January, oh my January

Who looks at January with any fondness?  It begins with a big post-Christmas clean-up and a let-down after the jolliness of the holiday season.  And then there's nothing to do but look forward to months of snow, ice, and frigid weather--the winter doldrums.

But for this housewife, January is a sort of a golden month.

To understand why, take a look at the rest of my year....

February, March--garden planning, seed starting
April, May--spring cleaning, planting, gardening, preparing for the summer market
June, July, August--gardening, farmer's market, vacation/camping, yardwork
September, October--canning, chicken processing, fall garden cleanup
November--craft shows, Thanksgiving preparations, deer processing, housecleaning
December--Christmas (wall to wall)

It seems as though the simpler my lifestyle, the more it is tied to the seasons.  I can buy produce at the store any time of year, but if I want to grow my own, I have to put in the extra work in the summer and fall to preserve it for the rest of the year. 

So January is a month for daily doses of hot chocolate with homemade marshmallows, catching up on my book and magazine reading, and watching movies as I work on all the craft projects I can only dream about as I'm shelling peas or washing sticky peach juice off the kitchen floor. 

So now you see why January is absolutely priceless to many a housewife.