Joy flowed through the gardens today... all day.
Finally, we have SUN!
And the warmth and brilliance of light lifted all the spirits here.... human, bird, plant, animal, dare I say stone?! Yep, I do believe that even the rocks were happy today.
So, where did I find joy here today?
The back fields which used to grow a sorry crop of soybeans now are a flutter of clover, wild daisies, and too many other combos of pink, white, yellow. I feel bad that I don't know all the names of the weeds that thrive out there, but when the breezes blow gently, the tops and middles of all those plants play and dance.
Last night, in the deep darkness, the hypnotic dance of fireflies was mesmerizing. There were not tens of thousands as might be seen in the Smokey Mountains. I had just read an article about how folks line up EARLY, set out chairs, start BBQ-ing, waiting for a remarkable display of HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of fireflies. No, our backyard was much more modest, but equally remarkable in its delicate beauty.
The wrens are a daily delight. If you have never had a wren grace your garden..... oh, I hope one day one will. They are a most petite and exuberant little bird. They have nested in these ratty old nasty bird houses left by the previous owner, and yet, they return year after year. Mama and Papa take turns zooming out and about for yumcious bugs to bring back to their little ones. As they fly in, they twitter and chirp THE MOST jubilant song! As one goes out, the other goes in. Lovely!
If you don't grow you own food, you might not connect with this joy..... the tomatoes have flowers! So do the peppers! Yahoo. The lettuce and spinach are ready for daily salad making! The snap peas are doing their vine thing and are ready to be trained to go up the fence. Potatoes are leafing out so I can mound up the soil around them. Corn is about 7 inches high... could be higher, but the weather has sucked, so....! Those damn carrots are NOT sprouting (this is NOT a joy but a big bother!); I guess we must try again. Beans are all showing themselves, and zucchini and squash are doing well.
Some joys are linked with sorrows. Have you known that in your life? I know I have. Love lost, love found. Jobs lost, jobs found. Endings that birth beginnings. Well, today I had that kind of joy, too. We slaughtered 14 chickens that we have been raising for 9 weeks. Ah, me. Ah, yes. It is not an easy thing to take a life, but we were raising these chickens for food. Joy? Maybe that's not the right word. There is deep gratitude and a sense of contentment... Knowing that what we will be eating is free of whatever mystery stuff they put in meat these days. Knowing that we carefully raised these biggun's since they were chicks. Day by day. Giving them fresh pasture and fresh breezes each day, watching them grow. And today was the day to put them in the freezer. A very poignant kind of joy.
End of the day joy .... after a shower, a good meal, some relaxation, the final joy of laying me down into sun dried sheets. Ahhhhhhh, yes. Those sun warmed, sun drenched, fresher than fresh smelling all cotton smoothies. Sweet dreams surely did come along with that joy!
Where did you find your joy today?
