
I love snow. Not only is it fun and pretty, but it’s also beneficial to the fall-planted seedlings and seeds. Snow keeps a “winter blanket” on the beds, protecting the soil from erosion, wind, and the bitter cold. Brooklyn Botanical Garden wrote an insightful blog about it.

We began 2025 on January 1st with our annual First Day Hike. Since 2017, we’ve been inviting a bunch of people to take a four-mile hike in Gunpowder State Park. This year, the weather was windy and in the 40’s—perfect!

In January we see the days start to get longer. We are getting almost 10 hours of daylight. That’s enough to get the chickens laying again. They’ve been on break since November!




The snow highlights the color in everything. Sapphire sky, iron-gray trees, glossy green magnolia, and blazing red twig dogwood paint the backdrop of winter days.

The paperwhites have been blooming all month. I love the light scent and cheerful flowers. It’s been a delight receiving texts and emails with pictures of Celadon Hill paperwhites. Thank you for sharing the love of flowers.

I enjoy baking and warm tasty treats in the morning. This Buttermilk Blueberry Breakfast Cake is delicious without being too sweet. I used frozen berries and weighed the flour as the recipe suggests. So good!

One of my “25 for 25” things to do is to invite more birds to Celadon Hill. This new birdhouse was a gift from my kids. It’s celadon green with images of Archie and the family. My full 25 for 25 list (a work in progress) is below. My one-word theme is CONNECT.

I love a bingo card! This is the year, as a bingo card has 25 spaces it fits perfectly. For tips on writing your own 25 for 25 list, visit Gretchen Rubin’s website.

It’s almost time. The tulips will be here soon. I’m happy to say the Celadon Hill Flower Subscriptions will go on sale next week! Look for an email reminder. I’m offering April Tulips, May Peony, and June Spring Flower Buckets for 3 weeks each, pick up or delivery. There are limited spots available. This is the time to sign up for the best locally grown flowers in town.

This dog liked the snow a little bit until it got too cold. Hoping we can all enjoy a little snow this winter!
“The patterns of our lives reveal us. Our habits measure us. Our battles with our habits speak of dreams yet to become real.” Mary Oliver, Long Life