Thoughts for a Monday Morning

Every spring we are so surprised at how much there is to clean up.  The grass is turning green, and soon (probably this week) it will be time to mow.  Before we can do that, though, there are leaves, sticks, dead plants, flower beds to clean up, and even a few toys that were left behind by the kids in the fall that were forgotten.

One of the reasons we like being a modern homesteading family is that by working so closely with the land and natural processes we get to see bits of the divine in our lives on a daily basis.   One lesson among many that spring always brings out is that for new life to occur, the old must die, and be cleared away.  When cleaning up the lawn preparing to mow this week I was reminded fo the verse  Matthew that says “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  I don’t know of any other occupation where this is more true.  And we also notice that it isn’t just what doesn’t produce fruit that is cut off, but everything that inhibits the best growth.  

But this isn’t really the time of year for pruning.  Just scraping, and raking, and picking up and piling.  Thinking of composting this spring, I was wondering where I was going to get enough brown material.  I had plenty of green with the cows and chickens, but i needed dead sticks and leaves and grass and such.  Looking around there didn’t seem to be much, but as I started clearing flower beds and raking up the yard and cleaning up, I realized that there was plenty enough to use.  It reminded me of the proverb that says that whoever stores up wealth amasses it for another.  These dead peices that I have been cleaning up were growing like crazy last summer, but now all that growth will go toward feeding a different plant for a season.  Kind of makes you think.  

We took the opportunity on Saturday night to have a campfire and roast some hot dogs.  We even made s’mores.  The boys enjoyed it and although it was a little chilly out in the evening it seemed that staying outdoors late made warmer weather seem closer.  

While the weather seemed cold and miserable last week, you can’t fool the garden plants.  Rhubarb is emerging.  It is so fun to watch it come up.  It’s leaves closed up like a fist pushing up through the ground, to open when it hits the sunshine.  Asparagus is up too.  All around little green things are demanding our attention awaiting our response.  We even have a voluntary Brussels sprout plant coming up!