The New New Year
Happy Easter Sunday to you, and Passover too. Everyone is celebrating in their own way as the Earth wakes up from it’s Winter slumber. It will soon be time to mow the grass, and play some golf. The trees are dropping their seeds, so gutter cleaning has commenced. The hostas are popping out of the ground; their leaves will soon shade much of the beds, giving weeds little chance to thrive. We put away the winter coats this weekend.
I often think of Wendell Berry in the Spring, who once wrote:
At start of spring I open a trench
In the ground. I put into it
The winter’s accumulation of paper,
Pages I do not want to read
Again, useless words, fragments,
errors. And I put into it
the contents of the outhouse:
light of the suns, growth of the ground,
Finished with one of their journeys.
To the sky, to the wind, then,
and to the faithful trees, I confess
my sins: that I have not been happy
enough, considering my good luck;
have listened to too much noise,
have been inattentive to wonders,
have lusted after praise.
And then upon the gathered refuse,
of mind and body, I close the trench
folding shut again the dark,
the deathless earth. Beneath that seal
the old escapes into the new.
Sometimes I miss our home in Marengo. 15 acres, a big chicken coop, a big garden. I remember all of the hard work, too. But Spring makes the old place seem a bit more romantic. This time of year I always feel the absence of mom. Since she passed, the seed catalogs have dwindled. Those catalogs would always spark the imagination for what could be possible in the garden this year. The Farmer’s Market will provide the bounty instead.
I love how in January we declare a “New Year,” and then a few months later Mother Nature shows us what renewal is all about.
Sunday Supper
I get romantic about deviled eggs this time of year, dazzled by their potential, and forgetful of how much work they are. So I’ll do this Broken Egg Salad instead. We picked up some lamb shoulder roast at Block & Cleaver this weekend. I think we’ll make this Lamb Shawarma with it. This recipe for Quiche Lorraine w/ Tater Tot Crust is too interesting to pass up. If you didn’t overdo it on the Easter candy, this Lemon Blueberry Layer Cake would make for a nice treat.
Sunday Music
Julian Lage, live in Los Angeles. Chloé Antoniotti, for ARTE Concert’s Piano Day. Emile & The Education, live at Safe Space Sounds. Big Thief on World Cafe. The John Scofield Trio from last Fall’s DC Jazzfest. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! You can do anything you set your mind to. Let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,