A Poem in My Pocket

Hope     

Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune--without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land,
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

Emily Dickinson

Where has this week gone? Re-entry to school was challenging, but time is flying..too quickly for me.
Big Buff rooster has found a new home with a lovely Italian gentleman in Salem- so king and thoughtful, he called me tonight just to let me know that the transition went well..and Big Buff has a whole new flock of admiring hens following him around..this encounter with Stephano made me realize how is just one happenstance moment complete strangers can come into your life and bring you something new and unknown..and you weren't even expecting that to happen..I feel like I have a new friend, filled will knowledge about things that interest me and willing to share, gladly, what he has learned from his own life's experiences..

Questions that have come to mind this week -
Does anyone know the location of the black hole that is filled with the matches to all the single socks I have?
How much do we really need to live comfortably - how many things?..a portable life is at times very appealing.
How is it that I see my husband, children, grandchildren as the jewels of my life, while other woman who also have husbands, or children or maybe even grandchildren have no desire to openly acknowledge that the are part of those lives? I find that sad. I can be myself and still be Bob's wife, Kendall, Alex, Luke & Carley's mother and especially Henry, Evelyn(and Walter's)Mormor. They do not diminish who I am, but rather adorn me...I am truly blest.

Sleep beckons, and the new day's morning will be much quieter, as I don't imagine Big Buff's crow will carry over dawn's breaking from his new roost...

Small Steps Forward Still Bring you to your Destination

     Back to school tomorrow after a great staycation filled with sunshine, goals accomplished and renewed energy. April weather became April weather and garden beds were slowly prepared for planting and flowers beds received a partial face lift.
     On Friday we ate our first asparagus..delicious! Made Strawberry/Rhubarb(also known in our house as baybarb) Pie, also delicious!
     Weekend spent meeting fellow August travelers to Pine Ridge, SD and had the opportunity to spend some very special time with Henry Red Cloud talking about green energy, Native American life, and listening to his inspirational vision for his people. Henry doesn't live in the past and moves everyone he comes in contact with forward. Henry's message truly resonated in my heart -
We are all on this journey together - all related, all connected
On this journey we need to take small steps in a positive direction.
Nothing is accidental.
I can't wait to spend a week with him, his crew and 34 amazing "champions" building straw bale houses at Pine Ridge.
    Many things I had hoped to accomplish did not get done, but isn't that what tomorrow is for? I may not always be sure of reaching my destination, but putting myself in forward motion and being open to all that I encounter is perhaps more important.

Spring dressing

Today was perfect spring clean-up weather. I realized, however, that my exterior (garden/yard) cleaning is much more pleasing than the interior dust bunnies and floor washing. Asparagus bed weeded,purple lilac and wild roses had a trim and I battled with the raspberries. If my scratched arms are any indication - I believe I am victorious.

Excitement builds with the upcoming weekend visit of Henry Red Cloud from Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. I called the local paper and I think they were very happy to have a positive story to cover.

Returned to the yard to pick at the front beds - a perimeter weeding. I told my husband that working outside is like a drug to me - maybe it's all that Vitamin D? Regardless of the origin - the feeling of touching the soil, the smell of the lavender, and just being present amid nature's art, invigorates me...although my sore muscles would probably not echo that just now.



Asparagus year two..







Raspberries, thinking of Henry....
Should have taken a "before" picture - just imagine you could barely see the fence

Beginnings

During April vacation I often feel an inner desire to make changes, likened to those that are happening all around me. I woke this morning to a majestic cacophony of bird songs - well before the sun rose and traffic drowned out the exquisite notes - a natural arrangement of tone and rhythm seemingly simple yet magically complex. A reminder that on any given day we have the opportunity to create our own score that can combine the simple, predictable elements of our lives with the surprising, unexpected moments that often are that special harmony that rises above the melody.

Today's temperature was more like June...at this rate we may actually have mid-April weather by the time the week is over. Inspired by a three day body detox in whole living - May 2012, I shopped for the fruits, vegetables and nuts that comprise the simple 3 meals a day and snacks..yes snacks and desserts..really like this concept. Beginnings are also about making room for the new by making changes with the old. Next stop - used book store..books donated (tomorrow is Teacher discount day - may have to go back and browse a bit). Have plans for a beading project - A.C.Moore is a dangerous place - although bargains abound...Back home - cooking began. With help of husband and eldest son... FINALLY the old gigantic TV and now replaced dishwasher found space at the transfer station..opportunity to rearrange furniture and feel like a new room is in the making just by moving it - small gifts! 12 eggs from my happy flock of hens - Big Buff lives another day(alone). Although what I had hoped to accomplish outside will be waiting for me tomorrow, I was enjoyable to move forward with other projects and just relax a bit. (Why do we always feel some level of guilt for that?) A new recipe for dinner - Chicken Paprikash with Spaetzle - yummy. For today, Plato's words “The beginning is the most important part of the work" certainly takes an ordinary day to extraordinary. Tomorrow we begin again.

July in April

My first day of April vacation and it was 90  degrees! Spent some time in the chicken coop trying to secure the nests that these crazy girls keeps scratching out of the box and onto the coop floor. They seem much happier with Big Buff Rooster pacing outside their space, rather than contantly invading it. As beautiful as he is, his 3:30 am call to the moon, may not last much longer.

Garden preparation has begun with a small bonfire of winter's leftovers. Tomorrow of will prune raspberries and weed asparagus.

The trip to Amherst was warm, but spring is just everywhere and a sight of complete rebirth.