Harbingers of Spring

As an expecting mother eagerly and anxiously awaits those first signs that her baby will soon arrive, I pace my home, eagerly looking out my window for some sign of the Earth waking up and springs arrival. Even here in the city spring has begun to send some calling cards that she will soon be here. Several that I have noted so far have been:

* the flock of robins tittering in a local tree this past shabbat.
* some budding trees that I pointed out to the children during our purim parade on Monday
* waking up yesterday to the robins singing in the morning.

I have also been searching my own garden are here is what I discovered yesterday:

My hydrangea bush is beginning to reveal some lovely, fat, green buds!

My potted weeping pussy willow's blood is flowing back into it's branches and also growing tiny buds. Look at how lovely and red they are!

And last, but surely not least, I actually found this pussy willow blossom on my little tree. How happy it makes me even now to look at this picture. Even the harsh March winds howling outside my door this morning whisper springs imminent arrival! Oh Spring, please come soon! Oh Earth, please wake up and cheer my heart with your green smile!

Comments

New Year, New Look

Happy New Year to all my family, friends and random readers! I hope that 2013 has been gentler to you than it has been to me, although, in spite of the tumult around me, I am faring well. I will get into a bit more detail in later posts. Suffice it to say I am living a bit of a country song right now, but since I am a fan of country music, I know that as long as I keep a hopping fiddle tune in my head and a dance in my step, I'll be golden. As you can see, I changed the picture in the header. For years I have been wanting the idyllic cottage/cabin/farmhouse somewhere in some woods. It doesn't seem like that is going to happen all too soon and so I have decided to put up a picture of my village, the place I serve. Photo By: Jarrod Bruner There you have it folks the Philly skyline in Winter. Ai...

All in the Day of the Life

You ever have one of those days? No, not one of those days, one of those perfect I-am-in-my-element-and-know-who-I-am days. For some time I have been a bit sad about the fact that, although I love my job as a preschool teacher, I felt it prevented me from doing all the other cool stuff I am supposed to be doing. You know, all that Village Wise Woman-y stuff. And since I need an income, having not yet invested in my vardo so I can take it on the road, I need a job that generates said income. It reminded me of when I was a young mother and I could not so all those 'things' I wanted to do because I was raising my children, you know things like reading books, going to the bathroom by myself and the like. Always missing out. Not that I would have changed it for the world, but why couldn't I have my cake and eat it too. And why can't I now? Well, the obvious answer is I can. And the fact is, I do. This past Sunday reminded me of this truth. It was that kind of a...

Chanukah Thoughts

There are times when the darkness surrounding me seems all too much. When I dare to watch or read the news I become more than convinced that we are going to hell in a hand basket complete with rocket boosters. As far as the media and, it appears, the majority opinion is concerned, it is completely hopeless. Couple that with all the apocalyptic movies, the sensationalism of Mayan 2012 and of course let us not forget the zombie apocalypse, I am not sure why we all aren't curled up in a fetal position in the corner rocking frantically waiting for the end to finish us. I think of darkness. Dark moonless nights. Late nights in Maine where there is no ambient light and the copious stars in the sky give me a feeling of being swallowed up completely. Even there, when the porch light is out, it is not utterly dark. I think of myself. When the dark cloud of despair covers me like a heavy, uncomfortable blanket threatening to suffocate me between my sobs. Even then, w...

Yael Nehama

Search This Blog