Our Fabled Nest

The first day of May is always pleasant. Budding trees are now blooming, gardens crops are starting to show some of the fruits of your labor, and even, warm mornings are replacing the chill of early spring. Early spring was beautiful to set the tone for early May. The hard work is now starting to show off. Everything is alive, bees buzzing about the newly bloomed flowers, birds chirping overhead in their newly formed nest. It’s a beautiful time to soak in the wonders of nature. Alive and aware of the bounty that surrounds us.

Beltane, a sabbat on the wheel of the year, and the last of the “fertility” festivals. Gaelic May Day also known as Beltane is a festival held midway between the spring equinox (Ostara) and the summer solstice (Midsommar). Beltane is pronounced Bel-Tain. In essence, it is the Celtic beginning of summer. Typically, it is considered a Pagan holiday and celebrated by those in Ireland, Isle of Man and Scottland. Animals being brought out pastures and all things in bloom are being celebrated along with the coming of summer. Quite lovely.

I love all of the sabbats and have reasons for why each is my favorite. This one I adore because I think back to hundreds or thousands of years ago, our ancestors had to fight tooth and nail to make sure their crops, and food stores were plenty to get them through the winters. Then to see your family and animals made it through to the spring – I cannot begin to imagine how proud and blessed they were feeling. Early February starting your seedlings and watching them mature enough to be planted. Then around this time for those precious buds to start producing substance for your tribe must have been a relief. One well worth celebrating! Another aspect I truly love is the aliveness of the earth. Everything is alive, days are longer, warmer weather beckons you to sit outside, morning walks linger all the while mama nature gently hums along. In nature nothing hurries but everything is accomplished.

Speaking of celebrating! How are we celebrating? Beltane translates to “bright fire”, and what better way? A bonfire! Complete with puppy friendly smores and popcorn! If you’re feeling fancy or creative, make a flower crown -yes, just like those ones we did when we were kids! If you’re tending to your garden, now is the perfect time to add some plants or create a new planter. While I’ve never danced around a Maypole, it is a beautiful communal aspect of celebrating with a small group of folks. We are celebrating all things growing, floral, and new life abundantly flowing in!

Like I’ve said in previous post, I know I don’t have human kids. Mine are furry four-legged toddlers. I love them as such and include them on everything. Hence the reason, I started the blog. Being good sports, they “helped paint” our steppingstones for our garden. I love watching them and then when we placed them? Atticus kept going over to his and looking at us… we acknowledge that’s his and make a big deal of it. He then proceeded to run to us happy as a husky in Alaska, goofy grin and all proud of his art. Seriously, the best.

For our menu, we were wanting freshness of spring, warmth of summer and something delicious celebrating all of the beautiful bountiful things growing and flowing in! Starting with a Scottish bread, Bannocks. It is basically a scone biscuit but a bit denser and heavier. Traditionally, these were made over fires, I’d rather not- I’ll stick with my modern conveniences. Adding some fresh butter and honey made these ridiculously good. As a main dish, I wanted something celebrating the newness of warmth while revering the months prior. A homey but elevated dish of Honey Garlic Spareribs seemed to fit the bill. Easy enough thanks to my insta-pot, and mostly hands off except for a bit of chopping and stirring. Delicious, comforting and grounding. A simple side of roasted carrots and potatoes. Add a refreshing glass of Reisling. So simple but perfect. As for dessert? Simple cherry cobbler. I forgot vanilla ice cream. It would have made the cobbler sing. We enjoyed every bit of our meal all the while basking in the warm sunshine.

Cheers to our next adventure!