Okie Wheel of the Year: Feb 1, 2021

Frosty Tallgrass at Imbolc Sunrise

Happy Imbolc/St. Brigid’s Day!

Imbolc and Lughnasadh are the seasons that inspired me to really explore how the Wheel of the Year works in Oklahoma. Today, pictures of snowdrop flowers with their bright green leaves and drooping white heads, will fill the internet with messages of welcoming spring. But when I step onto my front porch I see nothing of the sort. I don’t think I’ve ever seen real-live snowdrops. This morning, the yellowed tops of resilient tallgrass were covered in thick frost sparkling in the morning sun. Every year, one of my daffodils blooms well before the others poke buds out of the ground, and it always freezes. It is the sign that we have at least one more hard freeze left, but then spring will be on it’s way.

Frozen Early Daffodil

These are the things I see outside this time of year. There is so much more to know about our seasons.  The wheel of the year is solar, but also partly based on agricultural seasons and seasonal weather cycles. I am not a farmer. I might plant a garden, and I do get to see lambs and kids as I drive by neighboring fields sometimes, but otherwise I am disconnected from our agricultural cycles. Luckily, even farmers are on the internet! The Oklahoma Farm Report has data and news relevant to the entire state’s agricultural industry. Market reports and legislative news can be tedious reading, but glancing through summaries gives a picture of how the seasons, weather, climate, and land interact and affect our crops and the lives of those who work them. There are also articles about work our state’s farmers and ranchers do in conservation, research, advocacy, and education. Farmers are sometimes seen as the enemy of those working for environmental protection and climate crisis, but Oklahoma’s farmers have intimate knowledge of these issues.

This is the first installment of a weekly series on the Okie Wheel of the Year. I’ll be introducing sources of information and noting seasonal changes to get a more broad picture than we can see outside our own front doors. The Oklahoma Farm Report top news headlines over the past week say everyone has their eyes on hay stores, the status of wheat fields, cotton and soybean sales, and looking forward to spring calving.

The beginning of a month means data gatherers release monthly summaries.  Mesonet summaries tell us that January averaged a tiny bit wetter than unusual, and drought conditions eased up in the west. They predict a slightly cool but average wet February.  But there are predictions of a drier March and April with increased wildfire danger. This means that right now conditions are good for slowly watching as greenery peeks out from beneath the yellow grasses, but don’t pack up the sweaters yet. As we plan our gardens, be aware that a dry spring means extra watering.

This cold season is also a good time to think about mental health. Issues like low sunlight, isolation and loneliness of winter, anxieties for the future affect us all this time of year. Farming communities also recognize the need for resources such as the Plains Cotton Cooperative Association's Farm Stress-Help and Hope program.  

I can't wait to see what next week brings!