by Happy Spring in Wisconsin! Little sleepy heads like Snow Drops, Hepatica, Crocus, and Pasque Flowers are waking up and stretching towards the warmth of May. These earliest harbingers of the end of winter are reminders that we always come through it. They give me hope, even on the spring days that taunt us with snow!
One of my favorite quotes comes from Margaret Atwood: “In spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.”
I can’t wait to get out there and dig around, breaking up dirt clumps with my bare hands, working in compost from our bin, dividing and moving perennials and, of course, planting new babies (because no one has ever said “I have enough flowers). I’ll be starting our vegetable seeds inside soon, will gradually acclimate them to the elements in May, getting them used to the sun and wind, and then I’ll put them in their newly prepared spots outside with a little pat and a “there you go!” prayer.
Everyone loves a garden! But they don’t just happen. It takes planning, perseverance and plain old back-aching work.
YOU KNOW THIS WAS COMING . . . (BUT HERE I GO ANYWAY) . . . JUST LIKE ADVOCACY WORK!
This will be a short blog this month, but the message is that we need you. We need your help to make this “garden” grow and produce. We aren’t like big industry or association groups. We can’t hire lobbyists to do the foot work for us with legislators. We need your feet. Your hands. We sort of need you in the dirt with us.
What’s the payoff? Let me put it this way. If you’ve ever grown something from seed and then picked and enjoyed those flowers or vegetables, you know how great that feels. The flowers are more beautiful and the tomatoes just taste better! When you work on getting a piece of legislation passed, knowing it will help women in your community, it’s such a satisfying feeling to see that bill signed. I have two pens in my desk drawer from signing ceremonies with two different governors. I LOVE those pens. I had the privilege of being present, but would not have been there if thousands of women and men hadn’t spoken to their legislators about the importance of passing the bills. We all made a difference.
This last legislative session in Wisconsin just ended without the bill we were supporting going through. That’s a really hard thing to swallow. Like nursing a seed from April all through the summer and not getting a single cantaloupe from the plant no matter how well it was tended. But now is time to plan for the next session. We have to build up our soil!
Please consider working with us. You can be sure you’re on our email list so you get Alerts when we need you to make calls to your legislators. You can join one of our committees if you really like to get into the dirt and make things grow. Either way, if you garden you know – you have to get your hands a little dirty to enjoy the fruits of your labor. It’s so worth it. Give us a call or send an email to talk to someone about getting involved.
