Equinox

welcome spring.

today i bought a swing for the boy. hung it in the apple tree in our backyard, sat him in it just as husband was getting home from work. we both laughed to see how he loved it. initially the boy laughed and laughed, looking at us both, pouring his love of it out to us. then, eyes still gleaming, he slipped into a swing-trance, lids lowering, and just sang "ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" for entire breaths as he swung forward and back, forward and back, a reverie of pleasure.

later on, indoors, i touched my husband's head, ran my fingers through his hair as he worked at the computer, then cradled the boy's head in my hand while he nursed to sleep in his sling. my two beloved men, safe in our home. how blessed we are, to live in this land in a time of peace. how heartbreaking, so many families living their lives in places of war.

a crow hopped about in the low branches of our red maple the other day. curious, as i rarely seen one so low in a tree. then i saw the twig in its mouth - gathering material for a nest!

saw my first daffodil leaves of the season extending upward today, tucked against a building. straight green stalks of leaves, like sea grass, floating entirely toward the sky.

pruned the forsythia this week, cutting out many of the old central stalks, as the book says, to encourage more flowers on the newer stalks. had to cut several of the new stalks in order to reach the old ones. prayed as i worked that i may cut away some of my old growth, my old habits and behaviors that no longer serve me well, to open up room within myself for flowers, for lightness. that i may accept the pain and discomfort of letting these patterns go in the interest of the new growth.

planning to prune our grand old apple trees again this month, as well as our new little plums, peach, and cherry. once the snow is all cleared and the garden soil a little dried, in with the lettuce! hoping to set up the greenhouse i bought two years ago under the guidance of my friend rick, to shelter and encourage the lettuce.