Breath of Spring

Heirloom tomato seedlings happily reaching for the grow lights.

They say that March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb. This year the lion really didn't have much energy. He roared for a day or two, then just gave up and let the lamb take over. This spring has been an instantaneous thing, akin to walking into a warm house after a trek through a frigid snowstorm. We've jumped from 25-30 degree highs to 55-60's in just a matter of days. It's a welcome change! And we are taking advantage of it.

The new garden plot which is double the size of last years.

My husband decided to go ahead and till up the new expanded garden plot despite the soil being quite saturated still. The first go around was difficult as the soil just wanted to stick to the tines, but that first fluff of the topsoil dried everything out considerably. Last weekend he went over it again after we had added some compost and loam and it turned out much better than expected. I have already sewn my early peas and we are hoping that the coming rains will get things off to a good start. Carrots and radish have also been sewn in containers on the back deck. Our soil is too coarse right now for carrots to develop so I am trying this method until the soil in the yard breaks down better after this years harvest and cover crop.

Evan is getting an early start on the lawn.

Evan was certainly ready to get to work early! He has also busied himself with picking up every stick he can find and throwing it in our brush pile. He is a fantastic helper! This week we will plant his very own seeds for his little garden plot. I hope to teach him how things grow and where our food comes from.

Our collection of stones and a very small sampling of our found feathers.

With spring comes spring cleaning. In both the literal and figurative sense. My husband is a great part Menominee Indian (and I myself have a wee bit of Cherokee from way back). We both share a connection with that Spirituality. Believing that all things are connected to a Great Spirit. It means a great deal to us.

On a fairly regular basis we burn sage, which is a sacred plant, to clear the air and the energy around us. It also smells really nice and brings a feeling of peace. This week I burned some white sage to welcome spring.

The Abalone shell is used to burn the white sage in. The fan is made from the wing of a Sparrow Hawk and is used to disperse the smoke.

However it has been ushered in, we are all grateful for the warmer weather. This past year has been a hard one. Not only because of the hard cold winter, but with the flailing economy, the fighting back and forth in our government, and the hardships that we are all facing right now. Here is to hoping that this spring will bring more than warm temperatures and new green growth.