Welcome winter solstice....now the countdown for SPRING.

image from Pinterest 

Good morning.  The temperature at 7:30 AM is 34 degrees.  It will be nice today with the start of warmer temperatures.  The weather for the next few days is predicting rain.  Rain yes for Christmas not snow.  BUT we do need the moisture.  Christmas will come and might not be white, but all the spirit of Christmas will be here. 

Larry and I want to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas .  We hope you have hope, love, peace, and joy in all of it, that is the meaning of Christmas with the birth of Jesus. 
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With this being the winter solstice, then I know spring is next.  This will give me hope that the days will be longer and more sunshine.  I miss seeing the plants growing and blooming.  That made me realize that I need plants and gardening for the hope of new growth.  
When is the winter solstice, and what is it all about? By Catherine Boeckmann
When is the first day of winter? In 2023, the winter solstice date is Thursday, December 21. So, what is the winter solstice, and why does it happen?
When Is the Winter Solstice?
The first day of winter in the Northern Hemisphere is marked by the winter solstice, which occurs on Thursday, December 21, 2023, at 10:27 P.M. EST. With this in mind, I said hope for spring is coming because it always comes after winter.  Gives me this ….Gardening is not just about cultivating plants and flowers, it’s a way of life. It’s a way to connect with nature, to escape from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, and to find peace and tranquility. Gardening requires patience, dedication, and hard work, but the rewards are endless.
 “The glory of gardening: hands in the dirt, head in the sun, heart with nature. To nurture a garden is to feed not just the body, but the soul.” – Alfred Austin
In a Garden Lives Hope, Always 
For the northern half of Earth (the Northern Hemisphere), the winter solstice occurs annually on December 21 or 22. (The Southern Hemisphere’s winter solstice occurs in June.) The winter solstice is the day with the fewest hours of sunlight throughout the year, making it the “shortest day” of the year. Thankfully, after we reach the winter solstice, the days begin to grow longer and longer again until we reach the summer solstice—the first day of summer and the longest day of the year.
Think of it this way: Although the winter solstice means the start of winter, it also means the return of more sunlight. It only gets brighter from here!
     As much as gardens provide bounty, they also yield hope, and we need hope for our spirits as much as we need nutrition for the body. Each new season, every emerging bud, any packet of seeds—these are vessels of hope. Anticipation of the day a cherry will burst into bloom with every petal seemingly amplifying the sun’s light fortifies your will to prove more determined and persistent than winter itself.
           The garden speeds through the season with such determination. Spring’s emerging shoots yield quickly to a succession of dazzling flowers, which attract comically hardworking bees, whose efforts give us fruits. Fruits bring their own beauty, sustenance for us and for wildlife, and seeds. Seeds are perhaps the most precious gift. Vessels of new life, they are small but mighty assurance that a new day will come, a better season, and the cycle will continue.  This will come and all in the cycles and rotation around the sun.  Happy Winter Solstice…spring is coming. 
Taken from https://www.almanac.com/content/first-day-winter-winter-solstice
Till next time this is Becky Litterer, Becky’s Greenhouse, Dougherty Iowa [email protected]  641-794-3337  cell 641-903-9365