Weed Walk Therapy-Holy Satisfaction!

"I come to the [walkway] alone,
While the dew is still on the roses..."

After the breezes of Springtime breathe out warm rains. While the earth is still wet from that last thunderstorm or the new morning's dew. And certainly before the sun turns its thermostat to 'Broil'. That's the time.  Time for one of the many springtime traditions I perform annually. Time for the one tradition that I own.

But this one is especially beneficial to mind, soul and body...or to be less ethereal about it...my get'er done mentality, Tigger personality and winter-stiff joints.

There are other traditions, but all of them include Senior Chief, which is great as some of those projects would never get done without him. But this one is mine. He hates this kind of work. It is tedious and boring to him. But once I begin, I enjoy it...and in the end, I am immensely satisfied.

It is the job of de-grassing the brick pathway. This is the only pathway in our yard of this sort.  The bricks are old and each one has three holes. And therein lies my task. Tiny seeds that slept through winter now take root in the dirt beneath those holes, and grasses of all sorts begin to grow. From that statement alone, it is obvious that we don't use weed/grass killer. It is also obvious that we took the easy road in creating our pathway by not layering beneath with sand or other material to inhibit grass growth. There are times I think I wish we had, but mostly, I'm okay with the current state of affairs. It's not forever because one day, we'll most likely have to take it all up and re-lay it, but for now, I love the quaint and cottagey look of it. And I like what my annual task does for me and ultimately, our yard.

To further expose our lack of formality around 'Hailey Homestead', and explain the 'why' of what I do, it is important to reveal that we have a dog. We have had dogs for years. They all love us so very much that when we let them out to do their business, they will go off to the side for the heavy business, but for the inferior act of peeing, they squat only about ten feet from the base of our deck. Those in the know, know that this makes for yellow grass and even bald spots. The one thing we do once a year, is scatter a bit of lime over those areas, then water the spots as if we'd planted seed on days when have no grandchildren. The urine acidity is in that way neutralized and roots that have survived then come to life.

But there have been areas of baldness that needed new grass altogether.

Without further adieu, what I do is simply: Weed the Walk

The process is simple, as long as the ground is wet. Grab the grass at the base and pull, tug, wiggle and wrench the grass from each hole.

Oh yes. I do.

Free worms to help my garden...or lawn...grow!

And I save these natural grass plugs to plant in the bald spots, as well as any spots our chickens have over-scratched. I cover the spots with old lattice-work, bits of chicken wire, etc, until they're well-established. It's not pretty-yet, but it keeps all pets at bay. For this reason, I defer my delight in 'pretty' until a bit later. There is an added bonus in the fact that worms have made their homes within the roots. These, I leave alone or remove for the compost and garden.

Of course I realize I could buy grass seed or turf, but this is my contribution to the rebuilding and restoring efforts of spring. I get this 'karma, one-ness' thing going, (I say this with a giggle). But honestly, I do get the feeling that I'm actually working with God in cultivating a sort of rebirth...a healing and refreshment...of His creation. The words of of an old hymn come effortlessly to mind:
"I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses...and He walks with me and He talks with me, and He tells me I am His own. And the joy we share as we tarry there, none other has ever known."

In truth, I am well aware that in performing this small hour or two of work, I am the one getting spiritually, as well as physically,  grounded, healed and refreshed.



Almost done!  Note the pot in the background is
'packed to the gills' with grass plugs. If I don't use them
right away, I'll keep them damp by sprinkling with water
for a few days.

I know I could change it all. Take up the old bricks, put in hole-less ones. Once done, it would be a lot less work...

...and a whole lot less holy satisfaction.


THE VALUE OF BEAUTY

I want to share something sent to me via e-mail. But first, I want to share a little something else...

I was visiting friends who had recently purchased a new Century home in the country. The previous owners had created a gorgeous and elaborate English Garden in their back yard. I am still of the conviction that the garden would make an ideal spot for weddings.

The precious family now residing in the home are all hard workers and believe strongly in sustainable living. As I regarded their garden in the company of the eldest daughter, she remarked that yes, it was beautiful, but not really of any value. At this statement, I gently, but passionately stated that this thinking was mistaken thinking.

While I believe there is no plant on earth that cannot be used medicinally or nutritionally, I also believe that the the One Who Created all things did so out of His joy of creating and out of His delight in bringing His created delight.

This is why my friend's garden is a treasure. This is why my husband and I plant new, flowering plants year after year. Why we grow a garden. Why we feed the birds and take joy in watching the antics of the squirrels that raid the feeders and baby bunnies that we know will partake of part of our garden's fruit. (They prefer the clover growing so freely among our grass, which is why we'll probably never try to cultivate the totally perfect lawn.) It is the reason we spend hours cleaning and caring for a small pond that houses tadpoles and various small fish. Why we mourn when the Great Blue Heron visits there unexpectedly for breakfast. It is the reason we allow finches to build nests in our hanging ferns. Why we wait expectantly for the baby robins to hatch and eventually leave the nest they repeatedly use in the Jasmine right beside our front door. Why we open the bedroom window a crack in the spring to listen to the night sounds of singing frogs and chorusing crickets.

Beauty is the reason. The beauty of life. Of things living. Of God's Creation. We relax in His beauty, knowing that we could save money and certainly time, by not 'indulging'. But somehow, I feel in my heart, that God is happy about our happiness with His World.

Did you know that it has been proven that the color green is calming? It is. And isn't it amazing how much green God put into the world? Like He knew, (of course He did), that we would need green. But he also inserted scads of beauty into His world and without scientific research, I'm pretty sure that someone could prove, scientifically even, that mankind needs beauty. Not to merely exist, but to thrive within our existing.

Jesus said He came to give life. But He didn't stop there...He continued by saying that it was His desire to give life abundantly. With the multitude of problems every human faces every day, we forget about the ok-ness of living in abundance.

And we don't have to have yards, gardens, hanging plants and bird feeders to enjoy His abundance...but if we want them, I believe with all within me that it's ok. There are boundaries, of course...we need to be sure we aren't feeding the birds if we're not feeding our children, for instance. But to live with guilt over loving God's Creation...that sort of thinking comes from the enemy of our spirits.

Perhaps you can understand, then, how happy I was to find the following in my e-mail:

Simone Weil was absolutely right-beauty and affliction are the only two things that can pierce our hearts. Because this is so true, we must have a measure of beauty in our lives proportionate to our affliction. No, more. Much more. Is this not God's prescription for us?
Just take a look around. The sights and sounds, the aromas and sensations-the world is overflowing with beauty. God seems to be rather enamored with it. Gloriously wasteful. Apparently, he feels that there ought to be plenty of it in our lives. I am at a loss to say what I want to say regarding beauty. Somehow, that is as it ought to be.
Our experience of beauty transcends our ability to speak about it, for its magic lies beyond the power of words. I want to speak of beauty's healing power, of how it comforts and soothes, yet also how it stirs us, how it moves and inspires. All that sounds ridiculous. You know your own experiences of beauty. Let me call upon them then. Think of your favorite music, or tapestry, or landscape. "We have had a couple of inspiring sunsets this week." A dear friend sent this in an e-mail: "It was as if the seams of our atmosphere split for a bit of heaven to plunge into the sea. I stood and applauded . . . simultaneously I wanted to kneel and weep."
Yes-that's it. All I want to do is validate those irreplaceable moments, lift any obstacle you may have to filling your life with greater and greater amounts of beauty. We need not fear indulging here. The experience of beauty is unique to all the other pleasures in this: there is no possessive quality to it. Just because you love the landscape doesn't mean you have to acquire the real estate. Simply to behold the flower is enough; there is nothing in me that wants to consume it.
Beauty is the closest thing we have to fullness without possessing on this side of eternity. It heralds the Great Restoration. Perhaps that is why it is so healing-beauty is pure gift. It helps us in our letting go. (Desire , 191-92)