Thursday, March 25, 2010

Moments in Spring . . .

      Here in northern California, spring has come, softly and sweetly. The sun is out, the clouds are puffy and gentle breezes send ripples through the long grass. Gently swaying branches are adorned with new leaves and some are crowded with white or pink blossoms.  Sun filters through the trees, casting pools of light upon the ground.

      Spring is a time when grass grows quickly, especially this year, because we have had so much rain and so little sun during the past couple of months.  When the sun finally did appear, grasses and plants with their ample supply of life giving moisture burst forth and sprang into creative overdrive. One day the grass was  short, and just three days later it was long, having been fed on pure, vibrant, sun energy.  Photosynthesis is having a field day and the result is an almost tropical explosion of life and vitality.

      When cutting the grass, I always leave a large patch of grass uncut, because I like seeing nature being nature.  I enjoy seeing the long grass fronds sway in the breeze, catch the light, and move with the rhythms of the Earth.  If the town I live in didn't require you to cut the grass, I wouldn't cut the grass at all.  Right now, in my front yard, which is mostly plants and large flowering bushes growing iiunder large trees, the grass is cut. 

      In my backyard, nature is still happily being nature, unmolested by the human hand.  Blackberry bushes and Ivy are waking up and extending their territory as quickly as they can. These fierce colonists, in time, will be tamed, or they would strangle everything else, except the grasses, but for now, they grow freely.

      Do yourself a favor and find a patch of long grass to be with for awhile, it will refresh your spirit and gladden your heart.  Sit and watch as it moves slowly back and forth. Listen as it makes the soft sounds of growth. Feel the silky grass fronds and think about all that grasses have meant to humans since the dawn of time, and what they still mean to us today. Grasses have and do sustain us, in the form of wheat, rice, barley, rye, corn, oats, bamboo and other grains.  Take a few moments to think about, and celebrate the glorious tenacity of Grass.

Happy Spring!   Enjoy this page celebrating Spring -->    A Moment in Spring
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