The Transition From Winter to Spring

At our house winter was spent with Mama and Aunt Ruby totally occupied with quilt making.  The process actually began before Christmas when they decided how many quilts tops they would make during the upcoming winter season and what patterns would be featured in these quilts.  By January they were hard at work cutting, sewing pieces together and arguing about who was the best seamstress. 

Aunt Ruby was not the perfectionist that Mama was.  From her perspective, few things in life required precision; if you could make it work in some sort of way, it was good enough; end of story.  According to Mama, Ruby’s stitches were crooked; her seams did not join as they were supposed to and she was ‘sloppy with her work’ from beginning to end. The arguments never ended with any type of resolution.  Mama fussed and gave orders; Aunt Ruby carried on with her sewing.

By February they were rushing to get their quilt work done because Spring was coming and a new focus was about to unfold.  On the cold wintery days of February they did their quilt work, but on those few warm days that occurred in February they turned their attention to getting the sweet onion bulbs in the ground that had been prepared for them in the fall.  If they got these bulbs in the ground in February they would have fresh green onions to go with their lettuce in May. The only quilting I remember them doing in March was adding some finishing touches to quilts that had been done in January and February.

The winter months on our farm also led to preserved foods rather than fresh foods.  We ate pinto beans, Irish potatoes, side meat and ham from the smoke house, and homemade hominy. We grew our own corn for the hominy.  This corn, brand named Hickory Cane, was white with larger kernels than the corn used to make our corn meal. Hominy often cooked slowly on the stove while Mama and Aunt Ruby quilted. It took at least two days to get the hominy ready to eat since one day was devoted to a ‘lye soak’ to soften the large kernels.  On the second day, after a very thorough washing off of the lye solution, the soft kernels simmered to a delicate state just perfect for consumption. Often canned mustard or turnip greens were added to the meal. Of course, a pan of fresh cornbread completed this special meal.

By March Mama’s and Aunt Ruby’s focus turned to lettuce beds, hunting for fresh creasy greens and watching the onions sprout. This was a season of sweet anticipation focused on gardening and planting; however, as cold days came and went less frequently, they were eager to get outside to begin a new season. 

As always farm life revolved around seasonal changes.  These seasonal changes were my connection to a larger universe and what I needed to learn about survival on our planet. Sometimes I think our modern lifestyle of shopping and sport events has lost touch with this connection.