Winter Neverland

It's this time of year when I am pretty certain that summer will never come again. It's been gloomy and cloudy for about 2 weeks straight and just when we get the driveway cleared off it snows again. When I'm convinced that I am going to permanently see black and white out of my front window I am rescued by the arrival of the seed and hatchery catalogs! Two sure signs of spring...tomato seedlings on the window sill and baby chicks peeping in the garage. I don't know about you, but it takes every ounce of restraint not to buy at least one of everything from my favorite seed catalog (http://www.seedsavers.org). If only I had more sun and less hill I could make a serious dent in their inventory. But alas, I have only a small vegetable plot strategically positioned to capture the best sunlight my wooded lot can offer...which isn't great. I keep threatening to pot up the driveway since it gets the best sun...Now is the time for plotting and scheming. Which vegetables will do best? Can I rotate through more greens? How can I extend my growing season? How many hens can I have before the city figures it out and hauls them away...and maybe me, too? Best not to think about that. Focus on the warm breezes over the cool earth...it will happen. I think. At least the cardinal outside my window thinks so. He's singing up a storm!