The Spring Tease Stumble

The last of the lemons this year.

I always find myself stumbling into Spring. It's like the Auld Woman froze me through and as I thaw, I do so unevenly. There is one thing I am learning to look forward to: lemons ripening on the tree. My husband and I pulled the last of the lemons off our side of the tree. It hangs over our backyard wall and the neighbors have encouraged us to take everything we can reach. Getting a closer look at the tree while trimming it, informed me that we will be caring for about 1/3 of the tree.  This time of year we have lemons pouring from the seams and no one seems to mind when we come bearing fruited gifts. I like to take advantage of the moment and freeze some of the squeezed juice for lemonade later.

The lemon zest comes off first. I dry some and put the rest in either vinegar for cleaning or vodka as an extract. This year, I also got a batch soaked over night in water to use for baking and cleansing of charms. I am looking to make a mean batch of lemon lavender cookies. I love working with lemons enmass in this manner. There is absolutely no way ( unless you are allergic) to escape the happy resonance left all over you and lingering in the kitchen. The lemon oils eventually permeate the whole living space of the home and my hands hold their scent for the rest of the day. There is also a cleansing effect. Everything seems clearer and you see things with a fresh perspective. The lemon harvest comes just in time to clear out the muck that winter built and the rest of the year when lemons are not available, it's leaves does a grand job.

***However, I do find that when working with Brigit and you ask for clearing, make sure to add the word gentle. You may find yourself clearing out more than you expected and feeling quite under the weather if that detail is neglected. ***

Squeezing out the juices allowed for another kind of magic to happen. I retained the fattest of the lemon seeds and planted them in a small kitchen pot. I am hoping they sprout well and I have a mini grove of lemon trees to nurture happy friendships and a joyful hearth and home. They will later become gifts and I will start the process over if I find it to work well. It's a long term project, but most things like friendships and happy hearths take time to ripen and develop as well. Most of all I, want to form a good working relationship with the tree, even if I am not it's primary guardian. So in short, that means there will be no wasting of his gifts.

In the curiouser and curiouser file, we have a martenitsa, which I am almost sure that was not intended as such, found its way to me. I had ordered a crown ring that I wanted to use in a ritual for myself and it came with a strand of red and white threads bound together and immediately it felt like the Universe had handed me an unexpected gift. I tied it on and will be wearing it until this weekend when all the other martenitsi will be tied to the tree. So even as I am stumbling out of my winter hidey hole, it portends to be a Spring that will put a smile on my face, maybe without that first cup of proverbial joe.

I will be making more Oddling Mojo Poppets around seasonal things like brewing Oleum of the Faery Queen, stuffing egg shells with paper confetti so they can be smashed in grand manner on someone's head later and giving those bunny buns a try with out them coming out as hell hounds. You know things that keep me out of trouble. Usually, I center my Ostara activities around gardening. I feel pulled in a different direction this year and have not put my finger on it yet. So as usual, I am stumbling into Spring. . . again.

Even though it is clearly Spring here in the desert, she is still keeping secrets.

What is that little minx up to?????