It’s been quite the rainy season so far here in Northern California. Even when it doesn’t rain overnight, the mornings are foggy and heavy with dew. The plants are so happy! New leaves and buds are everywhere.

While I’ve been tucked away inside decorating for Christmas, baking chocolate chess pies and pepparkakor (Swedish ginger snaps), playing with kids and kitties, and curling up in front of the fireplace, the land I care for has been coming to life.

Each time I walk around and check on the plants, there is something new to see. More leaves on the wildflower seedlings, more chances to play “Weed or Not Weed?”, and more acorns. So. Many. Acorns.

I keep thinking ahead to this time next year and wondering how much bigger these young plants will be. Will there be berries on the Coffeeberry, Snowberry (Symphoricarpos albus), and Toyon (Heteromeles arbutifolia)? Will the Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) have blooms to tempt the hummingbirds? I’ll just have to wait and see.

Two things I’m very excited about, though:

• Coppicing works! Not that I doubted, but it’s so incredible to see the results right in front of me and so quickly. The grasses are already recovering and sending out beautiful, long, green leaves. Most of the shrubs and trees are budding from stems that already seem thicker and stronger. I’m still waiting on the Western Redbud (Cercis occidentalis), but I remember that it came back later last year, closer to the spring, so I need to be patient.
• The soil seems healthier. Every place in the yard where I pulled up the plastic landscape fabric that was buried a few inches down looks better, like it can finally breathe. The rains can now seep deep into the earth instead of pooling on the surface. And, places where nothing seemed to grow before are supporting hundreds of bright green wildflower seedlings, many of which reseeded from native plants I had popped in the ground nearby.

It’s possible that I’m just imagining these signs of recovery, but I don’t think so. In some way, it feels like the land, plants, birds, and insects are all celebrating the beauty and possibility of what lies ahead.

I can’t think of a nicer way to head into a new year.

P.S. Just had to share this photo of sunflower seedlings popping up under one of the bird feeders. I would love to have a sunflower forest! Though I expect most of these won’t make it past the rainy season.