 Grape vine survived, wuhooo! |  Mangoes are coming back, Yeahhhh! |
Today, 3/20/2025, marks the 1st day of Spring and the Spring Equinox over here on our side of the Globe.
Perusing the perimeter of my garden, the Sun has only just risen and already I can see the marks of new growth, new beginnings and the hope that heralds this season. We've had some wicked cold blustery spells here in Florida ("wicked" for us; speaking for myself, I don't like sustained temps less than 75º). Of course, it pales in comparison to our Northern neighbors, and most of my garden looked forlorn and lost.
Happy to report my blackberry plants and grape vine survived the Florida frost and the leaves greeted me this morning looking quite healthy! Morning dew also covered the African iris, caladium, crocuses and daffodils now in bloom that I had forgotten lay dormant in the earth. So too were the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, papaya, some random pumpkin seeds I had tossed on a whim, and all of the citrus trees were in bloom, heavy with their fragrance. Most of all I am happy to report my little big-head mangoes are peeking out and I pray this year I have a good crop (last year the fruits were small and scant but still heavily perfumed and sweet). The bay-leaf, bay-rum and allspice trees have nice healthy full leaves, and my 2 fig trees are looking fully LUSH today. I just had buds 3 days ago and it seems like the leaves just popped out overnight after 1 random day of temps temporarily in the high 70s. Callaloo seeds scattered in the veggie trough have taken off and I am so excited to have fresh greens this season (caterpillar bugs usually eat my lettuce, kale, cauliflower and broccoli but they never mess with my callaloo, thank God! So too are the cassava sticks re-planted last year! Trying some new things this year including an olive tree that I had transplanted earlier and it's already twice its size. The rose garden I planted for my sweet little grand-baby is now showing signs of taking off, and her cherry tree has cute little pink blossoms peeking out already.
I say all that to say this: There were days recently passed that were gloomy and heavily filled with despair that kinda felt synonymous with the dark and stillness of Winter. Surprisingly enough with Venus and Mercury retrograde (creating all kinds of havoc in my life), and being sandwiched right now between the recent Lunar Eclipse in Pisces and the upcoming Solar Eclipse on 3/26 in Aries plus all the other planetary shenanigans going on, it’s a wonder how we can find and focus on hope in these early signs of Spring. But find and focus we must, and I take perverse delight when I see new growth in my garden. Like the seeds previously planted and laying in the dark and damp of the Winter’s soil, we too will be delighted by the return of Spring, the warmth of the Sun, and the cool relief from the rains. Change and growth is right around the corner, my Friends; Take hope and never lose sight of the order and harmony of Nature and life!
In good health,
Dr. Audrey Steele, L.Ac.
Acupuncture Physician
www.Acupuncture4YourHealth.com
“In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt”. (Margaret Atwood).
Perusing the perimeter of my garden, the Sun has only just risen and already I can see the marks of new growth, new beginnings and the hope that heralds this season. We've had some wicked cold blustery spells here in Florida ("wicked" for us; speaking for myself, I don't like sustained temps less than 75º). Of course, it pales in comparison to our Northern neighbors, and most of my garden looked forlorn and lost.
Happy to report my blackberry plants and grape vine survived the Florida frost and the leaves greeted me this morning looking quite healthy! Morning dew also covered the African iris, caladium, crocuses and daffodils now in bloom that I had forgotten lay dormant in the earth. So too were the tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, papaya, some random pumpkin seeds I had tossed on a whim, and all of the citrus trees were in bloom, heavy with their fragrance. Most of all I am happy to report my little big-head mangoes are peeking out and I pray this year I have a good crop (last year the fruits were small and scant but still heavily perfumed and sweet). The bay-leaf, bay-rum and allspice trees have nice healthy full leaves, and my 2 fig trees are looking fully LUSH today. I just had buds 3 days ago and it seems like the leaves just popped out overnight after 1 random day of temps temporarily in the high 70s. Callaloo seeds scattered in the veggie trough have taken off and I am so excited to have fresh greens this season (caterpillar bugs usually eat my lettuce, kale, cauliflower and broccoli but they never mess with my callaloo, thank God! So too are the cassava sticks re-planted last year! Trying some new things this year including an olive tree that I had transplanted earlier and it's already twice its size. The rose garden I planted for my sweet little grand-baby is now showing signs of taking off, and her cherry tree has cute little pink blossoms peeking out already.
I say all that to say this: There were days recently passed that were gloomy and heavily filled with despair that kinda felt synonymous with the dark and stillness of Winter. Surprisingly enough with Venus and Mercury retrograde (creating all kinds of havoc in my life), and being sandwiched right now between the recent Lunar Eclipse in Pisces and the upcoming Solar Eclipse on 3/26 in Aries plus all the other planetary shenanigans going on, it’s a wonder how we can find and focus on hope in these early signs of Spring. But find and focus we must, and I take perverse delight when I see new growth in my garden. Like the seeds previously planted and laying in the dark and damp of the Winter’s soil, we too will be delighted by the return of Spring, the warmth of the Sun, and the cool relief from the rains. Change and growth is right around the corner, my Friends; Take hope and never lose sight of the order and harmony of Nature and life!
In good health,
Dr. Audrey Steele, L.Ac.
Acupuncture Physician
www.Acupuncture4YourHealth.com
“In the Spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt”. (Margaret Atwood).
