later winter sweetness sources
I’ve been walking along this river lately, looking at its currents and the plants growing along it. And fun to imagine floating this or other water soon enough. How would a ‘duck dory’ handle a little twisty river like this? I might need to modify my designs.
Or, the boat to build in the latter part of 2021 might be a mackenzie river-style dory. Maybe by then the workshop will be open for hosting visitors and guests.
Mackenzie Dory/Drift Boat
Bob Heims, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Much to see this time of year. As the long winter nights grow shorter, and the cold intensifies at times, the cells and dreams of many creatures engage in a call and response with the light, and their longing for warmth and food, that brings forth the spring. You can almost see the energy moving into the subtly glowing twigs of dogwood, viburnum, willow or alder, here and elsewhere. As the cold nights give way to some daytime thaws, the sap will run upward through woody plants, and syrup and sugar makers tap maples to harvest this seasonal flow.
In the northern hemisphere church year, lent is not far. Nearer is February 2, the ‘Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It’s also called ‘Candlemas’ in some christian traditions. This feast remembers what the gospel tells of Mary and Joseph bringing Jesus to the temple for religious life cycle rituals. (Luke 2:22-40) Two elders had also come to dwell in prayer and daily living at the temple. They recognize something new arriving, coming to be present, there in this child. Anna the prophetess and Simeon greet with somber joy what they see, including,
“A light to enlighten the nations, and the glory of your people Israel.”
Speaking of greeting, in Punxsutawney, PA, there is a goofy tradition of feteing a groundhog, affectionately named ‘Phil,’ on February 2nd. It is no mere accident that ‘groundhog day’ occurs then. Throughout europe on ‘Candlemas’, folk traditions once looked both to the land where they dwellt and to the Christian story to see and hear a new light shining through earth’s human and other-than-human kinds.
By Hawkes, Clarence, 1869-1954 - https://www.flickr.com/photos/internetarchivebookimages/14802381233/Source book page:https://archive.org/stream/littleforesterss00hawk/littleforesterss00hawk#page/n60/mode/1up, No restrictions, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=42711715
Now, in western Washington there are no groundhogs that I know of. There are Olympic marmots, and a mysterious small mammal locally called a ‘mountain beaver.’
And there are bears. Around this time of year, as the light period changes, bears begin to rouse from hibernation. They emerge very hungry. They turn to newly emerging grasses, winter carcasses, and the inner-bark of trees to find nourishment. Some of them are nursing cubs, and need a lot of food immediately. The bears are emerging from a deep sleep-like state, and need food for this new life into which they emerge. Yet spring is a time when the energies of new life press up against the scarcities of light, warmth and food that went with winter. It seems more like a time for a fast, than a feast to come. Somehow by the everyday grace in creation, they do find enough.
By Fuertes, Louis Agassiz; Nelson, Edward William - https://www.flickr.com/photos/biodivlibrary/7017492739, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43219484
Pay attention to what is happening in the land, and what the animals are doing. Go out for a walk. What do you see, hear, as well as smell, feel and taste? Who visits you?
I also recommend the Penn State Deer and Forests blog. They have some fun presenting their public science and studies of deer movements, foraging, predation, hunting, use of habitats, impact on forest health, and more. A post from January compared deer movements pre-rut, in early autumn, and again in mid to late winter. Their data showed deer moving beyond their typical home range at different times of the year, but for different reasons. In the winter, deer seemed to go farther to find the warmer slopes, the places where sun appeared, and where green-up jumped the spring a bit. It was worth burning calories to get just a little taste of the light, warmth and green-ness. The woods are grey and brown, but with a faint glow beginning to gather in the twig tips.
That’s good spiritual advice too if you are experiencing a cold and dark season. Go easy on yourself, do things to take care of your body and soul, reach out to friends, and do something intentional to draw near to God outside you usual routine. Listen.
May you receive nourishment and light enough for walking along the path before you.
