February, Heading to March
Contributed by Marilyn Bennett
Valentines Day to St Patrick's Day. Getting together with your true love and start planning for what to plant this year. Originally St Patrick’s Day was the traditional day to plant peas but that may be a tad early for those of us up here in Alaska.
It is interesting to note that Valentine's Day became popular in the Middle Ages in Europe when the climate was much warmer than it is now. The birds were mating and flowers beginning to bloom. History shows us that Europe's temperature from 950 to 1400 was pretty warm. In fact, Chaucer associated the feast of St Valentine's Day with the mating of birds, as you can see from this poem modernized in lyric form by Margaret Coats.
"Rondel for Saint Valentine’s Day" by Geoffrey Chaucer (c.1340–1400)
"Now welcome, springtime, with your gentle sun
That wintry weather milder soon will make,
And tiresome nights’ long shroud of blackness shake."
"Saint Valentine, great triumph you have won,
And little birds are singing for your sake:
Now welcome, springtime, with your gentle sun
That wintry weather milder soon will make."
"They have good cause to chirp in unison
Since each today his mate again can take,
And both sing blissfully when they awake:
Now welcome, springtime, with your gentle sun
That wintry weather milder soon will make,
And tiresome nights’ long shroud of blackness shake."
So, a thousand years later it makes sense to continue to celebrate St.
Valentine's Day with flowers, birds, and love. For sure though, no bird in Alaska would make the mistake of thinking February 14th would be a good time to mate. However, as humans we can find love at any time of year.
Thinking ahead to St Patrick’s Day we can begin getting out our trays of potting soil to start seeds in anticipation of having a better summer than we had last year. I do think that March 17th would be a good time to begin planting cabbage, broccoli, and peppers. However, it would be best to wait a couple of weeks before planting carrots or peas.
However, I am getting ahead of myself as it is only February. The Redpolls have come back to our feeders this year and are such a delight to watch. The whole flock swarms down to our deck and fly around so fast that they don't always pay attention and bang into our patio doors which often knocks one or more of them out for a short time. We have put hawk decals on our patio doors to warn them off, but they don't pay attention. Since I can't get out to garden this time of year, it is great to have the birds providing our winter entertainment.
This has been the coldest winter I have experienced since moving to Alaska and so it is a wonder to me that I keep reading about the ice melting and the earth getting too hot. Also, one thing I know for sure is that more people die of cold than die of heat. In my childhood I remember 90 degree days with high humidity back when we had NO air conditioning. It was pretty uncomfortable, but nobody died. However, each winter there were people caught outside on a below zero day who did die. I certainly hope all the homeless people here in Alaska found a warm place to hang out during that tough cold spell we had here on the first of February.
Back to why all men should give their sweetheart chocolate and/or flowers on St. Valentine's Day. It is tradition, it makes her happy, also you can share the chocolate and enjoy the flowers together and it keeps our economy going. For the same reasons we should all support St. Patrick’s Day by wearing lots of green and plan a party. The first St. Patrick's Day Parade in America was held in New York City on March 17, 1762. So, you can see that the American tradition of "wearing of the green" began even before we declared independence from England.
What I am trying to say in my small way is that we should celebrate each month for its own special meaning. Feed the birds, eat chocolate, purchase flowers, plan your garden and then put on a green outfit and ring in each month with joy and celebration. I will be setting up my grow lights and begin planning what to plant in my gardens this summer. My planning is pretty grandiose compared to what actually happens, which is why it is such fun. Have to run now to eat the chocolate my sweetheart brought me, put on a green outfit and begin planning for our fabulous Alaska summer garden.