Welcoming the moodiness of spring...

with a special offer till the end of the month.

Nature photo of the day: spring flowers longing for the sun at 11 in the morning.

spring has arrived
smelling mildly bitter sweet
in purple, yellow and white blanketing the ground
the grass is glowing verdantly, getting ready
for bugs and bees
to spread their buzzing and bombilations
floating over the grass
the minuscule solar panels
rotating towards the sun 
searching
searching 
searching and finding
the light, this spring, and next spring, too
for we are all just doing our job on this earth
doing what we are meant to do
or at least looking for said purpose
but as we all know
every day is different 
today, clouds coat the sky,
no two days are the same sunny or windy
for yesterday the sun glimmered from heavens above
allowing the flowers 
and humans tending to their gardens
to bask in the warming rays of light
hidden by the clouds eventually,
as all good things must begin
and end at a certain point
as spring will end, too
but let us not think of that yet
for spring has only just arrived

- Csermely

As others celebrate the first signs of autumn, we are bursting forth into spring. Just yesterday we were out tending to one of our gardens (for we have three small gardens at the moment), and sat outside enjoying the sun.

Today the sky is gray, giving us the chance to stay inside and rest. I believe that rest is the thing we all need right now more than ever. With politics, scandals, world events, and overall constant attacks from all sides, we are in dire need of some serious slowing down. Take the day off. Take a week off. Go ghost. Enjoy today’s solar storm at home.

In today’s hectic world, we need to take/make time to pause, reflect, celebrate & look forward to things such as the changing of the seasons. Let us start celebrating spring by enjoying these beautiful flowers and emerging buds:

Snowflakes (yes, they are called that!), buds, and crocuses.

You don’t have to physically be outside to honor nature, but it always helps - both you - and nature itself - to rekindle presence by being present.

Another way to celebrate the beauty of nature is by simply appreciating it, even indoors. Reconnecting, remembering, and losing some fears as you get to know it again. Try this wondrous meditation of reconnecting to Mother Earth by Penny Kelly, it is less than 10 minutes long and I know you’ll enjoy it on this Sunday afternoon, or any day you choose.

As for the journal prompt of the day:

Spring is a time for new beginnings. Make a list of projects/thoughts/ideas that you would like to begin/renew this springtide.

We are beginning many things this year… Are you? And if you are, what are your goals and plans for this year, outside and inside?

With gratitude,

And a note from Cheryl:

In other springtime news, some changes are underfoot.

Beginning this week, paid subscribers will be receiving something different on the weekday post.

Instead of the classic photo/poem/prompt about nature, we will be writing more about practical activities related to living a simple and natural life:

• homesteading

• canning and preserving (with an occasional recipe of our own)

• organic gardening

• foraging

• simple living

• self-reliance

• natural clothing and more.

For more than 20 years we’ve lived a simple life. Now it’s time to share more of how we did it, and how we are doing it better and better.

Images from our homestead in Romania - skills that we take with us everywhere we go.

If the simple life is the life for you, but you aren’t sure how to do it yet, or you just need some reassurance that you are on the right path, come and join us as we write about our shared life experiences. Very soon, Roland will be joining the Substack platform with us as well - that’s a new and exciting beginning too. But, that’s not all…

From now, until March 31st, you can get 47% off an annual subscription.

Click the button below to find out why.