On a recent wander in the nearby Black Range, I spotted a cave that looked, from my vantage point, like a Paleolithic cave art eland or bovine of some sort.
There was no trail up to the cave but, having nothing else to do, I did my best to scramble closer, on high alert, winter notwithstanding, for wasps, scorpions or dozing rattlesnakes. Not to mention the abundant and various prickly flora native to this area.
An opuntia, apparently growing right out of the sandstone rock face, watched my clumsy ascent.
My poor climbing skills and lack of grip strength in arthritic hands had me surrender before reaching the cave or the cactus.
Not all stories are celebrations of success.
Getting down from my half assed attempt at exploring a cliff side cave was even harder, especially on the knees. The sun was warm though, and the sky so beautifully cloudlessly blue that just being there sprawled and catching my breath on a rocky slope was worth it.
Solstice greetings around the world. The furthest point is reached. Then we breathe. Then we swing back.
Motion. Endurance. Resilience. Yoga.
Whatever. I came down from the mountains to dig in my garden, preparing for another season. It’s what we do: keep on keeping on. Hanging on like a cactus on a cliff.
Garlic is flourishing. With no winter precipitation at all yet, I have been watering a couple of times a week.
Fava beans are germinating in the warm south facing front garden too. I wondered about planting so late in the season. I might have to blanket them if January nights go below 25, but I am pleased to see their bright green hopefulness pushing through the leaf mulch this winter solstice. It’s something, at least.
Recommended Reading
Honor by Thrity Umrigar 2022
In an afterword to the e-book edition the author writes:
The novel poses the question of whether it is possible to love a country when you’re ashamed of its politics and practices. What form and shape does that love take? Millions of us all around the world are currently grappling with that question. It is my hope that readers will see themselves in the internal and external struggles of the novel’s two female characters, and in their search for home.
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