The Maypole Dance

For most holidays we write a whole new ritual and there’s no guarantee that any particular element will recur from year to year. I’ve been to Ostaras without eggs and Samhains without the names of the dead. But I’ve never been to a Beltane without the Maypole. That one remains.

Notes From Swannanoa – Part V

As I write this, it has been 122 days since Helene. In another week or so, I anticipate the appearance of purple dead nettle all around the land surrounding Bear Path Cottage, a bit of bright color among the browns and greens of winter.