living seasonally: february

Did you know that February 1/2 is the halfway point of winter, and that that halfway point has a name? I just learned that it’s called Imbolc Day, and it is a traditional Celtic holiday. We might have to start incorporating its traditions into our Februarys, especially since it is all about hoping for a successful farming season ahead.

Here are some other ways we live seasonally during February:

• It’s garden planning time! We dream about our plans for the farm, flag tons of seed catalogs, and start some seeds toward the end of the month. Grant is taking a permaculture design course (I. AM. SO. EXCITED) later this month, so we are holding off on some of our big plans until after that so we can incorporate what he learns.
• We tend to continue the quiet from January in terms of our schedules. Plus I have a big work event every year at the end of February, so that always makes the weeks leading up to it a little crazy.
• We typically have some warmer days during February, so we try to do some work outside (plus, at this point, we’re itching to get back to work). We like to call around about getting free wood chips that we use in our garden paths and in several spots around the farm to keep poison ivy from creeping in. With the addition of our wood burning stove, Grant is spending lots of time hunting down falling logs and splitting wood in preparation for next winter.
• In addition to our garden planning, we start our “master list” of things we would like to do around the farm this year. This is mostly bigger projects, broken down by month. We add to it as we go, but it is helpful once the season is in full swing to have a master list to refer back to when things get busy.
• It’s basketball season. Grant coaches Jasper’s team, so our Saturday mornings are spent at the gym, and it’s really fun to watch both of the boys out on the court.
• I have zero cool about Valentine’s Day, and I don’t even care. I love it. I used to go all out as a kid, making homemade cards and serving my parents breakfast in bed. Nowadays, we typically celebrate with a special breakfast, a yummy dinner at home, and I get a few small gifts for the kids. Grant puts up with my weirdness about the holiday.
• Lent typically starts in February, and I’ve always liked it as a chance to focus on a spiritual discipline of some sort for the following 40 days. I haven’t decided what to focus on yet for this year, but I like the practice, especially since we are part of a liturgical community that does Lent together.
• We’re still eating lots of soups and stews, but I typically try to have a “freezer challenge” in February because I tend to hoard all of that stuff I preserved last season and need some incentive to start using it up. We try to only buy fresh vegetables during the month of February and make a dint in our freezer stash and canned goods shelves. Maybe try doing a freezer/pantry challenge for yourself this month!
• In case you’re curious about Ayurveda, which is the sister science of yoga and itself very seasonal in nature. In the Ayurvedic calendar, February is late winter, a time typically dominated by the kapha dosha, so we want to counteract the lethargy and heaviness that comes with the kapha dosha with a more energetic asana practice (the poses associated with yoga, what we Americans typically call “yoga,” even though asana is but a part of the complete yoga philosophy) and perhaps a heating pranayama (breathing) practice.

What about you? What are you doing to live more in tune with the seasons this month?