January flowers are especially uplifting as they lift up out of cold and short winter days.

Granted, our winter is mild compared to NY winters. But the choir stopped singing when leaves dropped and birds went south. Spring will be welcome for all of us.

I planted our Prunus mume (Kanko Bai) Japanese plum mainly for Larry's benefit. Flowering in January when few pollinators are active, and when freezing occasionally hits, makes it unlikely to bear fruit here.

But the tree is thriving and fruit is a slim possibility. Even if it never fruits, I am happy for its beautiful and intensely fragrant flowers in the darkest part of the year.

The ("South Georgia Growing Local") Farm Conference started off with a pot luck and farm tour of Snug Hill Farm. Folks got an uplifting sniff of rose scented Prunus mume as they walked through the fruit orchard.

rosemary and Daikon radish were also flowering. I did see ONE flying insect visiting the mume...and I did smoosh a finger from flower to flower. No where near the finesse of an insect, but I heard no complaints from plant or insect.

Larry's talk and mine were received with appreciation. Larry has had a few requests to help with business ideas. And he hopes to help get a Local Food Network in place in the future. I had 56 requests for notice when I finish writing up the booklet describing the diversity of perennial foods that will grow here. We keep busy with our goals of building sustainability and community, while learning how to grow foods without working ourselves into an early grave.