Nature Speaks

There is a way that nature speaks, that land speaks.
Most of the time we are simply not patient enough,
quiet enough, to pay attention to the story. ~Linda Hogan

This speaks to me in two ways.

The first is when I go outside to work in the greenhouse or garden I never bring the ipod as I want to hear the chorus of birds and the wind blowing through the branches/leaves. I choose to hear nature but have then been known not to listen to other things nature is saying to me. I have planted plants that are not right for that location or soil and wondered why they didn't do well.

The second way is that each Spring brings the list of things to do...shearing, rototilling, seed starting, cleaning up winter damage, getting chicks, etc, etc. I drive the man crazy with "but we have to do this and this and this." I make us race around killing ourselves only to realize it all got done with time to spare. But while I was screaming and hollering, freaking and fretting, Spring came and I didn't witness it.

I realized I had to stop acting like the Ant and start acting more like the Grasshopper in Aesop's fable. I needed to take the work ethics of the ant but slow them down to include some the the grasshopper's zest for the present OR to go with another of Aesop's fables (The tortoise and The Hare) I needed to stop racing and burning out only to find the race over and take things at a pace more like nature. Spring does not come over night and I can not expect things to get done over night.

So my to do list is more realistic this year. I have been the only one putting myself on a time line. So I am not going to attempt to grow peppers from seed in my unheated greenhouse only to have the frost get the bloosums, I have decided to buy my plants. But I also haven't given up the zest for new things so I am attempting groundcherries which are new to me AND suited for my zone. I am also going to employ the children more. Everytime I ask for help they whine but then we have fun doing it and "many hands make light work." And hopefully there will be time to not only hear but listen to nature. And as I am sitting here 41 turkeys just walked by.

So what brought on this patience with myself and nature? Was it maturity??? NOPE It seems age! My back can't take the beating as recovery is longer and longer each time! So the plan is to work/play in equal quantities. I will keep you updated as to how that plays out! Until then I will show the latest finished product... I have now started working on to a poncho http://www.coatsandclark.com/cgi-bin/MsmGo.exegrab_id=370&page_id=1792&query=cabled+poncho&hiword=CABLE+CABLES+PONCH+PONCHOS+cabled+poncho+. I was going to do a stranded hat but couldn't find contrasting colors in my stash that I liked. I let the man pick between the poncho and version A of the Ice Queen, he picked the poncho. I am 3/4 done with the back and I am thinking I may change the cable on the front. We shall see if I can figure out how to do that.