Winter lock loosens a bit

For me and my neighbors, it feels far too early to think of the promise of spring. But I have appreciated the return of evening light as I walk to the mailbox at 5 p.m.

While most phenological changes are happening "in the belly" of the earth, local farmers are on the verge of starting seeds for the coming season and many of our area's food share farms are now open for member sign-ups.

The Dalens at Northern Harvest Farms (northernharvestfarm.com) and Catherine Conover from Stone's Throw Farm (stones throwfarm.wordpress.com) both have summer vegetable shares available.

This past Tuesday a certain rodent resident of smalltown Pennsylvania returned to his den to forecast another six weeks of winter. It got me thinking about this particular time of year.

Phil and all the Phils before him have been making meteorological predictions at Gobbler's Knob in Punxsutawney since 1887. The Feb. 2 tradition falls on the halfway point between the winter solstice and the spring equinox and this "cross-quarter day" has been marked by humans around the globe in some way for millenia.

In Christian theology there is Candlemas, celebrated 40 days after the birth of Christ. It is often marked with lighted parades or the church blessing the candles for the coming year. In medieval England it marked the end of Christmas and the time when greenery was removed.

I guess the fact that I still have some Christmas lights up outside is just age-old tradition.

In ancient Ireland the festival of Imbolc falls right around this time as well. The name derives from the Gaelic "i mbolg," meaning "in the belly" and refers to the time when ewes would birth and lactate. Burial mounds that date back 5,000 years ago are aligned with the Imbolc sunrise.

In France the day is called "La Chandeleur" and comes from a pagan celebration of the bear and its emergence from hibernation. It is celebrated by eating crepes and it is believed that if you hold a coin in your right hand and flip the crepe with your left, you'll have a prosperous year.

We still have plenty of snow on the ground and subzero temperatures to look forward to this week, but farmhands are being hired, our seeds are ordered and inventoried, and I am having pancakes for dinner.

Happy cross-quarter days to all.

If you have Wrenshall news to share, contact Annie at [email protected].