Spring Has Arrived

The other night I dreamt I was ice skating across a large frozen lake. There was so much movement, I was flowing and twirling. At one point I put my hands down to touch the ice and I can only remember that everything around me was a glowing blue color.

I’ve had lots of dreams as usual but that one was the most beautiful this past month that I wanted to mention. I felt it was a celebration of the end of Winter in my dream realm…

While it has been a chillier start to Spring this year, it’s already April, warming up and my garden project is unweigh! Lots of exciting plans in the works right now at the stables. I was asked to help start an Environmental Education program on site, once the gardens are established. My boss wants me to lead some group activities for families, which I’m super happy about since I enjoyed being a lab instructor so much and hoped I’d get to do something like that again + use my Master of Arts degree. She worked for the Botanic Gardens and has a lot of experience organizing outdoor activities, so we both, plus a few of her friends, will be working on creating curriculums and hosting a Summer camp within the next few months.

We talked about my Mandala Meditation group too and she wants me to bring that to the farm and do group sessions, where we will make art together in a tranquil atmosphere amongst the horses and our gardens – my first session is April 25th at 6pm! We’ll also be talking about pollinators, native plants, and foraging. We could even bring Fervent Earth Terrariums there and have group terrarium building courses to discuss soil layering and composition.

This month will be full of beginnings and hopefully a lot of sprouts by the end of it. I spent the last weeks of March getting the composted soil ready, removing weeds, tilling, and evening out the space where seeds will be planted. This week I’ll be potting a few flowers and finding spots for the flowering bushes. Soon we will arrange a group to help move more recycled materials like stepping stones, perimeter boards, pallets, and we’ll build a wooden tee-pee structure that will eventually be covered in climbing vines (Passion flower!) Here’s the first of five sections for planting:

I’m planting: Sunflowers, Black Eyed Susan, Echinacea, Impatiens, Zinnias, Passiflora, Columbine, Begonias, Daisies, Lantana, Calla Lily, Pink Roses, Salvia, Marigold, Petunia, Azalea, Blackberry, an assortment of Wildflowers – and hanging baskets with Calibrachoa and Strawberries. Then making an herb garden with: Lemon balm, Mint, Parsley, Basil, Rosemary, Sage, Chamomile, Catnip, and Lavender. And a few vegetables/fruits in another section: Carrots, Cantaloupe, Peppers, Tomatoes, Spinach, Lettuce.

I’ve been drawing things out on paper just to get an idea of which flowers and colors would go best together, and taking notes on what types of soil and amount of sun each plant requires. All in all, this is the most exciting project for me because I love plants/nature, and my life purpose is to beautify and maintain the beauty of environments, while bringing awareness to the importance of greenspaces so people can get closer to nature. To do this for/with kids and families is what my whole Professional Paper on blight remediation was about…

Feeling extra grateful and blessed because I had no expectations when I started working at the stables. I just loved being outside and around horses, but now things are really starting to grow. Myself and the garden included! This is a project my boss has wanted to do for years on site but she never had enough help. I am here to help and I really want the vision to become a reality. In addition to the whole garden project venture, I was asked by the horseback riding instructor there to help assist with some of the really young students – so last Saturday was the first time I ‘taught’ horseback riding. I helped the student tack up then lead the horse around, even jogged a bit to get him trotting, and talked to the 5 year old girl who was very curious and smart. In my spare time I’m watching videos and reading about horseback riding terms, the tack, the processes, and safety tips… which is all really fun for me.

I’ve got plenty to research that’s for sure… I know more about plants than I do horses, but I’m learning. Other things we’ll do eventually for the garden are: set up the bird bath again, spruce up the water lily pond, create an outdoor classroom setting, and add personal touches like gnomes, fairy doors, painted rocks, hummingbird feeders, tree faces and anything else we want.

On top of everything else, for the past 3 weeks my husband and I fostered a dog from a local animal shelter – her name was Seaside and she was such a good pup. The shelter was and is still overflowing with dogs and they desperately needed people to foster or adopt. It’s something I’ve wanted to try for a while, so glad it was a good opportunity and we really made a difference in that dog’s life. She got adopted yesterday by the perfect person and we are so happy for her.

We went for walks and enjoyed the fresh Spring colors coming back in the forest, and I’m so happy to see our backyard full of Violets again. It’s definitely been a wonderful start to Spring in my little life-bubble.

While the rest of the world is still chaotic and corrupt in many ways, I search for peace, and I find it.

…When I think about the arrival of Spring, I also remember Easter, and Christ’s forgiveness, his love and God’s promise… It’s comforting, knowing that the spirit in every being has a chance to be renewed this time of year.

“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.” John 14:27