Camellia in the snow, shivering.

Dear Reader,

I’m traveling along through life at the speed of the garden.

And when it is winter, the garden moves along kind of slow.  Everything is more or less frozen in place and not much looks different from one day to the next, at least as far as the trees and other plants, like camellias are concerned.

I guess if you watched intently, you might notice the compost bin is slowly sinking as way down in the unfrozen parts, micro-organisms and other creatures we barely notice are chomping through the leaf litter and stems and old flowers, making compost.

I’m sort of doing the same.  If you watch intently, you might notice that in the unfrozen parts of my brain, I’m thinking about gardening, making plans for spring.

The plants in the garden seem frozen in whatever state they were in when it finally got cold.  But we know some of them are maybe growing some tiny roots, or at least they were growing some tiny roots until the ground froze, making themselves stronger. That’s what we gardeners do in the wintertime. We grow tiny roots of knowledge, ideas, and ambition so we’ll be stronger in the spring, when it’s time to plant again.

So, yes, I’m traveling along through life at the speed of the garden, which in the winter is decidedly much slower than spring.

I can report, in the midst of all of this excitement and ruminating, that tomorrow I am celebrating my seventh anniversary of joining the Society of Gardeners Aged Fifty and Over. Go ahead and click to see what the fuss is all about.

I’ve enjoyed thoroughly my years in the Society, so far, and plan to spend many, many more years as an active member, planting, growing, and otherwise working toward the nirvana of Crazy Gardening Lady.

It’s a goal.

In other news, as I travel along at the speed of the garden, I learned the other day that Nature Hills, “America’s Largest Online Nursery” has included May Dreams Gardens on their list of Top 10 Blogs for 2016. I’m honored to be included and touched by the words they wrote about my blog, particularly about it being run by an eccentric gardening geek.

Finally, validation.  Eccentric gardening geek. I have arrived. I may never reach the nirvana of Crazy Gardening Lady, but I’ll always have Eccentric Gardening Geek. And I liked the part about my blog posts reading like a story. Thank you, Nature Hills, for including May Dreams Gardens on your list.

Well, that’s about all the news for now, as I travel along at the speed of the garden. I’m enjoying this speed of winter, even when it snows. And I get almost giddy when I realize that in two months, I’ll be planting peas in the vegetable garden once again.

Stay warm, little camellias out in the garden. Stay warm Dear Readers and Friends.

And remember. As long as you are traveling along through life at the speed of the garden, you are probably traveling at a good speed.

With a shared love of gardening,

Carol