Welcome spring!

I'll just name right up front that this particular post is an entirely incomplete picture of life right now! It is not that it will be inaccurate or dishonest but just merely one sliver of the pie! It will not sum up so much of this past week - my work world turning upside down, the anxiety that comes in waves (larger at night when sleep will not come after our youngest gets me up from a long wished for deep sleep), learning how to still "be with" others without physically being together or with the proper amount of distance and outside, the worry about family near and far and those with COVID-19 tests outstanding, vast amounts of frustration and anger at the misinformation circulating and the disregard for others, personal concern over pending repeat blood work this week and wondering how those results will impact my future (or not), etc... Much feels rather dire and bleak right now. But there is also great care being shown all over the place and there is beauty and spring has come once again! And we are experimenting with new ways of doing things and have enjoyed a few family zoom times and I attended my first virtual memorial service yesterday that was quite beautiful and meaningful. And people are writing poetry and sharing music. So here's a little of the beauty from our world - maybe as much to remind me to pay attention than for anyone else!

We had a long planned gathering for St. Patrick's Day, complete with a very green meal. We deliberated and decided to go forward outside with many different precautions in place to make it as safe as possible for 10 of us to gather (we call ourselves the "Cub Runts" and gather on Tuesdays). Here's the green-themed menu: homemade green pesto pasta with homemade "parmesan," sauteed okra and garlic, fermented peppers and onions, fresh turnips with yogurt pesto dressing, hard boiled eggs with green paprika, dilly beans and pickles. The food, along with an outdoor fire, was welcome at the end of a pretty taxing day of multiple stressful/sad phone and zoom meetings. I was ready for a bit of time away from a screen and outside!

I'm trying to at least take mini-breaks from the computer. As soon as I finish this post, we are all going to go out and make a trail up through the woods. I've done morning chores a lot this week to at least assure myself an hour outside. The other day, I took a spin around the yard to take in the flowers. Take a spin with me:

Alida's flowering Nanking Cherry bushes in her garden

Kali's garden is ablaze of yellow as her forsythia does its thing

The quince and magnolia add some purple and reddish pink to the landscape

Ah, peach blossoms!

It's a welcome site walking up to our home from the garden shed.

Not to forget Nora's garden - full of daffodils!

And Terah's: her turtle shell play house has turned green.

The willows have come together with Jason's weaving and soon will be full of leaves to shade those playing underneath. Furniture is being added, with the newest addition being a little chair Terah made with Jason in the cleaned shop!

And a few more daffodils because, well, they are just strikingly beautiful this year.

So what about the gardens? Now more than ever, we are grateful for seeds and soil! This week, Jason has been getting back in shape! He got our spinach weeded, side dressed with compost and more seeded - no help from anyone other than me coming in at the end to do some watering! Yesterday was pea planting day and he once again did all the hard prep work. The girls and I joined for the fun of planting and watering. We also seeded dill, fennel and cilantro before calling it a day. We've just started in on some weeding of the strawberries, asparagus and red raspberries but it is that time of year where the weeds definitely feel like they are winning!

Weeds or no weeks, plants keep growing and gifting us with delicious food. We are into "spinach salad season" complete with Tangly Woods hard boiled eggs, bacon and dressing made with tomatoes and fresh perennial onions. Yum!

I have gotten up to Hensley's Pond more often recently as my meetings and gatherings are either by phone, zoom or on walks! I definitely prefer the latter. Jonathan and Christen joined us yesterday and the fresh air and human company (outside of those in our family) was welcome. We love each other dearly but it did crack me up the other day when Jonathan stopped by to pick up some things and Terah made a bee line to get within earshot of him and started jabbering a mile of minute. It seemed clear she was eager for a fresh set of ears to hear her stories!

I wish for all pockets of serenity that this scene fosters. And I wish for wisdom to know how we can be supportive (always but especially in this time) of so many who do not have access to the natural world or many other of their basic needs.