Waiting for or doing? Author: Nan Van Daalen

 #51 Waiting for or doing?

Waiting for or doing, that is the question in spring for our little friends have each year. Just like you and me they cannot wait to see all the lovely colors spring brings, so they nearly look the flower buds open, instead of waiting to help a little bit. They just like us love the fresh smells of spring, that is brought by the new growth and more and more are cleaning out their winter sleeping places, so new leafs get the chance to make a fresh roof over their walkways, like in the Fairy Queen tree.

Yes, you do remember well: the winter dwarfs, that are going to be spring dwarf next year, came on solstice time, so all are awake now. But you still have to look very well, to see one of our friends, for there is not so much to hide outside, where it still is a bit cold, and so much to do out of our sight.

So what are they waiting for, so they really can start doing their duty in nature like each year?

They are waiting, until the Ice-saints have had their name day. That is 13th, 14th  and 15th of May, and those take with them the last frost of the year below the high peaks of the mountains, where they do store it till needed again next year.

So some things our little friends can do: in places, where the sun burns a little bit harder, they already are very busy, for there has not been real snow and ice, except for high in the mountains.

And in the lower lands, more to the north, they still have to have a bit more patience, while over there the snow stays longer. There the time for real doing is scarce: a Snowdrop here, a Daffodil there and in very covered places a few Pilewort flowers above their round leafs.

The people who still tell the story’s, they have heard from the Mothers and Grannies, are now going to look for Dandelions and dead nettle, for they do know, there are a lot of good vitamins in them now, that people do need after the harsh winter. And the dead nettle does not really sting, so early in spring.

Besides that, the cure against that sting is always growing close by: Hoof-leave they do call this in the low countries. When you do crush a leaf of that and rub over the nasty place, all sting is gone.

Tell you how you recognize the right plant? All nerves in the leaf go from stem to point in a straight line! And it has yellow flowers, just in spring, when you need to recognize them, is that not great? So we can make a spring salad or soup with what we found with our first long spring walk.

And what are we doing? Are we waiting or doing something in spring?

I did not wait, the first seedlings are coming up in my window seal, like I have told you before. The first sandwich with cress did taste very fresh and herby, and I cannot wait, to harvest another one. The first sprouts of the one-year-flowers are already small, little tips in the pots, but not big enough to put in a bigger one. And when it is May, and they can go out, they are fully grown, ready to bloom.

Did you try this year to help our little friends? Did you try to look at nature how it grows, when you take care of it, like an adult can teach you?

Well, in that case, you are a lucky one, for your own eyes can see the beauty of our creation, and for most things you even do not need a real garden, although it is lovely to have one of course.

A big pot, just outside the window, so you can water it and see very well what happens, is also a little garden and when a lot of people do that, our big cities grow even more beautiful by that.

For that we only need the stories of our elder people, who did so before us, and to look how nature does work is nice, but does ask for patience.

While almost noting in nature does make haste, good things grow slowly.

So, although I do know it is to early now, I did look in my little garden and took away some of the nasty looking dead plants, I am sure they did not survive the very cold days.

And I did see the first new leafs on my strawberry plants, so I do know, I also now can plant some tomato-seeds in the window seal.

So coming summer my bread will taste mmm, delicious,  with my own grown topping berries.

And yours? I do think you at least will try.

Or will you have to wait a bit longer? Not me, I will go on!

Of that I am sure.