night, the twelfth of april
dark furrow
old knowledge preserved
early spring
the soil warms. the light returns longer each day.
what was sleeping is not sleeping anymore.
late spring begins in 4 days.
still cold enough to frost. the season is not settled yet.
the moon is waning crescent, 25% lit.
the world is turned away from the sun.
12h 48m of daylight today. +2.2 minutes from yesterday.
the old dark furrowfills with rain and waits for warmthsomething stirs below
the worm moon is coming or just passed. some called this the crow moon, for the sound that breaks the silence at the end of winter. the sap moon, because the maples are running. the ground is unlocking. ❧ cleavers steeped fresh in cool water overnight. the old herbalists called it a spring cleanser. ❧ regulus, the heart of the lion, was another of the four royal stars of persia. it marked the summer solstice four thousand years ago. the name means "little king," and in spring it rules the high sky. ❧ go to bed. tomorrow there will be something new.
a late snow in march was called a "poor man's fertilizer." the snow carries nitrogen from the atmosphere and works it into the soil as it melts. the old farmers welcomed it even as they cursed the cold. ❧ the garden is working without you now. ❧ spring remedies are about waking up. the body has been indoors too long. bitter greens and sharp roots shake the dust off. ❧ leo the lion climbs high, the bright star regulus at his heart
the moon is in its last quarter. pull weeds, turn compost, cultivate the soil. this is a killing time, good for destroying what you do not want. the weeds will not come back as fast.