Spring rituals mean for me that it's time to get outside and in the fields. I've not lived on my family farm for nearly forty years but every spring when the snow melts away but we still have the ice in the breeze, I want to be on the land.
This year, I was driving to work and saw the farmers out with their huge tractors discing (not as invasive as a plow) the soil. The gray which I relate to winter was replaced with the rich dark coffee color which means it's time to start planting. There's a smell in the air which I have never been able to describe but it is spring.
Spring for me is all about hope and promise. There's the promise of new opportunities and the hope the crops this year will be plentiful. If the crops are plentiful, survival is assured.
Reality is survival isn't necessarily on the line like it was a hundred and fifty years ago. With modern technology, we have the ability to grow more food than we need. There is certainly a struggle for the family farmer who has to earn enough to pay the bills and keep their operation afloat.
The scent in the air, the turning of the soil, the greening of the grass are all triggers for me. They tell me it's time to refresh and start new. I have the worlds worst black thumb and can't grow anything. Mother Nature has a restraining order on me to prevent me from killing anymore of her plants. However, in spring, I find ways.
Recently my daughter planned a trip the a botanical gardens. With my mobility issues, I was concerned I wouldn't be able to get through. I did struggle in places but for the most part, managed to get through with my scooter. It was a beautiful morning with lots of sunshine and warmth but not too warm. The flowers, the setting refreshed me. I felt connected just by being there.
Last year we had to take down four trees in our yard. I've always loved our yard. I loved sitting in my backyard with the trees and shade. But these four trees (one in our front yard and three in the backyard) were sick and had to come down. I felt like I lost my best friends. Part of the reason we bought our home is because it had a lovely yard with lots of trees. Now we have only one tree left in the front yard. This has made is hard for me to go in the backyard, sit on our deck. The sun beats down and there's no relief from it. However, my husband and daughter have plans for a patio and fruit trees and berry bushes. So this spring we are refreshing our yard, looking at it like a blank canvas so we can decide how we want it to look. I want the tall hundred year old trees but we can't afford that and it wouldn't be the same as the way it was.
With the passing of winter, I let go of what it was and started to see what it can be. We're going to do fruit trees I think. There needs to be some research done on care. My daughter started a small garden for vegetables which was too hard to have when the trees were there. We've got herbs we're going to plant in planters on our deck.
To me this is a way of reconnecting with my roots. It helps ease the craving I have every spring for getting my hands in the dirt, walking the fields, and starting new. This year we're working on the new in our own yard. We'll create a place not better or worse than our previous back yard but one which will hopefully honor nature and keep a little of the green in the middle of a city.