Preparations

Homesteaders, farmers, stewards of the land alike have all begun their duties to make way for winter, but they are not the only people who need take heed of the season to come.

As the warmth of summer begins to fade and frost invade the mornings, farmers and gardeners are beginning their preparations for winter.

Today, I pulled up chicken fencing that protected our garden. I began to winterize the the duck run, reusing wrapping that allowed my tomato beds to thrive in their own individual greenhouses for just a little longer. The endless list includes many tasks, like turning the garden beds so that they compost themselves. We need to wrap the chicken run so they can still get fresh air when the snow falls, but still have a dry, safe refuge. And probably most acute, the 20 pound meat birds still need to be sent to freezer camp (thanks chicken plucker for dying during the busy season). There is always so much to be done in the fall.

While the list of duties for our farm is long, as it is for all involved in agriculture, there is another group that is commonly forgotten and often forlorn during the dark season…

Everyone else.

People who may not be farmers also need to make preparations for winter. They need to prepare themselves.

Winter is hard and long in Maine. The snow can pile deep and when the snow does start to fall, so too do the stunning colors of fall. The days are short and the nights begin a freeze that can chill you to the bone. The limited sun we get rarely reaches our skin because of the layers needed to survive the bitterness. With this outer darkness, often comes an internal gloom that can sink into the deepest part of your being.

So along with the preservation of your harvests, prepare to preserve yourself and to ready yourself for the difficulties that may come.

Find some solace in the dark. Light a fire for warmth and a glowing light, if you can. You may be surprised what watching a flame for just a few moments can stir inside you.

Get even the littlest of light on your skin. Stand in the sun on the sunny winter days. Roll up your sleeves and feed your body what it needs.

On that note, nourish yourself well. We are blessed to live in an age where almost nothing is only seasonal. Make a dish that reminds you of the warm season and revel in it.

If you can, travel south and be greeted by an eternal warmth that alludes us in the north.

And take some damn vitamin D.

Take some time now to prepare yourself for both the season, and the wintering that can come in you.

Enjoy the few warm days left to us. Take a walk and breathe in the fall air. Start doing something small but beautiful for yourself every day. Be it a book to read, yoga to stretch, baking to indulge or a moment to just breathe, make it your minute of time every day.

There is comfort in the preparations and consistencies, if we allow it. Knowing what lies ahead, and being prepared for it, may just make wintering a beautiful part of the year and not just a gloomy season.