
Up before daylight. The house is quiet except for the patter of raindrops on the roof. Start a warming fire in the wood stove, brew a cup of tea, sweeten it with honey, the day begins new. I truly enjoy the first days of a new year. A time of reflecting back merging into planning forward. The coffee table is covered with plans. Notes from last season, lots of notes. Seed catalogs and seed lists, lots of catalogs, lots of lists. Books for planning, books for pleasure, lots of books. An empty 2015 calendar beckoning to be filled. The raindrops fall, the fire crackles, the tea cools, the heart warms. The joy in stepping into a new year, one foot at a time.