with dogs, throwing the ball into the pond to give them a swim. The warmth was unseasonable, for certain, but not a bit obtrusive. We laughed at the silliness of a warm Christmas and did without the coziness of the stove.

Now, two weeks later, snow covers the farm. Only the neighbor’s rooster seems slightly upset about the change, the rest of nature speaks silence and peace. The horses and dogs nuzzle the snow and play with curiosity. Our indoor stalls provide shelter from the wind, but the newness of the snow is somehow warming and this morning all are out.

2017 is a new year on the farm, but I am avoiding resolutions. Instead of making lists of what I want to do in 2017, I am busy planning a garden and purchasing seeds. We built a cold frame so I can be ready to start the early greens at the end of February, if I am reading the Farmer’s Almanac correctly.

The white of our winter isn’t expected to last. In Tennessee, the highs and lows are as shifty as a salesman. The blanket of snow is a quiet cover that we will enjoy while it is here. We welcome the snowflakes and have brought in a stack of wood for the stove. As far as I am concerned, this Tennessee winter can stay as long as it’d like.