by Margie Siegal
Old plum tree bent and gnarled
All at once opens one blossom, two blossoms,
three, four, five blossoms, uncountable blossoms,
not proud of purity,
not proud of fragrance;
spreading, becoming spring,
blowing over grass and trees…
— Dogen Zenji, 13th century Japan
The world outside has gone crazy, but here in my miniature farm, not much has changed. The seasons cycle like they always have, the planting schedule follows the seasons and the plum tree blooms in early spring.
Every year I try a few new things: this year, a new raised bed, parsnips, wasabi arugula and Ethiopian kale. Some experiments succeed, some fail. It is always like that. I am harvesting the parsnips, and the kale, so those are successes. The wasabi arugula grows slowly, and has a low germination rate. I watch and learn.
What has changed is going out to get groceries now means masks and waiting in line, so it is less stressful to scrub parsnips and carrots from the yard for dinner. The gym is closed, but cleaning out the compost bin and turning over the soil in the raised beds is good exercise. I can’t see my friends, but the seed order shows up in the mail, so I occupy myself with starting tomatoes and peppers. I can adapt, and it is spring.
