Spring is Coming - Don't Look Back!!!

Notes on a city trip for the country mice, eager anticipation of the thaw, and a simple, sunny mocktail recipe

Signs of spring: a clear day; mocktail-making; arugula sprouts in the greenhouse; a quick city trip.

Note: these monthly updates serve two purposes - you’ll find a “regular” blog post, as well as yoga/coaching offering updates. If you’re just looking for the latter, skip on down to the bottom. Still here? Great! On to the view from the farm…

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It’s March!!!

Maybe some of you, like me, are prone to Seasonal Affective Disorder. This winter, I was absolutely determined to lean in to softness, rest, the gentle slowing-down of the season. And while it kind of worked, my brain chemistry was still screaming Danger! There will never sunlight again, and you will be permanently sad at me by the end of February. Knowing something is ridiculous and untrue isn’t the same as feeling it in your body, and I am VERY ready for brighter days. It is with more relief than I can imagine that I anticipate a few upcoming events:

• The Worm Moon is Tuesday, signaling the time of year when the ground begins to thaw and things (including me) begin to wiggle. This one includes a full lunar eclipse and I, for one, plan to venture outside. I may simply look up at the sky, but I’m not ruling out howling, dancing, or maybe even trying out the new drum a forward-thinking friend sent me.

• Daylight savings begins next week in most of the U.S. And while I am one of those old-fashioned grumps who would rather stay on standard time and get my daylight in as early as possible, I’m not completely upset at the idea of some bright evening porch-sits.

• Spring is in three weeks!!! Tomatoes and peppers are started indoors, arugula and spinach and lettuce are coming up in the greenhouse, and Lamb Watch 2026 has begun (yes, of course there will be cute photos!)

One thing that helped break up what felt like a relentlessly cold, dark winter: a quick Valentine’s Day/birthday trip to New York, a city I still can’t help love even as Mr. Rooted and I become cranky old mountain hermits. We did the city tourist things: a Broadway show and a concert (I managed not to launch myself over the balcony at Allison Russell playing Persephone in Hadestown or Brandi Carlile at Madison Square Garden); Thai and Chinese food we just can’t quite get in our corner of West Virginia.

Hadestown is a retelling of the tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice, this version interwoven with the tale of Hades and Persephone, goddess of springtime and queen of the underworld. It’s a gorgeous, layered production that takes on themes of love, loss, fate, faith, and what happens when we hold on to things too tightly - and almost manages to make the whole mess hopeful.

If you know the story, you’ll recall that Orpheus travels all the way to the underworld to rescue his wife. He makes his case so persuasively, so beautifully, that the pitiless Hades agrees to let both of them go, on one condition: that the musician not look back - even to make sure that Eurydice is following him. In this way, the two almost make it back to the land of the living together. The Greeks weren’t big on happy endings, though, and Orpheus is, at the very last moment, overtaken by doubt and fear. He looks back, sees his wife - and loses her forever.

It’s a sad song, sings the chorus, we keep singing even so.

The lessons are old ones - about the futility of overcoming fate; about the inevitability of loss; about the absolute and unshakable faith needed to successfully walk out of darkness and into the sunlight. In this season of my life, I connect especially to this last part: if you want to emerge into warmth and spring, you absolutely cannot look back to make sure you’ve actually left the darkness behind you - or even to be sure you’ve brought everything with you that you wanted. It is so tempting to look back into the shadows and cold. Just to check. To make sure that the path you’re on isn’t a trick. To make sure the things you love have followed you. But that’s a trap. You’ve got to keep your face turned toward the sunlight. It’s the only way out.

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Even taking into account Greek tragedy, the trip’s only disappointment was a visit to a highly-rated non-alcoholic bar that I found charming, but lacking in the creative cocktail department. That problem was quickly solved back at home. The drink recipe below is just what I want on an early-spring day, full of bright flavors (lemon and ginger) and soothing ingredients (chamomile and honey), both medicinal and cheerful. Bonus: it’s the color of actual sunshine.

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Spring Sparkler (a bright seasonal mocktail to welcome lighter days)

1 lemon

1 oz fresh ginger

2 T dried chamomile

1 c water

1/2 c honey

Sparkling beverage of choice (your favorite NA prosecco is strongly recommended)

1. Using a paring knife, remove the zest from the lemon.

2. Thinly slice the ginger

3. Add ginger and lemon zest to a pot with 1 cup water and simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the chamomile and turn off heat. Allow to steep for an additional five minutes.

5. Juice the lemon. Add lemon juice to a jar with honey; strain the ginger/chamomile/lemon “tea” into the jar

6. Mix well and chill.

7. Add 2 T of the chilled syrup to a pretty glass. Top with your favorite sparkling beverage - I recommend an NA prosecco (I like Boresso), but you could use sparkling water, or even “real” prosecco if you tolerate alcohol better than I do!

8. Garnish with something festive; sip in the sunshine; don’t look back into the dark and cold.

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Here looking for my yoga schedule or coaching offerings? Here’s what’s up in March:

• Lost River Yoga: Chair Wednesdays at 10:30 am; Vinyasa Saturdays at 10 am. On March 21, to welcome spring, join us at 4 pm for an energizing power-flow followed by snacks and mocktails!

• Hardy County Health and Wellness Center: Vinyasa Tuesdays at 4:15 pm; Chair Thursdays at 11 am.

• Emerging from winter and looking toward a vibrant spring? I have space in my calendar for 2-3 additional health coaching clients. I offer tailored, 1-on-1 support for a variety of goals, and offer sliding scale (no one turned away for lack of funds.) Our first, exploratory session is always free.

Finally: I’m working with some fabulous collaborators to iron out final details for a fall retreat in Virginia. If beautiful scenery, great plant-forward food, yoga, and energy work sound like your kind of vacation, SAVE THE DATE: September 24-27th. Want to be notified when registration opens? Send me a note!

Thanks, as always, for being here - and be well,

Havala