Earth's Sweet Breath

Now is the time that farmers throughout the temperate zone begin their spring rituals.

Farmers are an eclectic group: rule out the cattlemen & women, the horse people, the shepherds, the tree-farmers, the dairy people, and you still have a wide diversity of opinions, beliefs, ethics, habits, and philosophy among the farmers remaining, the good-ole dirt-farmers, bless them.

I was born and reared on a grandfather's farm. He dibbled in a little this and a little that, but mostly he was a homesteading dirt-farmer. And, I loved it there!

I remember that first plowing, the ritual that began our farming year, a near spiritual rite which in another culture might have been preceded by a blessing celebration. Seems to me there should have been one. There was not. Such as that was reserved until harvest and Thanksgiving Day.

The farmer just started with bent head carefully watching his furrow as he went - blades slicing into the rested earth, releasing her sweet, moist breath - an unmatched, unique fragrance. Farmers know that breath, they breathe it in deep, only in spring. Someone said it is for that, that farmers farm - the addicting, rich, sweet, satisfying fragrance of the first plowing on spring days.

To this day, when the winter weather breaks enough for me to walk out of the house into the garden and onto the lawn, I cringe, I can hardly bear to step on the soil, that wondrous living thing made up of so many live organisms. It feels like stepping on flesh. It is alive.

Sports - Not the Vegetative Type

We are having the usual series of Winter's returns that are locally referred to as: Redbud Winter, Dogwood Winter,and now Black Locust Winter, with Blackberry Winter just around the corner. Most folks hope Winter won't tarry too long; they do not like it when Winter comes back to visit Spring. Here's hoping Spring sends Winter (in all her snowy ermines) packing for good. This one will be a wild winter to remember, as they used to say: "One for the books." I wonder... did that mean for the records - a record breaker?

I have never been a sports fan. So, it is ironic how many sports events I watched on television this past winter into spring. You know I am surely sick if I watch them, and I was.

First there was the head and sinus cold. Several weeks later there was a flu-like virus (Yes, I had both flu shots which kept me out of the hospital, I think.) that hung on and on and on; as one blogger labeled it "the bad cold from 'the hot place'". I don't like being bored, but when I feel rotten, I tend to collapse, unable to do much, if anything. It is rather bad when one has to depend on television to stay sane, but that is where I turned. Sports was the only thing worth watching, and I don't even care for sports! I even watched one of our local university's football games; it took for evvvvvver! (We are better known for our basketball. I use that "we" very loosely - remember, I don't follow sports.)

Then basketball season was upon us. The University of Kentucky main campus is here in town. It rules the town. Newly arrived citizens are quizzed as to what color they bleed. The correct answer is: blue, Kentucky blue. Rather silly, don't you think, but the locals (and not so local) get a lot of fun and entertainment from it. The hype and competition is outrageous. The place goes wild!

The Olympic games were a life safer. From the opening ceremony through the closing ceremony, I watched every day and every night; I even watched hockey - both men's and women's - I still can't believe I did that. I learned about curling. I became conversant with which team played which teams. I learned athletes by name, first names, too! I cried when they cried. I laughed when they laughed. What would I have done without them all those days and nights.

Let me make a small correction: there were two nights in February that I did not watch Olympic games. Every year we watch the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show which is staged in Madison Square Gardens in New York City. It is televised for two nights, and is an historic sporting event reputed to be second oldest in the U.S., second only to the Kentucky Derby.

After the Olympic games, it was back to basketball for distraction. Both our women's and men's teams were having an outstanding year and went into final games which were frequently cliff-hangers. I do not know enough about it to write more. I got the impression they did very, very well, almost making it to the final game. Or, maybe they did, I can't remember. You can tell how impressed I was. But, everyone else was really excited.

And now, here we are back around. Football players and coaches are back in the news. And the holy day in Kentucky is upon us. The Kentucky Derby is always held the first Saturday in May. Is anything else happening in the world?! Hard to know around here. Keeneland Racetrack here in town runs first. Then, it is on to Louisville for the Derby.

Guess what! In September this year, Lexington is host town to the World Equestrian Games. Shades of the Olympics! Here we go again, and nothing, absolutely nothing! will be normal around here until that is over.

So much for sports. Here are some pretty pictures from the early spring garden. Now THAT, I do like.

Looks like University colors.
(They were really purple, not blue.)

A Sweet Thing

Helleborus "Lenten Rose"

Chionodoxa "Glory of the Snow"
Stars among the Muscari "Grape Hyacinths"

Toad house (hopefully)

Puschkinia "Striped Squill"
Floating in a sea of maturing Eranthis foliage.

Three photos of miniature Narcissus "Minnow"



The big guys looking south as usual.
Normal size "Daffodil" Narcissus.


An early crocus

Helleborus foetidus "Bear Claw"

Then and Now

First we had this:

Now we have this:

Maybe I can get in there and work soon.