February isn’t normally the month where I’m thinking about Spring. Last year on May 1, we had a snowfall that should only happen in January or February, and here we sit now where the snow comes, the snow goes, it accumulates, and then melts. As I venture further into my homesteading venture, I’ve had to switch my brain around a little. My normal brain focuses on teaching, academic and creative writing, and on hoping for an early retirement to part time in three years and five months, (not that I’m counting).

This year is different. I’ve already grown spinach indoors to add to my eggs in the morning, (my chickens are producing 7-10 eggs a day and one of my ducks has joined in as well). I’ve made pickled eggs with about 30 eggs and have plans to make more this weekend as I have four dozen eggs in the fridge. I’ve started cutting trees down in the spot where my ducks will be living as we prepare to hatch out, hopefully 4-6 ducklings this year.

As I type this, I think to myself, whew, this is going to be a busy year. Also, this weekend I’ll be setting up more indoor planting areas for starts and for micro-greens. For my fellow gardeners out there, we know that planting peppers from seed isn’t the best route as they take forever to sprout, well about three weeks verses most other things popping up much quicker. I’ll be starting about 200 plants this year of multiple pepper varieties as I truly want a functional hobby farm.

So, what does this all mean and why do I have mixed feelings about Spring?

I feel for the businesses and individuals that rely on snow as a large part of their income because without income many people will struggle. As a professional working with various agencies helping families and individuals for over 30 years of my life now, it’s sad that it’s taken me until my 50s to realize that life isn’t just about work. Yes, we do need to work for money to pay our bills. We have bills we can’t escape because we need to have a roof over our heads and something to drive. We may not be able to escape but we can adjust.

For this summer, my plans have been scaled back to what one person can do as I do live alone. I will potentially be hiring people to help with the firewood, (the plan is to cut to sell for campfires), and maybe to help work the farmers markets/flea markets this summer; but for the most part, this is a labor of love, and money, because I do expect to make a certain amount: $5,000 to be exact. By doing so, I can order a shed to convert into a cabin, the plan is one a year thus the target of $5,000.

For my fellow hobby farmers and farmers market sellers, you can see it. I’ll have eggs, starts as in tomato and pepper starts, (you didn’t think I was going to plant all 200), and I’ll do up firewood bundles as well. I’m focusing on the early markets, as summer progresses, I’ll have other things such as multiple varieties of lettuce, squash, etc.

What I’m learning is that work is only work if you don’t enjoy it, at least a little bit. By being the Upnorthminmalist, I’m living my dream to the best of my ability. I have one book out on Lulu called Relationship PTSD, and I’m actively working on a collection of my short stories that should be on that site as well as soon as next month.

Hopefully, shortly thereafter, my autobiography of sorts will be done as well. My parting thoughts: if you didn’t have streaming services or cable, if you got up earlier or went to bed later, what could you accomplish?

Email me any thoughts to upnorthminimalist@briankeithforeman.com or simply go to my website at www.briankeithforeman.com Take care and think Spring!

Brian Keith Foreman is an organizational psychologist teaching remotely, a supervisor at Teaching Family Homes, and a freelance writer and public speaker living in the north woods of Wisconsin, a stones throw from Gogebic County. His podcast on Swell is located at swellcast.com/bkforeman69 and his website is www.briankeithforeman.com. He is the proud father of three, Hannah, Briana, and Bethany and the grandparent of Olive and Thaddeus.