Friday, March 20, 2015

Hello Spring

 The last winter sunset!

It's here!

I love winter, I do, but spring, spring holds a special place in my heart. There is a certain kind of magic this time of year as the world awakens around us, bringing with it so many gifts. The anticipation has been building in me for weeks now, and today we can finally celebrate.

For the last week, each night before bed, Reece and I have been reading The Story of The Root Children, as we await the arrival of spring. This morning, with much anticipation, Reece will awaken to a few little gifts from The Root Children, a tradition we started three years ago. After breakfast we will hit the woods, taking with us some bird seed to feed our feathered friends, and maybe a few chipmunks, if they have awakened from their winter nap. We will return home for lunch, and then spend the afternoon outside. The outdoor fire pit will be burning, and the wood stove in our cottage, known as the "sugar shack" this time of year, will be roaring gently as we boil down the first of our sap. Hands will reach into the soil, planting seeds, as well as hope, because this time of year is filled with hope. And magic. Yes, magic.

In the weeks to come, the final bit of snow will melt, sprouts will begin to pop up from the ground, the temperatures will warm up, the days will get longer, a meal or two might be enjoyed outside on the back deck, and the first wild foods from the forest floor will be collected. It is, without a doubt, a wonderful time of year.

Bring it on spring, I am so ready!

*****

Thank you so very much for all of the birthday wishes yesterday, from comments on yesterday's post, to emails, and even a few cards. Big, big hugs to you, my blog friends, you make the world feel much smaller than it really is.

43 comments:

  1. I am ready for spring, warmer temperatures and being outside a lot more! Have a great weekend!

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  2. Yes, spring. I am ready, too--and through the cold and snow, I feel it in the air. Happy weekend!

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    1. Yes, it is definitely in the air. Let's hope it settles in a little more nicely soon :) Happy weekend to you too!

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  3. Happy Spring to you and yours dear Kim! It is hard to wrap our brains around the first day of Spring feeling like a typical mid-January day here (sunny and -16'C), but we still got a lovely generous visit from the Spring fairy and were gifted a few books that included The very same book! :-) We will be having a Spring themed story time tonight.

    I wish you (an everyone) a quick thaw and an early Spring, I know I'm ready to see something else than white, brown and grey up here. xox Have a wonderful Spring Equinox.

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    1. Thanks Yanic. Oh no, sorry the weather still isn't cooperating, we were a balmy 7 degrees today, and the sun was shining. It was lovely.

      Oh you will love the Root Children, such a lovely book. Have a wonderful weekend my friend. xo

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  4. It does indeed feel like Spring is on its way. I am so not ready too busy at the moment after this weekend everything is calm again then I can focus.............

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    1. Happy to hear you will have some moments of calm again soon, soak them up and enjoy spring and all it's glory.

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  5. Happy Spring! And a belated happy birthday too :)

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  6. Beautiful post, Kim. I love this time of year too. It's snowing pretty hard here right now but there's warmer weather coming. Happy Spring! Enjoy your week-end!

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    1. Thank you Susan. I think that is the hopeful part of spring...even if it snows, we know it won't last long, and the the warmer weather is just around the corner. I always say a March or April snow feels so much different than a January snow :)

      Hope you have a wonderful weekend too.

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  7. Sounds like a lovely spring tradition. And bring it on, indeed!

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  8. Happy first day of Spring to you (and a belated birthday as well). Your day sounds full and beautiful. I hope the weather is warming up there. Off to catch up on some older posts before Panda wakes up. Shine on!

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    1. Thank you my friend. It was a lovely day, and the weather co-operated gifting us a beautiful spring like day.

      Thanks for stopping in, sending you guys much love. Thinking of you. xo

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  9. It sounds like an absolutely perfect way to welcome Spring, Kim! We're still looking forward to our first boil and we hope that yours has gone well!

    For as much as we love winter we are so very ready for spring, too! xo

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    1. Thanks Shel! It has gone very well, we have our own syrup to enjoy on our pancakes Sunday morning...can't wait!

      xo

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  10. I agree with you, there some kind of magic on this season, the season where everything awakes and everything rebirth. .. yes, it's definitely kind of magic!

    Happy Spring!!!!

    Lluisa xoxo

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    1. It is a wonderful feeling isn't it? Walking in the woods this morning was electrifying. The red winged blackbirds have returned, the males, and their song filled the woods. It sent shivers through me...so wonderful! And totally magical.

      xo

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  11. Hope your day of the equinox was a wonderful one. I am a bit envious that you can dig your hands into the soil now - we have a ways to go - still rock solid around here!

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    1. It was, thank you Julie. I can only do that because I shoveled out the cold frame :) I can't reach too many beds, but the few I can I am enjoying.

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  12. Happy Spring to you too - we had our eclipse today which seemed the perfect way to welcome the light back after the winter!

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    1. I bet it was just stunning. It is a new moon today too, so much energy circling around us right now :)

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  13. What a lovely tradition- it seems the perfect way to celebrate the arrival of Spring! We had the equinox, a super moon and a solar eclipse all arrive at once yesterday- quite a welcome to the new season! And today the sun is streaming through the windows, birds are singing and nesting and the sun feels warm enough for open doors and windows and I intend to spend the day with my hands in the earth planting :)

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    1. Thanks Em. I know, how wonderful was it? Such a wonderful time to set new intentions, and put them out there :)

      Oh, it sounds like spring has reached you. While we had a lovely day yesterday, and it felt like spring, outside the window right now, it is snowing. But it is suppose to be 5 degrees today, so by this afternoon it will all have melted.

      Hope you enjoyed your time in the garden. xo

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    2. I've been planting bulbs and creating a new space for my bantams - all in the sunshine! Hope your weekend is going well too? Xx

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    3. Yay!!! Can't wait to hear all about your new hens :)

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  14. I agree with you that spring is magical. I love each and every season, individually, so a different reason. However, that switch from winter to spring always brings the most hope and promise.
    Happy Spring!

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  15. Spring showing itself here too - saw my first crocus yesterday, the birds are back and are singing. Don't think we will be eating outside just yet though.
    Hope we will be able to start collecting birch sap soon. Happy foraging!

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    1. I love crocuses. None in the garden yet, still covered in snow, but I do have some on my window sill in the kitchen, forced to bring a little spring into my world :)

      It will be a few weeks before we eat outside, we need just a few days of really warm weather, and we will be out there. Birch sap, yum! We were just talking about that actually, we have a few birch trees and might think about tapping them next year. Enjoy!

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  16. I love this idea about the Root Children. Around here we view the cycle of the Christian year to be a reflection of Mother Earth's cycle, not that they just parallel each other, but that they are two different translations of the same phenomenon. So we often don't acknowledge days like the equinox, or the solstice. I've thought that perhaps we should so that they can have a conscious experience of both, but the children are so small it seems better to keep in simple for now. Still, Easter and it's movable date does make celebrating the beginning of spring tricky. We love the Root Children, so this is an idea I think I'll put into my hat for next year.

    I'm am so ready for Lady Spring too! I can't quite put my finger on it, but it doesn't feel like she's quite arrived here yet. Or perhaps she has and I'm not quite caught up to her. Either way, our hands are in the dirt and it feels good.

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    1. Thanks, it has been a bit hit with Reece from the beginning and ties in so perfectly with the book :) I think you are right to keep it simple for now, there is always time later to add things in, and change them as you need to.

      Ha, she definitely hasn't arrived here yet, it was snowing this morning. The only good thing about snow in March, and April is that we know it won't last long.

      Enjoy the dirt, I had my hands in it yesterday. It might be a few more days before I can do it again though. Happy weekend my friend. xo

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  17. Oh I love the first meals outside on the balcony! I'm excited for the first bbq, maybe next weekend we'll have one.

    Happy Spring Equinox! Wishing you warm days and melting snow.

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    1. So do we Isis, it really is the best feeling in the world, that first meal outside.

      Ha, we are hardcore, we bbq all winter :) We can't give that up, our veggies taste so good roasted up on it.

      Wishing the same for you, although I think your snow is gone, right?

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  18. Happy Spring to you! We've had a lovely few days strung together over here, up till now it's been more an odd one each week, so it's feeling very Spring like here too and we've been having a good clear up in the garden - a sure sign of the change in season!

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    1. Thank you Sally. We, like you, had a lovely string of spring days last week. But winter returned this weekend with snow, and cold temperatures. It looks like we have a few more days of the cold, and then spring will be here once and for all.

      Enjoy your time in the garden, I should be back out there mid week :)

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  19. I'm with you... bring it on, all the beauty of springtime !!! Can't wait to see your garden grow. This time around I get to see it from the beginning.

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    1. Yes! I actually spied a little green peeking out of the snow on the weekend. It seems my nettles are blooming, so exciting!

      Can't wait to share the garden with you through the blog, but next time you visit TO, you will have to come in person, and have tea in my garden :)

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  20. Yay for Spring! :) I can't wait to see what you plant!

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    1. You can say that again, it feels so good to have welcomed spring, and to know that soon we will be enjoying our days outside.

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  21. i love all of your traditions :)

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