THE SPRUCE TREE JOURNAL

A place of refuge, a time of peace, a message of hope.

March 2026

March is when my Irish genes flare up. It’s when that ancient Hibernian juju lying dormant (mostly) in my genes manifests itself with such great force that I cannot consciously stop it any more than I can stop the rising tide of the Irish Sea. Nor, truth be told, do I wish to stop it.

One gene sequence of we Hibernians has to do with universal Irish time, which, conversely, means no such thing as time at all - at least as mortals understand it. Irish music jam sessions, of which I regularly attend three each month, starts when we get there and ends when we leave, regardless of what the pub calendars state. And likewise, The Spruce Tree Journal technically is not late this month. I sent it out when all the pieces came together; or in other words, when it was ready.

So, in honor of St. Patrick’s Day and all the festivities surrounding it this month, I share my recipe for Irish Lamb and Barley Stew, a blog based on a magical place I came across while I was hiking in Ireland, and an example of the beautiful descriptive Irish language. Read it when you’re ready.

Lá Fhéile Pádraig sona daoibh. Tadhg

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all of you. Tim

Blog

Their Place of Resurrection

Pete McCarthy says it best in his book McCarthy’s Bar:

“The Celtic monks would wander round…until they found the place that was calling them. Then they’d settle and make their community there. They had an expression for it: seeking their place of resurrection. They believed they were beneath that spot in the firmament that would one day lead them to heaven.”

It was a drizzly morning in the countryside just outside Ballina, County Mayo. I was driving down a winding, narrow road lined on each side with small farms. Then I saw it off in the distance, its bell tower reaching toward the firmament as a beacon giving direction, both spiritual and temporal, to the faithful.

Monthly Mantra

Worrying is like worshiping the problem.

Word Search

Be aware of this month's word manifestation during your travels over the next few weeks.

Hierophany - the sacred made visible.

"Rocks have introduced me to the people I know best and granted us moments of hierophany, the sacred breaking through into everyday life."

From Turning to Stone: Discovering the Subtle Wisdom of Rocks by Marcia Bjornerud

This Month's Photo

Just Because...

A photo from my files.

Lady Bug

In Irish: Bóín Dé (BOH-een jay) and translates to "God’s little cow."

Second Helping

Irish Lamb and Barley Stew

I love lamb. Didn’t always, although I did tolerate it. Then several decades ago, I went down the path of raising my own lambs when I had the place for them - all fed on whatever grew outside - Japanese knotweed, grass, weeds, poison ivy…they ate it all. The resulting chops and other cuts tasted so much better than the old mutton sold in the stores. Forage-fed local lamb is the food of the gods.

And, as I have come to learn, Guinness stout is their drink. But I digress.

Click the link below for full recipe.

Full Recipe

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More information, including the past Blogs, Second Helping recipes, and my publication history, is found at www.thespurcetreejournal.com.