Amid the madness, there is beauty and a degree of
normalcy.
It’s been a tough few weeks for the world amid the changes
we have faced due to Covid-19. I’ve
discovered a level to my anxiety that I have not yet experienced which is
altogether unpleasant. While the anxiety
makes life a bit more difficult than I am used to, I’ve found my garden to provide
even greater sanctuary for all of us.
When it gets too hard to watch the news or read the statistics, I will
go outside and water the flowers or find nooks and crannies to plant vegetables
and fruit. Paul loves seeing the fruits
of our labors-the blooms and the bounty.
Brittney is once again preparing to grow some juicy tomatoes, jalapeños,
and green chiles.
Yesterday, April Fools’ Day, I was outside watering the
broccoli and cauliflower while attempting to remain upright in the staggering
wind. Spring in New Mexico means
wind. Sometimes it means STRONG gusts. A few days ago, we had some hellacious wind,
and an old pine tree fell near my parents’ bus-thankfully, not on the bus but
next to it. It’s no easy task to do
anything with the wind persistently trying to blow everything away and further
doling out the ongoing pollen complication, but I successfully quenched the
thirsty plants. As I was turning to put
the hose away, I noticed a fluttering in the shadows behind some pots.
A new female Black Swallowtail butterfly was feverishly flapping
her beautiful little wings stumbling about trying to fling herself into the air. With no such luck, she walked toward me
almost in a bid to seek my assistance. I
sat close to her, and she walked onto my hand.
I raised her closer for inspection where she was immediately hurled onto
my shirt by a gust. She clung to me in
place still eagerly shaking out her wings.
Clearly, having completed her metamorphosis, she must have just emerged
from her chrysalis and was attempting to dry her wings. The wind hampered her progress, and, instead,
she was being tossed around like a leaf.
Because it was late in the day, and the enormous orange and white cat
had shown interest in playing sport with her, Brittney and I brought her inside
along with a parsley plant for her to hang out on overnight in my office.
We checked on her several times, and she would walk over to
our hands and wave at us with her tiny, black feet. She did well overnight, and noticing her
little proboscis was perfectly curled and ready, I Googled their favorite
nectar. Score! One of the Swallowtail’s favorites is Phlox
of which I have several blooming in the garden.
Brittney and I brought her outside and set her on the Phlox. Of course, the wind did the very best to blow
her onto the ground, but she held fast and dipped her extraordinarily long
proboscis into the delicious nectar. She
was a pro! It wasn’t long until she
started to shake out her wings, and suddenly she was flying through the air and
was gone. We were delighted and excited for her to begin
her journey! Here she is just before she took flight.
The beauty and charm of this little creature buoyed our
spirits! My mother loved butterflies and
would tell me stories about them when I was a little girl. Later, when I was old enough to understand,
she said butterflies trust people with compassionate
souls and represent life, strength, and hope.
We definitely can use a little bit of hope and strength right now. Fly on, butterfly! Here’s hoping that this post finds you all
healthy and content.
Peace
Smiles :)
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