Beginning again.

It is a sunny, Saturday afternoon in February.  And it's official - our second season has started.  We made our first batch of potting soil on Monday and seeded onions on Thursday.  We are all back from our winter adventures and are feeling great after a rejuvenating winter.  Winter is a time to be still, and reflect, and regain all the energy lost from a growing season full of taxing work.  As a farmer, every new growing season allows for a whole new beginning.  With all the knowledge from seasons past, farmers can plan differently, and better.  This is why old farmers have a wisdom that can never be faked.  For instance, my grandfather had knowledge from about 40 growing seasons.  40!  That's 40 years of experiencing everything your plants experience - the storms, the sunshine, the bugs.  Curve balls make less of an impact than they used to at that point.  It's about progress, and learning what works for you and the individual plot of land you are on.  Learning every dip in the field, no rock remains unturned.  So there's this knowledge at the beginning of a season, which is important, but it's coupled with a freshness.  It's this energizing freshness that makes me crave being out there in the fields under a sunny day.