Moon cycles

Observing the houseplants this last three months we see that the first full moon on January brought a lot of growth and life to the dormant winter plants, but on February, coming up to the full moon this did not happen so much, there was only a bit of refreshing tender green color on the leaves, not so much growth. Now in March, approaching the full moon also has brought more growth to the houseplants, but in no comparison to the first big growth of the year, back in January. We see a mirroring image in the weather outdoors, when back in January things started to feel as if spring would come early this year, but alas, in February we saw these thoughts changing, as colder weather set in and broke the warmer spell. Now in March, the warmer temperatures are peeking through again, but modestly.

Interestingly enough, the writing inspirations seem to follow also the moon calendar! I will look more into this pattern during the next months.

We are intending on setting a rhythm in our farm, that help us with the work this year, we might have the same exchange student coming again and we would like to set a form to make things go easily and cheerfully. I find when things are set up in a rhythm is much nice to work than when there is no plan…Yet it has to be rhythm that is alive, so I am hoping to work with it enough before company comes. This is our lay-out:

5:30 wake up and dress

6-7 chore time ( milking cow, fresh hay and water in the barn, feed chickens and horse..)

7 breakfast with story and singing

8 housework

9-12 field work ( with a snack at 10)

12 dinner

12:30 rest

13 housework

14-17 field work ( with a snack at 3)

17 chore time

18:30 supper with story and singing

19:30 free time

20:30 sleep for the children

Some of the field work time I will be indoors setting the meals with one or two children, and some afternoons will be set apart for errands.

Our regular weekday routine includes:

Monday: washing clothes

Tuesday: ironing

Wednesday: baking bread

Thursday: helping neighbors

Friday: washing clothes

Saturday: baking bread

Sunday: singing

We will have to include butter making, but maybe it can be done daily for now.

 List of things to plant in our garden: tomatoes for fresh eating and canning homemade ketchup, cucumbers for fresh and pickles, Swiss chard for fresh and frozen, lettuces, cabbages for fresh and sauerkraut, carrots we will try to winter them too, peppers, potatoes and green beans for fresh and canning, leeks, that will stay out in the winter, and garlic. Red beets and maize corn for our animals in the winter, we are trying to figure out how many rows of them. And then the medicinal herbs and  teas, I want to buy some terracotta pots for some of them to have in the house through the winter, and have large patches of other ones that I will dry and hang from the ceiling during the winter months: Rosemary, Greek oregano, basil, parsley, sage, dill, German chamomile, ginger, peppermint, lemon balm, lavender, fennel, calendula, yarrow, equisetum. We have plenty of nettles around here, dandelions and rabbit’s ears, but we would need to find eucalyptus and arnica at the store. Finally, about flowers, I will concentrate on roses in the north (with the lavender)  and sunflowers on the southern side. I do not know if we will have opportunity to start the light root this year.

Things are still frozen in the ground, so we will have to wait a little and do the planting calendar of the year once things start to soften up.