“Be joyful because it is humanly possible.”
— Wendell Berry
Everything that slows us down and forces patience, everything that sets us back into the slow circles of nature, is a help. Gardening is an instrument of grace.
- May Sarton
Even though I wake to rain this morning, spring is here and it feels like one big happy pill. I notice straight away an arousal deep inside of me as I spend hours on my knees in the garden - cleaning out flower beds and pruning unruly shrubs. Come evening my body is sore in places that have been stagnate throughout the past winter months and I remind myself to slow down as there is no reason to hurry. I am here right now, and my job is to be present - to cultivate the sensations awakening within myself, and the garden.
play
"Play turns out to be stunningly essential in childhood it’s like love sunshine and broccoli all juiced together."
- Lenore Skenazy
Play is serious business and right now he will not stop play just to have his photo taken. So I have learned to be a bit sneaky. Here he checks on the worm he and Grandpa found while turning the garden beds, and watches the bubbles he blew float away. He is curious about everything. What does the worm think? What does he eat? Why are worms good for the garden? Why do the bubbles pop? What do the birds think about the bubbles that float in the trees? What are some bubbles big and some small? Why do they have all those colors in them? Can we go for a walk? Can we take Baker with us? What can I have for snack? Will Baker eat the worm? Why not? Can we look for bugs? Why do I have to put the worm back before I go home?
Just another fun Thursday with this boy. I feel like the luckiest Gramma in the world.
the here and now
“When we endlessly ruminate over distant times, we miss extraordinary things in the present moment.
These extraordinary things are, in actual fact, all we have: the here and now.”
— Katherine May
Lately I find I haven’t much I want to say in this space. What I really want to do is post a few photos. So here are a few “here and now moments” from the last couple of months.
"For a good life: Work like a dog. Eat like a horse. Think like a fox. And play like a rabbit."
George Allen
Fun Fact - Rabbits have 3-5 litters of 6-12 babies annually. Half will die due to disease, predators and Mama's rejection of sick ones. Gestation period is 28 days, so technically, one healthy Mama can produce about 80 surviving babies annually.
Even with our very loud beagle, and the one that lives next door, we have rabbits all over the yard this year. I fear we will need to buy some more chicken wire.