Waking up your space

As I got in my car this morning to make the horrible commute into work, I noticed the bulbs finally peeking above the mulch in front of the house.  I smiled, wide, and laughed a little that I might finally see them, might finally get some color into my yard.  I can't plant outside yet, it's too cold still as evidenced by the sleet and hail we're getting right now, but to see those small shoots poking up, I'm hopeful that this consistent cold won't kill them off before they have a chance to bloom.

I got extremely lucky when I moved to New England - the house I moved into seemed poised and ready for me to show up and it was truly like coming home from the moment I set foot in the door.  Waking up the land after a long winter wasn't hard last year.  This year the cold lingers, and the Earth seems ready and reluctant at the same time - Earth is now us when the room is just cold enough to annoy us, and the blankets are the perfect level of warmth to keep us trapped, unwilling to move.  Getting this lady out of that bed would be nearly impossible - how can we think it'll be any easier to get Mother Nature out of bed?

These are the days that I spend walking barefoot around my back yard.  These are the days that I make a point to venture out and touch the trees, the leaves, the young shoots.  These are the days that I make a point to pour my energy back into the ground, to help those fragile growing things get strong to survive the lingering cold.

I can feel the growing around my house, and I can smell it when I step out the door.  The blackbirds play around my house, and the blue jays, and wrens.  The gulls circle by and I can hear the cry of the red tailed hawks.  I invite those hawks to come to my yard and save my plants from the voracious squirrels that are already scavenging my window boxes for something tasty.

It's all rain and wetness here now, and I absolutely love it! The fog in the morning, the scent of the rain waking up the soil... the rain are tears of happiness that Spring is here. Everyone needs a walk in the rain every now and then.


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There is a brilliant woman who runs a blog by the name of HectateDemeter who introduced me to a term called "landbase" - that is, the area where you live and work.  She talks about the connection she has to her land, the care she gives it and how it helps her grow in her craft.  Go read her blog, you won't be disappointed.