SPRING - IT'S HERE !....... I CAN FEEL IT!

Although there's a blanket of  snow on the ground this morning, I can see signs of spring around the farm.  With it comes my heightened urge to get outside and chart the many things I'd like to accomplish during this growing season - a long list that grows exponentially each time I walk out the door, for sure.

At this very moment, I'm staring at a regally purple anemone I rescued from Lowe's at a rock bottom price, new blossom spikes on my iridescent pink African violet, a large bloom shoot emerging from my late-planted amaryllis, and the first signs of seeds I planted last week in my makeshift mini-greenhouses made from rotisserie chicken containers.  My coleus cuttings from last year's plants are in the dirt and thriving, and I've got some beautiful geranium cuttings started.  The kitchen now serves as a transplanting station, confusing the corgis since they associate that space with food rather than plants.  The cold frame's heating up for the greens and other flats I'll start in it later on this morning. With daffodils ready to open, buds throwing out pollen in bushels, peepers' choruses in the evening, and the return of warm season bird friends, I'm ready to celebrate.  It's been a wonderfully beautiful, long, cold winter - long enough for the enthusiasm of spring to kick me into outdoor mode in the big way.

My offering at the vernal equinox last week was one of gratitude for the many things I've planted along the way that are bountiful in life:  my children and I are happy and well; my mom's coming for Eliza's graduation in a couple of weeks, and I've been able to maintain the farm in the best way I can.  I have friends; I live with two goofy corgis who keep my head in the mindset of play, and I'm able to work on some creative pursuits with my photos and paper.  I'm frequently reminded that I have nothing about which I can complain or whine.  As I turn the compost and refresh my garden beds with rich soil I've overseen, my heart soars with the simplicity of joy and revitalization that spring brings. The spring sun shines in my heart!

THE WEEK IN REVIEW: MARCH 1 - 8, 2014

 

 

 

Saturday morning has rolled around. Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris are singing me a song on Pandora, and the sun's edging up over the hill. I am officially on spring break-a long-awaited few days away from my desk during which I'll head to NC and hang with Mom. There are several chores to complete before leaving, but the corgis and I are ready to hit the road and have some time in the mountains.

 

I have no idea what the energetic implication is, but I continue to have close encounters of the Great Blue Heron kind.  Two flew directly over the house the other afternoon, squawking along the way as if to say "howdy...any good ponds around?" A couple days later, the corgis and I were on a walk off the beaten path downtown, and as MerryBelle went to get a drink out of the river, I turned to the left and found myself within 10' of one.  It was as surprised as I. Our eyes met for a mili-second, and it squawked at the same moment I jumped at the unexpected meeting.  It took off, and I watched it tuck its neck and head off across the river. And then yesterday, I walked to across the pedestrian bridge for breakfast at The Busy Bee, only to see one perched on a piling near the dock beneath me. With its neck gathered close to its body, I initially thought the bird was a green heron, but this guy/gal decided to stretch, and yep, it was another GBH. I don't think it was quite awake, for it just looked at me and returned to snooze pose.

 

In other farm news:

 

a.  the first little yellow crocuses I planted over three decades ago in the south side bed are up and opening to the warm sun....

 

b.  the Red-Winged Blackbirds are back, and all the birdies are getting pretty frisky....

 

c.  I've started some seeds and transplanted indoor plants that were up for some fresh dirt, marking the first dirty fingernail week of 2014...

 

d.  my upper level students had a very enlightening conversation with John Suarez about the success and power of non-violent opposition.....

 

e.  out of the 500+ pictures I took this week, I came up with a couple that I think are suitable for submission in a local show coming up soon....the photo above is just one I like - a button from the flea market placed on a piece of grate from I found at the ruins of my great-grandparents' home in Matney, NC....

 

f.  the box of handmade paper under my bed has been calling my name, and I have a project idea for it....

 

g.  the late-planted amaryllises I set last week are pushing up some leaves, hopefully as forerunners to bud shoots....

 

h.  Samuel and Eliza have both checked in for extended conversations this week --always special moments when we have a chance to really talk....

 

i.   last Sunday's snow has melted over the course of the week.  I LOVED what could be our last significant visit by the snow fairies.... 

 

k.  Mac and MerryBelle would report that they're quite the tag-team duo when it comes to treeing raccoons and hassling possums.  My neighbors would report they're pretty much an annoyance when they do so at midnight.

 

  j.  It won't be long until I'm pulling up the thousands of shoots that will spring from the seeds that have fallen from seed pods like this one. Datura is a POWERFUL plant.  One learns a quick lesson about awareness of these pods when he/she starts to mess around where they're resting on the soil.

 

 

k.  It's been a good week, and I am (as always) struck by my many blessings.  I have nothing about which I feel inclined to whine.....

LET IT GROW

I'll begin this post by stating I realize the practices that guide my life are not necessarily mainstream. No surprise to those who know me, right? 

I don't profess to follow a scripted set of religious precepts, yet I know in my heart I'm profoundly connected to universal truths - - love, kindness, compassion, service - all good things in the eyes of most "believers," I think.  I try, although not always successfully, to do no harm...a lesson in progress, always.

I am so connected to the Earth that I think I should grow roots. In the cycling of the seasons, I find answers to questions that befuddle my limited understanding as a humble being whose time on the planet will be truly insignificant in the long run. Birds, animals, flowers, trees, bugs, mountains, the ocean, the wind...they all massage my soul...bring me peace....enlighten and expand my mind. I need space and solitude as much as others need close connection and interaction.  I don't mean to say I don't enjoy being around and connecting with other folks; I just have to have time and a place to recharge - perhaps "more than the average bear." Give me the choice of sitting in the woods for an hour with my camera in hand or equal time in a crowded shopping mall, and it's a no-brainer where one would find me.

To the utter frustration of many, I resist commitment to time frames and calendars - organization and orderliness that others find necessary in their lives. My experience, for the most part, has always been that adventures always present themselves: following a strict itinerary could perhaps preclude experiencing a spontaneously amazing moment . Have I missed opportunities as a result of not planning ahead from time to time?  Yes, no doubt.  BUT,  have I experienced many, many more amazing free-formed moments as a result of my spur-of-the-moment nature?  Oh, yeah...I resist being tied down on all levels.

Models of courage and conviction inspire me. Likewise, I remain in awe of and intrigued by differences, even those that present a wide gap in common ground between my vision and the opposite.  As long as I can find a small morsel of  commonality, I can pretty much hang out....

UNTIL......

the uncommon ground begins to define itself in terms of intolerance.  Lack of civility and decency begin to surface.  

Recently in the area where I live, a young Muslim woman was intimidated by a person who stopped her on the street and shoved a cross in her face. Likewise, my state representative was part of a group who had legislation poised for introduction that would make room within the law for discrimination.  (The sponsors withdrew the bill once a similar bill in Arizona was vetoed by Governor Jan Brewer.) I won't waste time reiterating other examples of unkindness (ignorance, perhaps a better noun here), for doing so hurts my heart and elevates my blood pressure.

So, my questions become these: What is there about human existence that contorts and twists and denigrates our understanding of each other?  Is it within the power of our species to reach lasting, harmonious, respectful co-existence? I want to emphasize I am not suggesting all people be alike, believe alike, etc. I am suggesting, however, there is power in peaceful thought and action....there is value in the idea of decency and compassion.....there is possibility in changing the way we do business with others that would greatly benefit all.....

A simple starting point......

 

 

Your thoughts??