It’s funny how seasons bring us rushes and lulls. We finished the maple tapping last week (I chose not to participate on the really bitter cold days) and now we are waiting for Mother Nature to warm up a little so the sap runs again. We can’t collect it, and therefore boil it, until the trees start releasing it from their frozen roots up to the shoots where new buds will be. But it will come, and it will come in a rush.
Waiting Season
We’re waiting for the arrival of chicks and pullets (young hens about to lay), but they are scheduled to arrive in April and May as we expect the weather to warm by then. Likewise, I’ll move some of the fencing for them, but I cannot do that now with the current fencing partially beneath the snow and with frozen ground.
Speaking of frozen ground, it’s still too early for me to start seeds indoors to transplant out in May. We’re getting close though, so I’m itching to set up the greenhouse. However, I know once I have that ready that I will have little to no self-control and will decide to start just “a couple things”, and then by April I’ll have no room in the house that is pet safe to keep leggy transplants that are ready for the garden even though the garden is still too cold (maybe still under snow) for them. Soon though.
I have started building up my stock of completed crafts for the farmers market starting in May. But I can actually store them unfinished more easily than finished and there is just a lack of storage space. So I’m working at being quite mindful of that. Also, I broke two needles in two days, so there was a delay while I ordered replacements. Shortening and hemming jeans (home life not crafting) is tough at the seams even with heavy duty needles.
Current Activities
Writing
So instead, my focus of late has been on writing. My kindle vella children’s story took a brief pause in February, but now I’m publishing episodes again. Eventually, it will be complete and published as an actual book, instead of the serialized format as it is now. I also have a couple WIP novels. I added a new segment to this blog to include a weekly author interview; that began in February. I reached out to authors I know and with whom I am in writing groups. I thought I might have enough responses to post one interview a week for a month or two. However in one day, I received responses from 54 interested authors! I think I’ll be posting two interviews a week for a little while. I started with a heavy influence of romance authors, but now there is a much better balance. Romance has its place, but so does mystery, thriller, scifi, fantasy,…
I also completed a mini-course on how to crochet the adorable snowman themed hats that I make, and I have almost completed a course about homesteading income. I have completed a couple very small freelance projects, but I have a hard time devoting time to that when I could devote the time to my own WIPs.
What I have not done well with is staying consistent at posting on 3 blogs (here, my author site and the farmers market) and two accounts each (homesteading and author) for Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I know that irregular posting is detrimental to high results on the algorithms, but honestly there are only so many hours in the day. I should really hop on the TikTok wagon, but so far I’ve only downloaded the app, created an account and began to follow some people. I haven’t even spent any time watching videos, yet. Goals, right? Still I’m trying and schedulers like Tailwind, Buffer, Hookle really help me a lot.
After this post, I’ll start writing our March newsletter. You should sign up for that here. It has some links to posts that you may have seen, but it also has new photos, recipes, and sometimes even secret resources.
Farmers Markets
Winter sales were slow and it’s a long drive to Cabot so I had adjusted my availability to the online farmers market to be every-other week. This seems to be working well as every two weeks I have not just a freshly baked bread order and maybe cookies, but those and muffins and maybe more. I’m sure once the girls are laying surplus eggs again, it will be easy to sell those as well. But for now, every other Friday is baking day and the house smells of yeast and ginger quite often. I signed up for a summer market as well, the same one I participated in last year. That was fun, and I look forward to it again this year, although I do need to repair my canopy, I lost a screw somewhere. Shocking right? That I had a screw loose. Lol
Just breathe and prepare
So we’re in a lull period right now of relative quiet, but I know spring will bring craziness. Then summer buzzes between crazy-busy and soft lulls. But spring and summer are full of possibilities! They are my two favorite seasons.
What is your favorite season?
And right now, are you in hectic or calm waters?
You might also be interested in:
My vella story – Growing Up As Fairies
My mini-course on crocheting your own snowman-themed hat
5 Easy Tips To Be More Self-sufficient
Author interview with my friend, Michael Burnham who just released his first novel!
