Not long after the dawn, the clouds began building. Now, a few minutes before noon, the rain is visible in the distance both to the southwest and due east.
We know better than to assume that either storm will reach us, but the scent of water is upon the wind, and that alone is cause enough for hope.
And we need hope now. Planting our garden this year became an act of pure faith, even as drastically scaled-back as it is from our original plans. The weather since summer temperatures first arrived has been discouraging, to understate the case significantly; in what is supposed to be the monsoon season, we have had virtually no rain, leaving an earth burning up, soil dry as ash and bone.
And still, we planted seeds.
It’s requiring extra work of us this year, watering by hand and by sprinkler in hours early and late. It requires extra prayers, and a deliberate effort to shore up our faith in the blessings of the spirits and of this wounded Earth herself. But despite all of that, and despite the constant heat, despite the blue skies bleached bone-white save for the haze of wildfires too near for comfort . . . despite it all, the corn and squash and other plants are emergent, green, thriving. From seed to sky, they reach for the light and such water as may be had, and if they can be strong and brave in such circumstances, so can we.
Today’s featured work embodies seeds in its way, too — as a vessel to hold and save store them, to use for planting, yes, and a gift to the pollinators, too. But its near-perfect globe-like shape seems rather like a seed, too, one now grown into this world that we call home. It’s a traditional it3em wrought in a traditional style, micaceous clay left richly textured and yet still ashimmer in the light. From its description in the Other Artists: Sculpture gallery here on the site:
Keep your seeds safe and dry in this perfectly-shaped little seed pot by Benito Romero (Taos Pueblo). Great for storage in the cold months, and useful for dispensing seeds during planting season. Made of the Pueblo’s local micaceous clay; 3″ high by 3.5″ across at widest point (dimensions approximate). Top view shown below.
Micaceous clay
$65 + shipping, handling, and insurance
And now, the clouds surround us on all sides. The baling has beaten whatever weather we may be granted: fifteen bales from a set of fields that used to yield far more than ten times that amount. For now, though, we welcome whatever we get.
So will the the thirsty earth, the trees and red willows, the grass and medicine plants, the gardens. From seed to sky, they reach, emergent, driven by faith in their purpose, in a welcoming world and generous spirits.
We do the same.
~ Aji
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