February 2024

Some Things Take Time

I’ve been working at my desk for nearly seven hours today and I’m still waiting for my first, bird visitor outside of my window.

My husband, Jim, bought me what looks like an ingenious bird feeder that is supposed to keep the squirrels out of the food that’s not intended for them. However, it’s a cold day in Kentucky, not the kind of day when I typically see many birds or squirrels.

This morning, a cardinal hopped around on the ground below, picked at the few seeds that fell out of the feeder when Jim hung it yesterday. Mr. Cardinal gazed up as if anticipating the feeder, but didn’t make his move.

I haven’t seen another bird since then.

That’s okay. Everything I launch into the world doesn’t produce immediate payoff. Some things take time. I planted herb seeds to grown inside in January and the first cilantro bud appeared last week. That’s what I learned when I launched The Goodness of the Garden . . . All the Year Round in 2009. Today, I’m relaunching the blog on a new home and with a broader outlook.

I originally started blogging to keep myself publicly accountable to eating primarily healthy meals made with local produce and meat. I used the blog to share recipes, gardening tips and food preservation ideas. The more I practiced, the stronger my local-eating habit became. Now it’s a regular facet of my life.

So is growing. I have a rough sketch of my garden plan for the year and a list of seeds to order this week.

As I relaunch my blog I will be writing about food and gardening. I continue to learn about both. However, I’ll also be exploring the Goodness of the Garden from other perspectives. Thus, I was hoping for an avian visitor to write about.

At least I got some winter sunshine to brighten the feeder, which apparently doesn’t yet make it attractive enough.

What I expect at the beginning of a new year rarely shows up right away. Does the same happen for you? I invite you to share something that you’re launching in the comments.

I’ll practice patience and keep watching for what I can learn along the way. I hope you’ll join me for the journey.