Hello Sunshine

Here comes sun. After a long spell of chilly rain and gray weather, the days are warmer and brighter. Ahh - warm sun on my back is one of my favorite things about Spring. This year the maple trees in my neighborhood are loaded with more seeds than usual. These are the seeds my kids called helicopters. Some are dried and some are quite small and green. When the wind gusts, hundreds of the dry ones spin out of the trees and through the air. I could search for reason for this phenomenon but I think I'll just enjoy their glittery presence.

Saturday I planted tomatoes, basil, parsley, cucumbers, and zinnias. Yesterday I installed drip hoses among the vegetables. This sounds like I have a big garden but I don't. Drip hoses just work well to water six tomato plants and a raised bed for cucumbers. I made a little sketch and saved the tags from the tomato plants. Last year I had no idea which tomato variety I planted where. None of them produced as much fruit as I wanted so this year I jotted a few notes. The garden journal I kept for a number of years was such a mess I threw it away. A file folder with a note or two will work better for me.

I'm knitting along on the little baby cardigan. I hope the sweater is proportional when completed. If it is completely wonky, I'll knit another before the baby arrives in August. Late last night I attached the sleeves to the yoke. When I started that row at 9:55 p.m., I knew it would be better to leave it for another day. We all know how that goes. No matter the time, I always think I can knit one more row. At first I thought I had attached one sleeve wrong side out but I had not. Fortunately I have no unraveling to report in this link to Kat and the Unravelers. Some projects are an adventure and that is part of the fun.

I have just begun to read Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age by Mary Pipher. I especially like what she wrote about the title. She chose the word rowing because it isn't always easy to stay on course. It takes effort. We all meet bumps in the road but as older women we draw from a life time of experience and hopefully strong relationships. We aren't floating or sailing toward "old-old age" but rowing. I think her metaphor is excellent. I've never been in a row boat but I have paddled (just a little) a kayak. The water pushes and pulls against the paddles. There are efficient ways of paddling but moving the kayak through the water requires effort and readjustment. And this is just the beginning of the book.

Rachel Carson was a resourceful woman who navigated life's currents with strength and purpose. I found On a Further Shore: The Life and Legacy of Rachel Carson by William Souder well worth the listen. In addition to Carson's biography, the book contains many details about the history of radioactive fallout and pesticide use as well as the conservation movement. If you like detail and back story this is a good biography.

I wish you the warmth of spring as you navigate the season.