Waxing Towards Spring

The narrow moon hangs bright in the dark sky tonight.  Waxing.  It is building towards full, just as we are building each day towards the land awakening and beginning the life cycle of the farm again. Saturday, we boiled down 20 gallons of maple sap over a wood fire outdoors to make a half gallon of syrup.  Our first crop of the year has been harvested and canned up.  Beyond the syrup production, the day gave us peeks of sunshine to bask in and visits from friends curious to experience small scale maple sugaring firsthand.  An old country friend from my childhood would have called Saturday "a red-letter day."  The kind that slips past too quickly, filled with glimpses into friends' true thoughts, shared laughter, and delightful surprises. Like when my friend, Cheryl, offered to make vegan biscuits to feed the hungry little boys running about the farm.  She taught the boys how to mix up the dough and roll it out, letting the 3 year-old knead and help pat and cut out the dough.  In a trice, Cheryl popped two trays of biscuits into the oven. We took the basket of piping hot quick breads down to the fire to nosh on with butter and damson plum jam while we chatted and stirred the pans.  So many stories & connections --the sun set on us chatting.

Inside Soulstice, the broccoli, cabbages and Brussels sprouts I started in January have nearly overgrown their plant stand, and it is time to start heirloom tomatoes and peppers for the garden.  I spent yesterday potting up leeks, onions, kale, and lettuce plants, and filling trays with potting soil to start tomatoes, peppers, and eggplants in.

Broccoli, cabbage and Brussels sprouts reach for the sunshine

A source of winter salads.

Leek and onion transplants.

Today found me out in the woods at Raccoon Creek State Park, taking time away from the farm to prepare for a class I will teach in Nature Journaling this Sunday afternoon at the Park.  For more information or to register, click here.

Handmade nature journals ready for class participants.

While rambling the spring woods, I recorded these thoughts:

A Time of Awakenings-- Maple buds burst red and bulbous, Spring Beauties reach narrow green fingers through pale oak leaves, the Turkey Vultures sail again the azure afternoon sky, and the world fills with light.  Lighter coats, brighter sunshine, lighter hearts now unburdened with the first week of warmth behind us.  Again I can lay on the forest floor and gaze at the mesh of arms and twiggy fingers above me.  Again I hear the humble burble of bluebird voices.  Again my hand sketches unmittened.  Last week's exhalation and shaking off of winter's crushing weight has unfurled into this week's grateful acceptance of new expectations.  The snow that showered us yesterday couldn't linger past noon today.  The pruning put off by February's cold is scheduled.  The chickens will leave the barn tomorrow to return to pasture.  Seeds sprout under lights.  Birds sing us to the bus stop at sunrise, and driving is easy on dry pavement again.  Welcome spring and the easing of the soul.

May a sense of spring dawn upon your soul this week,
Betsy

Our cat Chubby reveling in the spring sunshine.