Just when I thought spring had come to Stoneybrook a snowstorm
blew in last night. Wind gusts blew snow
against my bedroom window and dusted growth from the spring bulbs with
sprinkling of white. The poor peacocks
looked bedraggled as they flew down from their high roosting places and walked
to breakfast holding tails high in an effort to keep them out of the mud.
Meanwhile Dot Cottage sits with windows glowing with the light
of the rising sun. Inside it’s cozy and warm thanks to the toasty stove. Two spruce trees stand guard near the cottage,
dark green boughs contrasting with the pale promise of new growth. Overhead old elm trees stretch out their
scraggly branches hospitably for the owls, peacocks, hawks, and a myriad of
songbirds.
Spring is such a mixture of new life and remnants of the old
life. We prune the trees, shrubs, and
roses; carefully choosing to leave that which will enhance life and cutting
away that which will constrict. We
scrape away the old protective layer of last fall’s leaves, ever watchful for
the new sprouts, which grow faster than one can imagine possible. It seems that like the plants I, too, am fed by the
rich earth, the generous spring rains, and the ever-strengthening
sunlight.
Dot Cottage is here.
A place prepared for you to come away and experience the gift of spring
on the farm. Come, rest close to the
earth; listen to the joyous praises of the birds returning from their winter
travels and the urgent operatic calls of the strutting peacocks. Surreptitiously look for the patient owl on
her nest, flanked by her ever-watchful mate.
Soak up the sun. Watch the green shoots emerge and the buds on the trees
swell.
Come reflect; perhaps on what enhances life and what
constricts life. Reflect on what is old and gone, and what is just now
coming. Reflect on how the sun, rain,
and earth feed you too.
Come create; be inspired by all this springing up of new
things. Create a meal for yourself with
the bounty of the greenhouse. Bring a
project that you’ve been craving to complete.
The possibilities are endless. Creativity and inspiration seem to
belong with the bursting of spring.
Dot Cottage is ready, small and homelike against the
backdrop of the drama of the seasons.
