I sat exhausted in the garden Sunday evening as I’d overdone it again. Each spring I must re-learn the limitations of this body of mine. All of my “Magic and Genius” of the weekend had taken away too much, so all I could do was sit. I perched on a bench and asked Matthew to mow this patch and that in the backyard. Each pass making the intentional wildness of the pond and the garden beds more pronounced, more special.

I’ve become accustomed to seeing robins at the edge of our nature pond and atop the bog filter bathing and playing. Today I looked out and saw a cardinal back there on that filter just splashing away and I felt such joy. The bog filter is a tool Matthew and I built to keep our pond clean and clear. A tool comprised of rocks and stones of varying size and texture, layered to do a job in benefit of the creatures that visit the habitat. The squirrel, the frog, our pet cats, and the koi, who thanks to the clever filter and the addition of a small heater, survived the winter and are finally warm enough to actually be playful, instead of playing coy, tucking into their blanket of leaves. 

Last weekend, for our eleventh wedding anniversary, Matt gifted me the weekly backyard journal "Leaf, Cloud, Crow" by Margaret Renkl. I had listened to her book "The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year" and I enjoyed the writing and getting to know the author very much. While I currently read "Late Migrations: A Natural History of Love and Loss" I take my time and I hear Margaret's sweet southern voice and keep her easy pace as I go. It's a nice practice for me to slow down and listen to stories.