Seeds & Soil

Spring Attacks!

May 17, 2017

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Every year there’s this lump in my throat as spring approaches.

I’m jacked up as blossoms emerge, the grass starts to green up and our bees start to forage.

However, the ‘to do’ items are so plentiful that the wonder and vibrancy of spring can be drowned out on our little farm. Rather than me embracing spring I can start to feel a surge of anxiety that spring is attacking me.

Take a deep breath.

I’m trying to increasingly wrap both arms around life for a hug rather than living with a sense that life has its hands around my throat!

My most profound memory of a spring that had me in its grip was when we were 2 days away from receiving 200 ‘day old’ chicks. The building intended for the incoming chicks wasn’t nearly ready to be warm and predator proof. I came in for lunch with pain in my side and realized that I had appendicitis! Over lunch, I schemed how I could have the surgery, get out of hospital and complete the construction – all within 48 hours. I remember climbing a ladder with tools and lumber the day following surgery. It all happened as envisioned but there was NO ‘joy in the journey’.

Take a deep breath.

Yes, it’s spring and it’s time to get moving.

No more evening fires indoors with a good book –it’s action time.

But, first sit down and take a deep breath.

I heard a radio program a few years ago about stillness and how to help create those gardening moments that make life meaningful. The person advised 3 ingredients were needed to optimize moments: a place to sit, the sound of running water and trees!

Take note: all that advice only works if you actually SIT in the place meant for sitting so that you can take in the sound of running water and the beauty of the trees.

So, as nature’s abundance is unleashed in my direction I’ve made it clear this year that I’m going to greet her with an embrace with a Pace and my Posture that enjoys her to the max. Here are my 3 suggestions:

Start clean – it feels so good for me to embark on a project in space that’s clean and tidy. Whether indoors or outdoors – I tidy up until my work space feels inviting. I can always tell when the gloom lifts and the environment feels right to launch. So, raking up some fall debris, tidying some plant pots or stacking the tomato cages, moving some lumber – whatever it takes – readies me to get down to business.
Ask whether you should: a) Improve, b) maintain or c) abandon? Nope – I’m not talking about the person you’re dating! On our property I try to view each area with new eyes and objectively ask “how well has ‘this’ been working?”. It may be the location of a fence around a cluster of baby fruit trees, the preparation we did for a bed where garlic grew overwinter or the proximity of the bee hives to the blueberries. Nothing should be so ‘sacred’ that it cannot be questioned. The classic tension for my wife and I: she wants things to be smaller and cuter while I push for bigger and more functional. So, 25 years in we’re still trying to figure that one out! In any event – her perspective challenges mine and the conversation is always valuable. So, have a seat and ask yourself – the answer you come up with will likely empower you to do what you know (deep down) you should do!
Keep your eyes open – I’m often prone to miss the details yet wonder and curiosity are what fuel me. I can see how moving quickly and talking lots can keep me trapped in a small world where I don’t truly ‘see’! Recently I attended a workshop on ‘local pollinators’ for the area we live on Vancouver Island in southwestern Canada. The presenter noted that she’s identified 140 bees native to our island! So, now I’m looking at everything pollinating our fruit trees in a brand new light. I want to slow down so that I’m observing and getting insights that keep me enamored with what creation is up to!