Oh glorious day…Sunday, a day of rest (seems like a lot of Sundays lately). Opening my eyes to see the sunrise flickering through the wooden landscape of bared trees and branches, it cascades its rays of light upon my bedroom walls. I painted my walls a sunrise burnt orangy colour and boy when the sun comes in during the morning hours and touches the walls…love the feeling of colour. Vibrant. Warm. Inviting. Yes it is time to wake up and smell the coffee; not literally mind you, as I am not a coffee drinker. Water, almond milk and a wee bit of herbal tea…that’s me. I really do not need a ‘pick me up’ or a ‘wake me up’ as I have an internal clock that gets me going…way too well some mornings.
Quiet in the dawn, my walk with Maggie May was wonderful once again. I love the morning the best as it is so loud in its silence (unless crazy island winds come out to play); your senses become a tuned to your surroundings. This morning it was quiet, only a taste of a breeze. I could hear the woodpecker on the telephone pole tapping away. I think it needs some help because it was not pecking at wood but on the steel part of pole. Not sure what that’s about. Not paying attention to my feet, I stumbled at bit as Cape road (part of my daily walk) really has taken quite a beating from the winter. Permafrost has pushed the pavement up, creating patches of serious tar crumble…don’t really want to be knocked in the head by a flying object. Then I found myself sort of skating as I swished the side of my shoe, kicking and shoeing larger tar rocks off to side of road. I did not think I needed steel-toes for walking. Oh well.
Maggie May made me chuckle loudly as we found ourselves plodding along the old tractor trail beside the cliffs. She noticed something amiss as her body stood still – looking. There was a tractor up ahead with a hundred little-wheeled pull thing (don’t know its called) behind it, randomly parked in the field. Maggie of course did not know what it was but had to bark at it as we drew near; it’s on her ‘property’. How could I forget! Anyway, no one was around the tractor but Maggie has to make sure she tells it off. All yip Maggie May. All yip. So funny.
But seeing the tractor, I now recognized the smell that wafted my nostrils in the start of my walk today – freshly toiled soil. Don’t you just love that earthy clean dirt smell. Oddly enough, that smell reminded me of my grandparents farm in New Brunswick (long gone but I have a framed picture next to my door of downhome – I loved that place and its memories). Almost every summer as a child we would head down east to stay with them for the ‘best’ two weeks EVER. Anyway grandpa had a cold cellar, built underneath the house, but could only get in there from outside. When I got to go down there to get grandma jars of whatever or vegetables stored from their garden, I would open that creaky old wooden door and be greeted by a cold clean earthy smell – loved it. And still do.
Freshly toiled soil. Yeah. The farmers have been busy. I could see perfectly horizontal lines of soil dug up, spaced out, ready for planting. Those lines were not there yesterday. Great sign of spring. And to top it off, a potato truck, big burly MAC truck, came down the road, turned heavily onto the same dirt road I trek each morning. My guess would be that it was bringing potato seeds for planting. Of course, little sassy Maggie May – the truck was invading her turf. Hold your horses Maggie May. Really. What are you going to do? Yip. That’s all you got.
I think my step had an extra kick in it today. I felt the rhythm of the island shout out a normalcy. Much needed signs of goodness to feel – toiled fields, big buoys in the bay now, lobster and mussel boats out, potato truck filled with seed – and my snowplow guy came yesterday to drag my lane. Woohoo. I can bring my truck back to park, not up at the main road. Yep life is good. Blessings.
Keeping those in need in my thoughts and prayers today.
Karenpondering 