Punxatawny Phil saw his shadow in Philadelphia; I'm pretty sure our local groundhogs didn't see theirs because the sky here was overcast all day. Therefore, I'm optimistic that we will have an early spring in Kentucky!
Gardeners, they say, are eternal optimists.
Well, when it comes to gardening, we are. We forget the previous season's flops and failures and begin spring with big hopes and dreams for beautiful plots without weeds, bugs or diseases. We imagine bountiful piles of fresh produce and forget the toil and sweat it takes to produce them.
Does that stop us? It surely does not.
Our gardens will not be perfect, but we will still delight in them and enjoy the fruits of our labors.
On this day, which felt so much nicer out because temperatures rose to a balmy 30+ degrees, Chelsea and the kids and myself hiked to my AirBnB to check on things (make sure the heat is still working and the water lines not frozen). The only way to get to my cabin right now is on foot, and even that is risky.
I wore my new snow cleats and fared okay. The kids are younger, more nimble, and don't seem to mind slippin' and slidin'. In fact, they do it on purpose.
We stopped by the old family cemetery tucked away in the woods and pondered the weathered headstones of our great-great ancestors. To think that some of our DNA came from those buried on this hillside is a mystery and a wonder.
What hardships did those families experience? I'm sure there were many.
One headstone is that of "Infant Twins." I could make out a death date of Jan. 17--I forget the year.
Were the babies stillborn? Did they die of flu or cholera?
I feel grateful to those hardy souls who moved in here when life was so much tougher than we have it...no grocery stores, paved roads, modern medicine, etc. Just determination and self-reliance, and somehow, they kept a family line alive.
The woods are peaceful, the ground covered in snow, quiet and still. We saw what we think was two eagles soar over in the direction of the chicken lot, and we contemplated that they must be hungry too. It must be hard to catch a field mouse when the fields are iced over. It must be hard for deer to find food too.
I think the squirrels are fine. They still have plenty of black walnuts available to eat.
Things were fine at the cabin; the kids snacked on icicles, and we robbed my guests' snack basket for an impromptu picnic.
Life is full of toil and trouble, while it brims with beauty at the same time.
No comments:
Post a Comment