evening, the ninth 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 7 days.
cooling fast once the sun drops. a jacket you almost left behind.
the sun set around 6:21 pm.
the moon is last quarter, 48% lit.
there were 12h 41m of daylight today. +2.3 minutes from yesterday.
the old dark furrowfills with rain and waits for warmthsomething stirs below
the evening is for walking the rows and noticing what changed. ❧ if the crickets are chirping, count the chirps in fourteen seconds and add forty. that is the temperature in fahrenheit. the old farmers did not need a thermometer. ❧ nettle tea, if you can find young nettles. iron-rich, good for the blood. wear gloves picking. ❧ 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.
the last of the stored apples, baked with butter and cinnamon ❧ wind in early spring is different from winter wind. it is warmer and wetter and it smells like mud. the old word for it was simply "the thaw wind." ❧ 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. ❧ early spring foraging is mostly greens. the land is generous before the heat comes, offering what the body needs after a long winter of stored food.
violets, leaves and flowers both. the flowers candy well with sugar. ❧ spring remedies are about waking up. the body has been indoors too long. bitter greens and sharp roots shake the dust off.