The Four Seasons: My Version

No, not Vivaldi, the plumbing company, or the hotel.

Every season is my favourite (when I’m in it) except summer. If you read my April post, Embracing the Season, then you already know my opinion of the seasons:

Spring - YAY! Planting gardens!
Summer - WTF. Make it stop.
Autumn - YAY! Preserving food from garden!
Winter - YAY! Fireplace snuggles and eating preserved food from garden!

As you might discern, I am not a summer fan. But now that my gardens are really taking off, I’ve realized summer’s power. Flowers, flowers, flowers! Perennials for the pollinators and annuals for the vases. Oh the joy of weekly vases throughout the house and butterflies during morning tea!

BTW, do you want an easy win for cut flowers that will come back every year? Floret is doing a huge sweet pea seed push! This gorgeous flower self-pollinates by dropping seeds, and if you’re too busy to grow from seed, pop them into the freezer for up to 5 years!

Focus Marian.

OK! These past days have been an exercise in reflection. Before COVID, I was always looking for the next stimulus. The next trip. The next adventure. Each month meant nothing to me except time to fill.

Now, the seasonal cycle is deeply meaningful. After iterating several times on what each month means to me, I’ve come to the following realizations.

October - January | REST
Yes, there is a flurry of garden and greenhouse shut down in November, but the motif is … fun. Relaxation. Apples. Pumpkins. Bonfires. Holiday joy. Travel. NO F- PROJECTS! Sorry, was that all caps?

For the business, my partner and I realised this equates to fertilization. We’re thinking, planning, poking, brainstorming.

February - April | AWAKENING
I love this time. The greenhouse is kissed from it’s slumber. Raised beds are going to be cold framed for flowers and veg gets rolling in the greenhouse. Everything culminate in early May with local micro-garden giveaways and my own plantings.

For the business, we realised this falls into the budget planning cycle where people are choosing their investments. So this is also a business awakening for the year. Marketing, marketing, marketing.

May - July | INDUSTRIOUS
Long days. Perfect for letting the weather decide for you, is this week outdoor projects or indoor projects? Hint: July is indoor. Either way, it’s getting that ignored backlog in order and experimenting with hobbies.

For the business, we need to be in a strong sales pipeline from all that marketing! After all, the budget cycle will end soon, and we don’t want to be the leftovers.

August - September | PREPARE
Short time, but bustling. With a 16 year old and a 3 year old, August will be back to school for a very, very long time. That in itself is a thing. I’m also harvesting and preserving from the garden (beans, corn, squash, tomatoes, tomatillos, peppers). Potatoes, onions and leeks will be later, but easier to manage.

For the business, this is our story writing and reflection time. What did we learn from the deliveries earned from the previous year? What do we need to do for the new deliveries? What new ideas should we or could we pursue?

So yes to wilding my life to a seasonal cycle.

This post is longer, and possibly only for my need to process and feel. But I do hope it can nurture some thoughts for your own natural rhythms.