Rhythm

The rhythm of Winter here in Santa Fe, NM, is taking some getting use to and is a major adjustment from last year's Winter which was not only unseasonably warm but dry as well. The below sentiment is held by many locals and us recently transplants also.

"Go home Winter.

You are drunk."

               El Rey Court 

Shasta standing in the snow
from an earlier Winter storm.

The snow has mostly melted here in Santa Fe proper but the Sangre de Christo Mountains are covered with recent snow fall. This afternoon as I was driving East on Cerrillos Road I noticed how stunningly glorious they are! The frigid weather continues. We are experiencing day time highs barely above 30 degrees and with the adjustment of the wind chill factor in the low to mid teens. Brrrr! When there is snow on the ground or it is heavily snowing, we do not walk very far. Shasta gets "snow pellets" forming between her paws which she does not like and just sits down. If the wind is truly fierce, we also cut our morning walk short.

When snow was still abundant in our backyard,
snow melt pouring out of a canale from our roof
froze on the butterfly rain chain.

With the Wintery rhythm I am walking less each day. I feel sluggish and "out of sorts" from the lack of physical movement/exercise. While this sluggishness does provide connection with the yin of the Winter and creates space for inwardness, I am not happy. Connecting more with my yin energy has yielded time for thought consideration of how I want to spend my outside "digging in the dirt" and planting time. Hopefully the rhythm of Spring with her warmth will arrive before too many more passing weeks. I have for a number of seasons in Northern California planted the biodynamic way using Stella Nature: working with cosmic rhythms biodynamic planting calendar published by Camphill Village Kimberton Hills. And I also bought from Turtle Tree Seed, Camphill Village, New York, biodynamic open pollinated flower, vegetable and herb seeds.

This Winter connecting with the yin energy, I have been reading more. The Santa Fe Public Library system is rich with books and from there I checked out Biodynamic Gardening: grow healthy plants and amazing produce with the help of the Moon and nature's cycles by Monty Waldin. This book contains glorious pictures of biodynamic gardens and the processes used to create such lush and stunningly beautiful habitats for humans and all sentient BEings. I was hooked and decided to take my own gardening practices to another level by implementing more biodynamic principles. And, oh by the way, I purchased the book too.

All except two vegetable seed packets came from Turtle Tree Seed for this year's starts for our vegetable garden. Using The Maria Thun Biodynamic Almanac 2019, appropriate times have been identified for seed starting, transplanting to 4" pots and planting into the raised beds or ground which has been covered heavily with wood chips since last year. I am so excited to try my hand(s) with this next evolutionary step for the garden under my care.

In tandem with study of biodynamic gardening, I searched for an avenue to give my body movement it craved. I settled on Jazzercise which I did while living in Tucson, Arizona, and often attended in Carlsbad, the "home" of Jazzercise, when visiting my dear, late aunt and uncle. 

Cathie and Donna in her backyard
Carlsbad, California
May, 1987.
We are ready for Jazzercise!

The founder is from Iowa; in fact Judi Missett grew up 16 miles from me. We Iowa girls "need to stick together"! And I agree full heartedly with her philosophy about movement:

“When you have movement in your life, it creates movement in other parts of your life and keeps you moving forward in the best possible way.” Judi Missett, 2014

So I now go two or three times a week enjoying every minute even though I do prefer certain instructors. Even after just a month I feel more energized.

Shasta napping on our bed with the sunshine streaming in through the West window.
"Way too chilly to BE napping outside which is my preference", says Shasta.

As we include more movement in our lives and nap in the sunshine this Wintertime, may we, too,