Looking north, from the top of our driveway, taken this morning.
Hello friends,
The temperatures up here fluctuate a lot this time of year…freezing cold overnight and somewhat warmer during the day. These are the days of sugaring here in Vermont, when the sap runs from the taps. It’s also when the roads soften up, get muddy and become rutted by the tire tracks, creating what amounts to carnival rides to town. On Thursday I noticed our road had been “posted” at the bottom, notifying drivers that there are now vehicle weight limits due to the muddy conditions. Any sort of big deliveries will need to wait until the roads dry out in a month or so.
My friend Becca came by for tea and a walk on the road on Friday morning. As we were sitting in the kitchen we spotted a red winged blackbird in the lilac out front, which, in turn, reminded both of us that we had seen bluebirds in our neighborhoods. We put on our boots and jackets and headed out onto the road and could smell spring in the chilly air. Snow melt was gurgling under the culverts and out into the meadows below. Some of the trees are coloring up with their brave little buds. But as we walked, we could also see the looming clouds, scuttling along ahead of the forecasted winter storm.
Amaryllis and other bulbs, getting ready to bloom on the windowsill. Photo taken this morning, after the storm blew in yesterday and last night.
This morning, after a stormy night, we awoke to fresh snow, sculpted into lovely drifts by the wind. We know this “sugar snow” won’t last long, as the warmth of the sunshine lasts longer each day.
I have recently picked up my darning egg and done some literal mending. Meditating on fixing broken and worn things, I keep thoughts of our world close to my heart. Some days I feel more powerless and sad than I ever have in my whole long life.
So I go in search of relief. I have listened to this episode of On Being several times. Krista speaks with Christine Runyan in an episode first aired in March, 2021, called “What’s Happening in Our Nervous Systems?”
Another episode, “Trauma, the Body, and 2021”, with Bessel van Der Kolk is worth a listen.
Both of these episodes acknowledge, honor and explain the trauma we are all living with. They offer insight and strategies for navigating these times. Perhaps you will find some comfort in these conversations…
The second stalk sent up on a sturdy amaryllis bulb gifted to us by beloved neighbors down the road, ready to bloom!
I read a fascinating article to inform some of the volunteer work I do here in Central Vermont. It’s a long and deep dive into food insecurity, but it’s filled with great ideas that are working in our rural neck of the woods. “How Pandemic Need, Federal Dollars and Local Collaboration Are Driving Better Ways to Help Food-Insecure Vermonters” maybe be a daunting title, but if you read it, you’ll come away with hope for the future. It reminds me of why I love living in a small, rural state, where people pitch in to help one another. You can find the article here.
And here’s another dose of hope. Remember the British artist I mentioned in my last blog post? As of last Thursday, Hannah Nunn had raised over 10,000 pounds with her sunflower cutouts to aid Ukraine. Go take a peek at the lovely images of sunflowers hanging in the windows of her village here.
Let us step into a new week ahead, not defeated by the ugliness in our world, but by bringing our own light into everything we do. I invite you to look folks in the eye and smile. The crinkle in your eyes behind your mask will do the world some good. I promise.
xo