Apr 4, 2013

Of Wind and Violets


I went to visit the witch on the hill this week.  She will soon be the witch on the farm.  It is a dream come true for her, but also a bittersweet time as she leaves her home on the hill and the trees and land she has nurtured for so many years.


She walked me around her property, telling me stories about the trees she planted and where they came from.  How very little they were when she put them in on the edge of the hill over looking vast meadows.  The meadows are now a subdivision, and the trees grew tall enough to mostly shield her from the now cemented and landscaped land below.


She has more windchimes than I could count. Hung all over and each seeming to move of its own accord.  He little piece of land isn't just a haven for birds and flora - there are others here too. You can tell the moment you walk through the gate.  We chatted about how she may relate her re-location to these spirits.  I tossed out an idea of burying a paper bearing her new address on it, to quite literally leave a forwarding address for those that may want to follow.  She's hoping that some will want to join her elsewhere.


The spirit of the land there, will remain. And this is probably what leaves her looking a little blue, even while her dreams are being realized.  The people who own the land are not going to rent it out again.  Being retired and not up to keeping such a bustling property, she feels they will simply leave it to fade. Nature will reclaim it.  After the grass and some of the trees die in the fierce summer heat.  After the few plants that she can't take fade back into the earth for the last time. The hill will take it all back in.


 But she will take whatever she can.  She planted in containers mostly.  Partially because it hurts her to bend over too much.  Because of this, all the pots and vintage barrels and washtubs brimming with plants will come with her.  A row of potted sweetgrass is coming, as well as strawberries dug up last season, and grape vines trained into containers to root so she can take a bit of her beloved grape with her.

She'll dig up some violets too.  They grow all over her yard and are putting on a lovely show right now.  I took a jar-full home to infuse in oil, along with a large bouquet of garden sage that had grown happily in her raised bed all winter, and some honeysuckle cuttings that I hope to root.

She'll take her father's tractor, and her grandfather's cauldron.  The cauldron needs some care and not a small amount of elbow grease to remove the rust, but the 100 year old iron giant that was once used for canning pork, will find a special place for itself at the farm.


The wind will be there, at her new home, to dance with her chimes and perhaps to welcome any of her other 'friends' that come.  She'll build a new haven on the farm, and have the home she always wanted.  But I suspect that she'll never forget the house on the hill, with the trees that she grew from little seedlings and the violets that ran wild through the land.


13 comments:

Kelly M said...

That sounds like such a magical place. You are lucky to be able to visit somewhere like that. It made me feel peaceful just reading about it !!

innocence and magic said...

wow, what a beautifully written blog post, and a beautiful subject. would love to see it! BB

Debra She Who Seeks said...

Best wishes to your witchy friend and may there be violets at her new home too.

Lois said...

Such a powerful post! It left me with so many questions... Why and where and how old and so on. Lovely. Lois

petoskystone said...

May the winds talk, the violets smile, & her friends join her on the Farm. Beautifully written. Thank you :)

MandaBurms FarmStay for Cats. said...

It would be hard for her friend to be leaving her special plantings, lets hope the new owners appreciate them. But it's always good to take favourite plants to the new home - we have each move.

jill said...

Oh it sounds a beautiful place to visit,Im sure her new home will be as special and beautiful,blessings to you and your witchy friend xxx

Jeanne said...

This was a very moving post! The emotion is so strong. I can understand how she feels about leaving her 'friends and family'. I felt that way when we moved from our place in Arkansas. But I have learned that we can make our own magickal place wherever we should choose to live.

Witchcrafted Life said...

What a very beautiful, touching idea you put forth. I think I shall do just that from now on when I leave one home and venture on to the next. It's a truly lovely idea.

♥ Jessica

*PS* Thank you very much for your recent blog comment. Indeed, we returned (technically, I returned, Tony is a newcomer) to Penticton early last year and have been having a glorious time here in the Okanagan ever since. I lived in various spots (chiefly Penticton) around these parts for about half of my childhood, and returning with Tony had been a dream of mine ever since leaving (which was a few days after our wedding). It still feels a little surreal that we were able to make it happen, and I couldn't be happier that it did. I don't know of too many fellow Okanagan bloggers either, and am so happy to have you nearby.

Magaly Guerrero said...

Look at your collection of pretties...

Anonymous said...

What a wonderful post. I love the wind chimes a have a few myself ; )
I'm sure the spirits come with her or she will find and attrackt some new ones where she goes too ; )
Have a great day.

brandi said...

~the story told brought tears to my eyes...so much depth and emotion lies within this post...a journey...life it always seem to move on...may she find calm winds to sooth her spirit as she settles into a new place to call home...much love light and blessings~

Unknown said...

It is so hard to leave a place that has taken root in your heart--even as the future beckons with a fistful of dreams. I would have loved to see her house on the hill. I can imagine it truly is what all witchy houses on hills should be.