So, time to get down to the business of Summer . . . .

Photo copyright Wings, 2014; all rights reserved.

This guy certainly has. He's watching from a safe (i.e., not too far to swoop in if needed) distance while the little ones stretch their wings.

For me, I think that means playing in the dirt today, otherwise known as "gardening." I have a lot to get done out there, and after last night's rain, the soil should be just about perfect.

Besides, it'll be good for my head, both figuratively and literally. Figuratively in the sense that I haven't been able to spend nearly time so far this season with my hands in the earth, and my mood needs that connection with the soil right now. Literally in the sense that three times this week — every other weekday, in other words — I've awakened with a vicious migraine, and maybe this will help.



The migraines are the product of that old injury to my neck and back; when the nerves and muscles get impinged, there's usually not much that can be done except to ride it out. But in recent weeks, this has become an ongoing, increasingly intractable problem, and finally, yesterday, Wings did some extended work on my upper back. We have an old massage table that we've had for years, but it's packed away in storage, so . . . we improvised. We took a heavy, soft blanket, doubled it, and laid it on the picnic table. Turns out the picnic table is exactly the right length, and it's also the perfect height for him to be able to sit part of the time while working the knots out of my back. [Heh — turns out the picnic table is also perfect for other things, too.] 

Wings used an old method that we've both used a lot in the past: stone therapy. Now, this is not "hot rocks," like you find in salons and spas; this is something much older. You choose a stone for its size, shape, smoothness, ability to fit into your hand, and whatever other particular qualities it holds, and you use it as an extension of your hand, to work out the knotted muscles and move things back into place. You can often get better leverage with the stone, better force, and an ability to push deeper into the muscle mass. You also get whatever benefits you believe are inherent in the mineral make-up of the stone itself against your skin (and since our traditions teach animism, for us, that's a considerable benefit). The stone he used yesterday is a lovely oddly-shaped piece of local Pilar slate, about the size of his palm and a couple of inches thick, in shades ranging from charcoal to dove gray. Most of the matrix is the usual blood-red lining found in Pilar slate, but this particular stone also has some white quartzy matrices, and one unusual white splotch on it. We have a collection of these stones that we use for this purpose (and other purposes): slate, river rocks, bits of micaceous clay, stones polished smooth by the waters of Lake Michigan. Each has its own character and qualities, and works in different ways.

And work it did. I am sore this morning, but that's a constant; I'm never without pain, even for a moment. But the migraine has receded, significantly. I slept relatively solidly last night (for me, that's always relative). And today, I think I'll make some time to play in the dirt.

And if you want to see another expression of Summer, this one by Wings himself, check out today's entry over at The NDN Silver Blog.