Life with Sheila in the Time of COVID-19

One morning I was greeted by myriads of purple hyacinths, miniature white daffodils, and yellow crocuses in my gardens, and my orchard trees replete with blossoms. Just drawing in the scents was intoxicating. I wrote, “Break forth! O creation of wonder! Break forth! O voice of spring!” I was reminded of Maya Angelou’s words, “Lift up your face, you have a piercing need for this bright morning dawning for you. Lift up your eyes upon this day breaking for you. Give birth again to your dream.”

When was the last time you bent over or stood on tip-toe to smell nature at her best? This venture led to a full week and a half of gardening, 6 hours a day of raking and sacking, pulling weeds, deadheading plants, and cutting/edging the grass. One important thing to note - if you have trouble sleeping at night, get to know your garden. You will sleep like a log and you will feel justifiably sanctimonious. I have learned not to put loppers in my hands as it leads to hours of delightful artistic tree trimming followed by numerous trips to the dump. Why are we doing all this? Because it gets us outdoors and cleanses our lungs, keeps our muscles primed, and allows us to celebrate a job-well-done! Alex dismantled the chicken coop and cut a mountain of wood into logs for next winter. He wouldn’t stop, even adding two 15’ high almost dead trees to the task. I now believe we have 5 years-worth of firewood.

May you always have

Walls for the winds.

A roof for the rain.

Tea beside the fire.

Laughter to cheer you.

A sunbeam to warm you.

A moonbeam to charm you.

A sheltering angel.

So nothing can harm you. Irish Blessing

Sheila Doran-Benyon