(Yes, I am still here. I apologize for the length of the hiatus-I never intended it to be as long as it became. For a blog whose sole reason for existence was to give me a place to express thoughts, with no further profit sought, I am both amused and humbled by how much value I place on those of you who read here.)

We are now post-Equinox and it is spring (the picture above is rhubarb, the first sign of life in my gardens this year). I would have said "finally" spring, except time is such a strange thing. The winter was long (what winter isn't?), but the year short. The mars retrograde was long, but not as long as the one in 2007 (by mood and effect at least). The years when I had very small children at home seemed to last for ice ages (I really didn't think I would survive), but now it appears that the whole active mother with children at home stage seems to be going by in the blink of an eye. And, tomorrow night, when I go out into the circle for the Full Moon, time will stand still. What am I to make of all this? I really don't know, other than:

1. I didn't mean to go as long without a post here as I did; and

2. the faster time goes, the easier it is to appear patient.

Tomorrow (Full Moon) will be the start of Passover. The house is almost ready (if you don't know how to prepare for Passover, imagine the most thorough spring cleaning and multiply by 10), and by sundown tomorrow, all the dishes, pots and pans, flatware, indeed, anything that has anything to do with food will have been cleaned and packed away. All of the dishes, pots, pans flatware and anything that has to do with Passover will be cleaned and set it place. We will hold 2 Seders, one with the extended family and one here at home. Although she gets short shrift in our traditional haggadah, Miriam and her Well have their place of honor at our table. We will honor our ancestors and remember when we were slaves. We will think of those who are still held in slavery-there are chains of all types. We will honor and celebrate the spring harvests that came even before the story in the haggadah. And we will honor our own spring harvests, in this house, they are the college and graduate school acceptance letters my daughters have received.

In essence, we will honor Time.