Season Kick-Off :: Strawberries and Butterflies

Strawberry season is in full swing here in Florida and last week we had our fourth annual strawberry picking jubilee! It was my deepest pleasure to include a new member in this sweet, early spring tradition, my niece Mahon. She picked with enthusiasm and nibbled with even more!

Four years, four kids... I love this annual ritual and all of its sweetness - from the connection to our land, to the marking of time, to the delicious, drippy goodness of sun-warmed strawberries plucked right from the plant and eaten in a cool spring breeze. I am indeed so blessed.

Another seasonal kick-off happens this Thursday (March 1st) with the spring issue of Rhythm of the Home. Look for my article "The Magic of Raising Butterflies." Our butterfly garden has been a busy place these days and over the past few weeks, we've had the pleasure of raising seven hungry monarch catepillars in our butterfly house. That's a lot of milkweed my friends... an emergency run to the local farm & garden nursery was required (where I was told there was a run on milkweed, as all the "catepillar keepers" had been in looking for more!). We've released one maginificent beauty from this group already, and eagerly await the emergence of the rest. A beautiful beginning to the season of rebirth.

Are you seeing signs of spring? I'd love to hear how you kick off the season in your nest...