January in the Patch

Here we go again…

It’s been a couple years since last I wrote down my thoughts about the Patch. The garden has become both a constant source of joy and a safe haven. It became less necessary over the last couple years for me to articulate what the garden is and why. It felt good for a while to let the relationship just be.

But then: a new baby, a lingering pandemic, political unrest, and partial unemployment. The daily demands on my attention grow louder and more insistent. While the effort to meet the each day grew more difficult to muster.

Like so many of us, I come to 2021 in less-than-optimal health. It’s incredible to say that losing only 40% of my income makes me an extremely fortunate member of my profession. Cooped up at home with a pandemic raging and a young daughter to keep safe means lethargy and anxiety are constant company. Looking down the barrel at a long winter after the stress of the last year is gruesome.

I know that my mood is improved by something to look forward to through the darkest months. I need to see the world as brimming with possibility. With this in mind I have asked the garden, to once again, provide.

Pribble’s Patch in Winter. 2019.