Rain or Sunshine Kind of Day

The bird songs welcomed folks to our second day of our weekend. As some drank lemon balm tea and others coffee, we settled down in a circle and listened to each other’s morning gratitude’s. To our surprise, one of our year one’s gifted us with Tamarack branches harvested from her morning drive to this course.  Alexis had a grand agenda for us this day and these Tamarack branches were included in the plans.

We started with setting aside a chunk of time journaling about plants. Alexis’s library holds a wealth of information about plants and as we wrapped up this activity, we had the chance to share our new findings in our group. This was a great opportunity to learn a wealth of information within our community of plant enthusiast.

Of course the most memorable components of this day to many of us was the speedy moving clouds that shadowed us throughout the day. When the dark shadows appeared overhead this invited strong winds, thunder, rain and hail to pour down on us. We were well prepared to watch this from Alexis’s green house or porch. It was a beautiful and powerful scene to witness. Our rainy and sunny day was filled with amazing activities and ideas on caretaking and stewardship; multiple perspectives and stories taught me the importance to think on a deeper level about our caretaking and stewardship roles in relationship to nature.

We familiarised ourselves with Tamarack and its medicinal properties. Then proceeded, with instructions from Alexis, to make a tamarack tincture. This tincture provides energy and was helpful as an immuno-stimulant. We also made mouse nests from willow branches, leaf litter and pine needles. We carpooled over to a nearby forest to place these little homes in a much needed space for our wild friends. In the forest and when the rain grew heavy Alexis found a safe spot to plant some bloodroot seeds he had saved. We also did some tree Id and ended our time in the forest with sit spots.

This weekend introduced us to thinking about our roles as caretakers of the land. It is a conversation that is much required in our lives these days and I’m glad that I can begin to take action on a small scale and in simple ways.