snapshot

the garlic and the blueberries dance together
on the gardening calendar,

and the chard swoops into the swirl right about now.

a few weeks ago, i harvested the garlic scapes, 

cut them into small pieces,

blanched them, drained them and popped them into well-

labeled containers and tucked them into the freezer.

(one tablespoon chopped scape=one medium clove).
today i dug up the garlic, and now they are in the
woodshed, curing in the dark and airy space for a
few weeks before I trim them and store them.

the blueberries are prolific this summer,

and they have been frozen on cookie sheets until they 

sound like marbles clacking together.

then they go into the freezer in bags,

the tiny low-bush berries packed separately from 

the fat berries from the taller variety.

these gardening rhythms that mark the sun's arc across
this sweet land are such a comfort.

on days like today, there is nothing better

than being outside in the wind and the clouds

 and the sun and the sprinkles of rain.

with batman.

and in february,

when we saute some garlic in a pan

and the house smells like heaven,

and when we make a batch of blueberry muffins...

we remember the work and the joy and the satisfaction

of standing at the brink of the meadow,

hands on hips,

breathing in deeply the blessings of this place,

of this life, of this love.