The July sun starts to descend in the sky creating a dappling appearance as light reaches through the leaves touching the earth. Waves on the lake take on a shimmer reflecting the annual solar migration into midsummer. A breeze is welcome on hot afternoons. Crickets chirp in the fields. Rose of Sharon and milkweed are in bloom. All signs are stirring up the ancient notion that it is nearly time to go.
A thought about the cycle of seasons came to awareness after a day out at sea on a whale watch. These magnificent beasts respond to many indicators that it’s time to swim on. Water temperature, sunlight and the movement of their food source tells them to be ready for change. As the birds start to flock together, the notion becomes more forceful internally.
Without a basis in science, more a reaction to nature, it seems for years upon years, humans evolved around a migration cycle. Although it’s common now to be fixed, there’s still the memory of movement, not as a result of war or famine, natural disaster or plague, but to simply follow the sun. Should the sensation come along of restlessness, wonder if it’s not instinct asserting itself over domestication. Always the transition to fall is marked by a disturbance in the body manifested as migraine and mal de mar. It’s gotten milder over time. Still, the discomfort starts to appear in a sudden difficulty in sleeping. Little fluctuations start the desire to go.
The whereof it is the great unknown.
The cosmos continues on its destined pathway. Our dear Luna revolves around us, coming out of her darkness today. She is renewed. Energy waves from the new moon radiate awareness in our intuitive natures. So we renew as well. Aries always brings abruptness. The tone is sharp and short, loud and determined. Assertive is the Ram.
Eager to enjoy some outdoors time, I put on the layers and headed out just at midday. The air temperature is about 32 F; mostly clouds and a pretty steady wind at 10 mph. The first thing I see are the low bush blueberries on the little hill. Meadow hay covers about half of their branches. Oh! I usually bundle them up by Christmas day. Into the shed I went to surround them with the last of the mulch, burlap wrap and tied by string. Here’s the before and after photos. They are deep in dormancy and need some protection from cold and wind. This pile looks like a great escape for country mice. A nice shelter close to the bird feeder!
The blueberries love a heavy feed of organic matter in the early spring. Sometime around April, hopefully, the burlap will be removed and gradually, the hay. In late May, I’ve got to remember to check for gypsy moth caterpillars. For some reason, the pests love to feast on the middle shrub. They get on the others but two years ago, almost completely defoliated the middle one. Last summer, they came back and got going again. There’s a spray I use to knock down the killers but it’s got to go on when they are seen swinging in the wind, not when they are full size chomping away at the tender green leaves. The leaves have returned but the plant cannot survive this type of attack and regrowth in one season too often. The heavy feeding has produced some yummy little berries the last few years.
Past – Sun upright
LuceStellare 