Cleaned Barn  Cleaned Chicken coop. Got 1 shock of corn from folks and some wood from pile by Geo. L. Wind Northwest colder. Floyd and Mae were here.

Note: Geo. L. was George Lunn. Floyd was my mother’s brother and Mae was his wife. My aunt Mae is still living.

In December we spend a fair amount of time looking through seed catalogues. It gives me pleasure. There are so many varieties. Lettuce is an example. There are dozens, possibly hundreds of varieties of lettuce. I like the Buttercrunch lettuces. Their deep green, rich leaves are attractive as they grow, delicious to eat and really nutritious.  Some varieties of Romaine lettuce are fairly heat resistant so we like to grow them. It gives us a chance to offer lettuce a little later in the summer. There are traditional favorites like Black Seeded Simpson, light green, very leafy and equally tasty. Many of our CSA partners like Mesculun, a mix of many varieties of lettuces, mustards, arugula, spinach and other greens.

Winter squash is a huge favorite of ours . In the past we have planted as many as twelve varieties and will again this year. There are even more we could plant.

Cucumbers, so many varieties, both pickling and slicers. Summer squash, yellow and Zucchini. We may try some round varieties.  Orange is the color of carrots. Maybe. There are white carrots and red carrots too.

The types and varieties of tomatoes actually excites me. Red of course. But also yellow, orange, black, heirloom and hybrids.

Choices, options, possibilities. This is the best.

In Minnesota, winter is a season and an identity. In February the season becomes a malady. Then something happens. The days get a bit longer and the afternoons less bitter. While the tempratures are still below freezing, the air has tell-tale hints of warmth. February, still winter, but near spring, near planting time.

I wonder how much time my dad spent debating with himself what to plant. The decade of farming I remember most with my father was the 60′s and early 70′s. Then he grew only three crops and all to feed our dairy cattle: corn, oats, and hay. Every year the same crops, but rotated to different fields.

Today we grow over 50 varieties of vegetables and none of it for livestock. I love the diversity. Melons in all kinds of shapes and textures. Squash, winter and summer, small and large, beige and green, orange and blue. Pink, red, yellow, and orange tomatoes, even a few Black Krim. Kohlrabi looks like something from the Jetsons. Every year lettuce gives us a lesson in green. Green is many colors, just watch the different kinds of lettuce grow. The other greens, arugula, mustard, add their shapes to the mix. Potatoes are subversive, they do their work mostly underground and can be unpredictable. Beans, on the other hand, are predictable. Give them even substandard soil and they reward you.

So it is time to order seed and start seedlings. February’s flirtation with warm air stirs us from hibernation. Waiting still for spring, we prepare for it, even trying to help it along. Starting seedlings is my way of jump starting spring. All the seed we plant is USDA certified organic. There may be a couple of exceptions, rare heirloom varieties not available as organic seed, but chemical free at least. Some changes will occur. Last year we did not grow eggplant but this year we will, and more hot peppers for those who want to make their own salsa. Some changes, but our hands will still be down in the dirt and our hearts will be anchored in hope.

This may be the healthiest time of the year for me. I eat a fair amount of vegeteables and the turkey is probably better for me than some other meats but my real nourishment is not the meal. What we celebrate before, during, and after dinner feeds my soul and boosts my immune system.

Most of the year, when I turn on my computer or car radio I hear the daily North American narrative. Will I have enough to retire? Is my health insurance adequate? Will the national debt crisis irreparably swamp the economy? Is the college my daughter wants to attend the college we can afford? Will the housing market rebound? Questions like these, voiced too frequently, erode one’s sense of well being. They can keep us up at night and frantic all day.

It’s not that I am ungrateful the rest of the year but Thanksgiving helps me stop and take inventory. My wife loves me. Our children love us both. We are healthy, our lives are meaningful, our house is warm and our dog is funny. Everything I need, I have. Family, friends, food, I have them and on Thanksgiving this voice is louder than any other. A deep feeling of well-being is not primarily the result of having more, or knowing more, or doing more. It comes from the awareness that all my needs are met. The ancient Hebrews expressed this sense in one rich word: shalom.

Some find a simple “attitude of gratitude” is enough. That’s a nice thought but I choose to give thanks to God. A professor under whom I once studied said, “Being thankful to no one in general is a little like being married to no one in general;” interesting to ponder but in the end, really unsatisfying. So I will give thanks for what I have and when the opportunity appears, I will share some of what I have been given with those who need more. Maybe by doing so I will keep up the volume of the Thanksgiving voice throughout the year.