LifeSoup by Cherie Dawn Haas

Ah, farming. Anyone who grows even a backyard garden will tell you that it can be difficult, but I never really appreciated food until we bought a vineyard several years ago. When I saw how much work goes into tending the vines, the grapes, and even the very dirt from which they grew, I began to preach: Food is a miracle. 

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We’ve battled the rain (too much encourages a mildew that kills the grapes). 

We’ve battled bugs (from Japanese beetle infestations devouring the leaves that feed the grapes to hornets and wasps that relentlessly sting). 

We’ve battled turkeys (I’ve been known to chase them from the grapes by banging pots and pans from our kitchen and yelling, “I’m sorry, but these aren’t for you!”).

I never dreamed we’d also battle fire.

My husband, Dwayne, was mowing the vineyard hillside for the first time this Spring; the ground was still damp from recent rains but the dead grass was ignited by a spark from the tractor. Within a couple of short minutes of trying to out the flames, he realized that they were only spreading, and so he called 911.

I arrived home to see a dark cloud of smoke over the vineyard as Dwayne guided me on where to park. “The fire department is coming,” he said as I jumped out of the car with our older son, Dylan, and his girlfriend.

By this time, our younger son was using our garden hose to spray the top of the vineyard, where flames were approaching our unsuspecting chickens in their coop (the Hen Zen Zone), and our backyard, which led to our house. 

We began to move chickens from the coop (apparently I have favorites, as Dylan’s girlfriend noticed which ones I was rescuing first), and then the fire department arrived. By the time they had the hose out and had begun spraying the hillside closest to the forest, where the fire was spreading, I realized everything was going to be okay. 

Watching your land go up in flames is strange.

I went back and forth between wrapping my arms around my own waist, and pacing in the yard with my hands to my face. Even in retrospect, I’m not sure there was anything I could do; I watched and remembered lessons from my yoga practice:

1. I scanned the present-moment situation. Although in somewhat potential danger (aren’t we always?) – every person safe at that moment, as well as our chickens, our dogs, and our house.
2. I stayed there instead of flashing forward to unknown and scary possible scenarios of “what if’s.” 
3. I checked my breath. Was I breathing fast? I took slower, deeper breaths to lean into calmness instead of panic; if there was nothing I could do, then I could just stay out of the way of the firefighters and simultaneously pray for their safety and in gratitude for their presence and efficiency.

Did having a meditation and yoga practice help me throughout the vineyard fire? I believe so. As I have begun the pruning of the vines for this season, I treat each individual one as the special living thing it is, with a new appreciation for everything it provides in its life cycle: quiet time with nature and my family; grapes for jelly, pies, and wine; and enough income to cover the expenses of maintaining it.

So how did the fire affect the vineyard? It cleared out all the weeds and left some of the vines blackened at the base but otherwise healthy, from what we can tell so far.

How did the fire affect us? I like to think we’re at least a little bit closer, a little more careful, and a little more grateful.

Peace, love, and (yep) fire,
Cherie Dawn

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April Announcements

Art Events: Later this month, the company I work for, Streamline Publishing, is hosting our 2nd Annual Plein Air Live virtual art conference. If you’re interested in art on any level, I encourage you to check it out! For those who don’t know, “plein air painting” means painting outdoors, and there’s a wonderful community of artists out there ready to welcome you to this growing movement.

On Writing: I’m also working on the finishing touches of my next novel and co-authoring a new eBook of meditation scripts … more to come on that! (Click here to read my first novel, Girl on Fire, for free on Kindle Unlimited and to learn about From Meditation to Creation)

Yoga Retreats: Since earning my yoga teacher certification, I’ve begun leading afternoon yoga retreats. Coming in late May, I’m teaching at a weekend retreat with multiple workshops, a bonfire, swimming pond, and more, hosted by East Cincy Yoga. Ask me for details!