The Briar Philosopher - The Grace of April

Sunday morning I stepped out into the perfect day. The morning was filled with the scent of plum, pear and apple blossoms with a hint of wisteria. Bird song filled the air. The poplar tree in the front yard that had not quite leafed out was full of so many birds it looked to be blooming. Cardinals, bluejays, red-winged blackbirds and goldfinches filled the limbs, waiting their turn at breakfast at the birdfeeder hanging in the branches. A thousand shades of green graced the hills as trees are beginning to awaken from their winter sleep. The redbuds and dogwoods are really showing out this spring, soon to be followed by the fresh greens of oak and maple. The breeze was light and the temperature a mild 68 degrees. Everything felt fresh and new and, in that moment, I did as well.

April has always been my favorite month of the year. I know storms are often a part of it but then so are days like Sunday, when the world feels magical and all things seem possible. It just fills me up with the wonder and amazement of awakening. When I came back in I told the Boy he just had to put on his shoes and step out to experience what a perfect day it was. I will carry that Sunday morning, and all the other days of April, with me as long as I can. It is a particular practice of mine to stand still and notice when something extraordinary happens so that I can come back to it in my mind when I feel the need for refreshment. While I didn’t spend Sunday Morning in a church built by the hands of men, I was overcome with gratitude for the sacredness of creation, the beauty of the gift of life we have been given and thanksgiving for the eyes, the ears and the heart I have to witness what April brings. It’s on mornings like that one that it is possible to believe that God really is from Kentucky. I’ve lived a lot of places but nowhere compares to April in these hills.

The rains have slowed me down on my planting but I’ll catch up. Blackberries have yet to bloom so I wouldn’t be putting any tender plants in the ground yet anyway. Our potatoes await the ground being dry enough for a final tilling. It’ll happen this week I’m quite certain. Our peaches escaped the last cold snap, having already set and our apples will make it this year as well. Also, and this is major to me, our PawPaw tree bloomed out full this year and is still covered with blooms. Some of them appear to have been fertilized which would mean that somewhere in the woods not far from us, another PawPaw tree is blooming. PawPaws can’t fertilize themselves so if any of them are “with pawpaw” it’s certain that all the native trees have not been destroyed by years of logging. That would be a happy thing to me.

I do consider it quite a loss that logging has destroyed so many of our native fruit and nut trees. It’s rare to find a PawPaw tree in the wild anymore, or a persimmon for that matter. The hazelnuts are mostly gone and even elderberries have taken a hit. Except in the National Forest surrounding us, there aren’t enough shagbark hickories to speak of. All of these were things that fed our ancestors when they settled these hills and that fed the indigenous people who were living here for at least 9,000 years. We have hard evidence for that time period.

The Boy and I are doing our best to bring back what we can. We are very grateful to our local

Conservation District for giving away free native trees every year. This year’s give away will be on April 22nd, Earth Day. I have my heart set on a couple more native plums and a service berry tree (sarvis for those who know.) I best get busy figuring out where I’m going to put them as Earth Day is next Monday. There will be holes to dig and good backfill to obtain.

I hope that you’ll join me this year in celebrating Earth Day. Plant something, anything. Take advantage of the free tree give-away and put back some natives. Even if your don’t intend to eat them yourself, our native birds and critters love the fruits and nuts from these native trees and they make a beautiful addition to your landscape.

That’s all I have for this week, except to wish you all a beautiful and bountiful April. May you find the same wonder and magic in your days that I have found and may it heal your hearts from all of winter’s sorrow, as it has mine.