Imbolc and the Coming of Spring

There are some who celebrate Imbolc as the beginning of spring, but where I am, we are firmly still in the middle of winter. Like many places in the US, we got hit with a ton of snow yesterday, and it's snowing again today - which is not unusual for this time of year. Everything is covered in snow and ice, nothing's growing.

There's really only one sign that warmer weather is coming - in NH, we now have an hour and a half more sunlight each day. It may not seem like much with the snow and freezing temperatures, but for me it's a welcome reminder that spring is coming.

Until then, while I still try to get outside on the warmer days, there are a lot of cold and icy days where I'm forced to stay inside (especially after hurting my back recently - slipping on ice and re-hurting it is a chance I can't afford to take). I've been keeping busy organizing shelves, decluttering my supply cabinets, and doing all the little things I probably won't want to do when the weather is warmer. It's not always the most exciting work, it can be slow and frustrating at times, but it needs to be done - and the quite time around Imbolc is often the perfect time to do it.