We are so happy to welcome twin baby boys to our lives, born to my step-daughter on the 8th of this month. I was honored to host her Mother Blessing ceremony - an opportunity to gather women friends and family and acknowledge the blossoming of the mother-to-be, her morphing into a new person. This ceremony seemed so familiar to me, with many of my own women-friends celebrating their own becoming in that way, asking for strength and beauty in the upcoming birth, drawing in the love and support from their women's circle. With song and poetry, with story and crafts, a special day to elevate and behold the expecting mother. For my dear step-daughter circle of friends that expression was not so-familiar yet became an opportunity to offer an afternoon of something very sweet and supportive. We were blessed with the presence of the 12-year old niece, and a beloved Aunt came for the day too.
With candles, flowers, gorgeous silk outfits, hair brushing and rose petal foot bath we were enjoying the day of anticipation, the day when the Mother-to-be was still alone yet holding the life within. She was like the Sun and the Moon, when she entered the room in her glow, in her lei. Today she is nursing and dreaming, and sleeping and gazing at her little ones. She got two sweet peas in a pod, one is smaller and one is bigger - two boys who are still only few days old!
Solar home does not need extra heat anymore. Final burn! Firewood out of the house, clean it all out - just around the days of Candlemass it all becoming so apparent. In places, the soil is workable and gardening grow-tunnels reveal sweet surprises, greens of all kinds, live and well, and even tasty!
As gentle suggestion of Spring is breathing inspiration into our actions, a natural step is add seed to the existing rows, water it all in, cover with wads of row cover for frost protection, and let nature take its course. These seeds know when to come up! No further management is needed, just keeping them moist.
Indoors, firewood goes out and in its place come seed starting trays. My own garden soil is frozen solid, and I am getting an early start on Spring Garden - good time to have start Bok Choy, Kohlrabi and Chinese Cabbage. Carrots, beets, peas - these will have to wait for soil to warm up a bit. For now we will get something to eat from the greenhouse, plants that were planted in August/September are producing in February with increased growth and abundance - to expire in early May.
Fruit trees are in the forefront of attention. Sap is rising in response to the Sun's call. Trees are waking up enough to be able to heal the cuts, yet not leafed out to be set back by pruning and losing tissue. Time to prune, time to white-wash their bark with caoline clay. In high desert climate the sun scorches fruit tree bark in the cool Spring days when leaves are not out yet - the angle of the sun is such that a sunburn is guaranteed. For young fruit trees this is a big problem and they need that extra protection to get off to a good start with leafing out and putting on some good new growth.
Love is in the air - this type of awakening love, of "I see you again, the Great Outdoors, my Garden, my Land - you are filling my heart with joy of Spring!" So there are hearts and cookies to be made, of course - from that fullness of heart and joy of soul. And shared with people, just like the attention is being showered on the seeds, plants, animals, firewood.... Love to all, for Life Force is rising!
Looking forward to hearing your stories and comments!
Best wishes
- Arina
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