A Slow Motion Spring

It's the last day of March! Spring is just now springing from the snow packed ground. The melt has begun and the birds are returning.  The male Red Winged Blackbirds have been joined now by the females and their mellifluous conversations fill this 48 acre bowl we call the meadow. 

Our first arrival Canada Geese are back.  Yesterday the most magical thing happened ... I was standing outside on the grass when I could hear them honking from over a mile away. As they flew over the house and out toward the hay field, I said "hello you guys, welcome back" and they did an abrupt turn around and flew back over top of me ... so low... closer than I've ever had them come to me in flight ... I knew it was their hello.  

Spring is nothing short of miraculous!!  It's so amazing to be witness to the natural world waking up from winter, a world we know so well after all these years.
We watch for the first Dandelion.  And yesterday, there she was ~ her yellow flower open to the sun.

There have been a few ducks dropping by but the creek is still frozen in lots of spots and the hay fields hasn't yet turned it's snow pack into the temporary lake that we, and the waterfowl, look forward to.  

The warmth of spring is quite a bit later this year than last.  We enjoy the slow melt to spring ~ the slower it goes the more we can enjoy the change of season.  Spring in slow motion.
This is what it looked like last year on about the 28th of March.  And what we have to look forward to.

As you may know, I have written two separate blogs since early in 2005.  I believe it's time to join these two blogs into one.  And so, I am not abandoning "The Homestone", simply moving it all over to the Warmth of Wood blog.  

Our Facebook page is titled; Touch Wood Rings, 48 Acres.  It's an ongoing conversation about what's happening around the meadow and about the work we do (Touch Wood Rings) and the people we have the pleasure of working with.  

I sincerely hope you will join us at the Warmth of Wood  and also follow along on Facebook if you are one of the millions of people who use social media. With love and thanks.  Nicola (and David)

Sing a song. It's Spring.

Our first Blackbird of 2016 arrived this morning.  I wrote a post on our Warmth of Wood Blog if you want to check it out.  Waning Winter and Wooden Rings  

Rather than bake a pie with 24 of these beauties under the crust,

springs first blackbird makes me want to sing though not a song of sixpence.

  

Most of us are familiar with The Beatles 1968 Blackbird tune ~ but my personal favourite is kd lang's heart opening song 'The Valley' lyrics by Jane Siberry.  

I do love a good kd croon.  

And so, today is that magical musical First Blackbird day when it takes all my concentration to stay at my computer and do the work I need to do.  And love to do. Don't get me wrong... it's just, well ... the sun is shining, there are birds everywhere and I wonder what the inside of the greenhouse looks like right now.  

I know that the raised beds are blackened with the tail ends of last years greens and that the ground will still be frozen ... but it's the promise of things to come. I know that the willows at the edge of the creek are showing their first furry catkins and that the creek will be raising her voice as little pools of open water appear. 

I did wake up this morning with a song of gratitude in my heart.  

This simple conscious thankfulness changes the colour of the day. It's a practice I am working on ... wake up and be grateful.  

Specifically grateful for at least 3 things in my life.  

Sounds easy and natural but there are still too many days when I forget to begin this way.

To change the colour of my day. 

  

Note to self:  Wake with gratitude. Bake a pie (with blueberries not blackbirds). 

Sing a song. It's Spring.

January 2016 ~ a wintry world

Arriving home from a trip to town any day is a treat.  We especially enjoy driving the last 7 km which is basically our own road. David plows it and looks after it and keeps it open in the winter months.
These pics are from that 7 km drive and then arriving through our gate and down the last stretch of driveway to our home sweet home.
It's a beautiful drive, regardless of the season but I'm pretty partial to these frosty winter days.  I'm guessing we have about 20 inches of snow right now and we will see more, there's no doubt.  We're thankful for it too ~ us and the trees and the forest floor and all the critters who rely on having four distinct seasons.

We hope you are also enjoying the kind of January you like best...
Till later.  Thank you ~ as always for dropping by.

2015 drawing to a close

 A Winter Walk about . . . 

And I want to share two of David's recent creations;

the first, a Hawaiian Koa Wood Ring with an inlaid cross of Maple, and a figured Bethlehem Olive Wood Ring with a gentle taper.

It's wonderland time on the meadow again.

 And we are so very thankful.

For our solstice celebration, Vincent built a beautiful bonfire and the three of us and all our spirit friends enjoyed it's warmth and welcomed back the light.

Wishing all our family and friends (and friends not yet met) 

a peaceful and joyful transition into 2016.

The short dark days of mid December.

Winter has come to the meadow.  
We are almost at the shortest day of the year. I'm very thankful we work at home.  I was chatting with a woman at the post office in town yesterday and she was saying how she goes to work in the dark and arrives home when it's dark and only sees her yard on weekends. 
We are so fortunate to be working at home during these short December days.  If there is a sunny break today I will gather up my camera and my iPod, don my warm woollies and head out to take some photographs. Though it's already 1 pm so it's unlikely we'll see sunshine today.
In the meantime, here are some pics from the last 10 days around the meadow.

A couple of pics of David's green thumb at work.  Our first amaryllis bloom with more on the way.

See you again soon. The sun WILL shine.  The days WILL get longer.  

Till then, much love and many merries.