We have been waiting for this amaryllis to open since late December. She is taking her time, but we are so close to seeing two buds emerge. They are really moving at a snail’s pace it seems, or maybe I’m just being a bit impatient. I have enjoyed our first winter here, and even though the snow has been pretty constant, there was only one major storm. Each fresh snowfall is always beautiful, and so as much as I may tire of the snow at times (especially on the grey days) I always find moments to be thankful when we are gifted with more of the white stuff. But March has arrived, and with it a shift is underway — I’m beginning to long for extended warmth that comes from the sun, instead of from the wood stove. I’ve noticed the longer light while making dinner in the kitchen, and today we saw two red-breasted house finches, a new (to me) species but apparently very common. Signs of spring for sure.

Each month when I sit down to write this recap I have grand plans of summarizing our progress around the homestead in great detail, so that I have a record to look back at over the years. But each month — this one included — I don’t know where to start. (I should really try writing in the morning, instead of late at night.) Maybe the bulleted lists I dream about will materialize by the time we get to year number two on the homestead? Maybe I’ll eventually get to my goal of writing monthly Frugalwoods-like posts? Until then, the easier short spurt updates on Instagram seem to summarize the highlights of our homestead life well enough for now. But there is a lot more going on as we continue to settle into the house and also make plans for the surrounding land. I’m excited to share more, and I think I said something similar last month, but each time I want to write about it, I get overwhelmed with where to begin. At least I haven’t skipped a month yet 🙂

Let’s try a super brief synopsis: In February we bought a lot of plants! We purchased seeds for a garden that will be my project for the home and since I have never had a garden before I’m sure it will be full of failures, but I’ll try my best and have fun doing it. We also purchased a few fruit trees and shrubs for the future orchard and some other tree species to diversify our small forest. When all of this begins arriving in April and May…we better have a good plan in place for where it is all going to be planted. That is what March will be for. The ground is still too frozen for soil amendments and other field work we need to do, but Mark has been pruning our existing apple trees and sketching out plans for where everything will go.

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We continue with our CCE classes, Mark’s focus on the horticulture side of things, while mine is on the business/marketing side. There are so many great resources — we are thankful for access to such a knowledgable network we can turn to as we navigate all of this. Around the house, we made some improvements in the basement and some further electrical fixes. And very soon we will have new windows and lighting fixtures installed. There was also a surprise medical emergency that put me out of commission for about a week, so that slowed us down a bit, but thankfully, the worst of that seems behind us, and we can look forward to the coming spring – longer days, new growth and lots of green. Thanks for following along, see you on IG or back here next month.