Seasons of Life

We survived another winter and spring is here to stay. Years ago I read in a book that time passed so swiftly the people only counted time by seasons rather than months or weeks. I thought that was strange but now I'm old enough to realize that's about how it is. Spring arrived the end of March but it took another month for the weather to catch up with the calendar. And now we're half way through spring and our calendar for summer is filling up. It will flash by so fast we'll be back to winter before we know what happened.

I think spring is my favorite season. Everything is fresh and new in the spring. It's a season of hope and promise. We plant in hope, not knowing if things will drown or dry up. Baby animals are born or hatched promising another generation will grow up and continue the cycle as long as the earth exists.

We said long ago that our house will fit us as long as we live but the yard and garden work might get to be too much someday. We're starting to see that happen. This spring we were both having trouble with aching hips and legs. For the first time, we considered giving up the garden. But in the end we planted things again. We have both improved some and can probably keep after it but we may resort to a raised bed before too many more years.

We did downsize some this year by pulling out the grapevine. I am tired of messing with grapes and Leroy is tired of mowing around the arbor. I also decided to give up planting a row of Canna tubers along the edge of the garden. They have to be dug out every year and stored in the basement over winter. I'm not going to ask him to do that anymore. I got the Cannas from my mother the last year she lived so I was too sentimental to throw all of them away. I planted just two along the outhouse/toolshed. 

We didn't mulch last year and it really needs to be done this year. Leroy's hip isn't going to like all that shoveling and he said if it's up to him it won't happen. Our boys got their heads together and agreed on a date to do it for us. Just a few years ago we got together every spring to do the yard work for Leroy's parents. Now we're the old people that need help. 

Fifty-two years ago we were in the just-married spring season of life, full of hope and promise. We had a long summer season with the heat and pressure of raising a family. Now we're in the fall season and winter is fast approaching. Time marches steadily on and we must continue to adjust to fit the seasons of life.