seven years after the invasion...

My country's skies are bluer than the ocean,

And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine;

But other lands have sunlight too, and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, thou God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.

from hymn # 159 This is my Song 

in Singing the Living Tradition

late summer

new this weekend...

a honeycrisp apple and a liberty apple on the left.

(and the romantic pair of pears on the right).

we're investing in the homestead bit by bit.
going outside to pick food just lifts one's spirits, eh?
every little bit helps.

sun gold tomatoes,

picked and eaten within an hour.

the eye on the sky forecast promises record breaking heat this week.
our farming neighbors are haying morning, noon and evening.
it smells like heaven.

what are you noticing as august turns into september?

knitting a cowl

the cooler days sent me off to the knitting studio in montpelier.

i found a lovely merino/silk blend.

henry approved of the color.

i hope it will look great with my chocolate brown coat.

he also likes the pattern.

"pashmina cowl" from

Last-Minute Knitted Gifts.

it is knitting up beautifully.

but there's a bit more hot weather in the forecast...

so it will be a while before i really need it.

are you working on any fun projects?

soon

these beauties came from the dog river farm roadside stand.

 i am harvesting yellow wax beans and chard and lettuces

and noticing red and orange maple leaves scattered along the road.

ah, autumn.

here you come.

:-)

a wicked good deal

lindsey proposed a swap.

a bag of my homemade granola for a wee lino block from her.

(she knows i long for chickens of my own...)

see what arrived recently in the mail?

LOVE it.

it's quiet now and the sheets and towels are washed...

otherworldly...

tall, spindly stalk, crazy seed pods, gorgeous pink coloring...
the cleomes are nodding in the wind today.

hannah is happy as can be in ohio.

an early, wet, windy drive to la guardia airport this morning
sent gretta back to college in illinois.
check out what she's been up to these past few days,
over at her crunchy corner.

henry and i will be heading back to our
"bit of earth" in vermont tomorrow,
to squeeze the last little bit out of the summer.
i've been missing my sewing machine...

what are you working on as the summer slips away?

(and thanks for your comments in response to my exhaustified post,
i'm glad to be in your good company!)

surrender

tonight i think i am feeling world weary.

i've brewed a mug of herbal tea, i am putting on my jammies, 

i have pulled the pride and prejudice dvd from the shelf

and i am done for now.

taking a time out.

escaping.

(what do you do when you're "exhaustified*"?)

sleep sweet, friends. 

*one of our favorite words, invented by amy march of Little Women.

to ohio and back

Last year, at just about this time, I was shuttling Gretta off to Illinois, for her first year of college. This week, I caravanned with Hannah out to Ohio, for her first year of teaching at a small boarding school. She had sorted through all her possessions (Goodwill/trash/recycled/re purposed) and packed what was deemed essential into her car and our pick up truck. We had fun using our walkie talkies along the way and arrived in Ohio with time on Tuesday evening to begin setting up her apartment in the girls' dorm.

The school has a working farm, where the students raise a lot of the food served in the dining hall. There's a herd of sweet goats...

and the campus is so lovely and pastoral.

The place seems timeless and much loved.

Here's our girl, assessing her classroom space, thinking about how to make it her very own.

And here's the dresser she painted...

We spent some time putting furniture together, setting up her tiny kitchen and getting to know some of the super nice staff. 

Last night, after I hugged her good-bye, I snapped this picture of the evening sunshine on the face of the  Meeting House on campus. I was sad and proud and happy to leave her there....

intentions for the week

be present

and seek balance...

as we launch beloved child number three into the "real", adult world.

wandering around

After we returned from the weekend filled with wedding festivities, we came back up to Vermont, where we have unplugged Batman from the corporate machine for the week. Long overdue and well deserved.

Yesterday we went up and over the Rochester Gap for muffins for breakfast and then we drove up route 100, stopping at Moss Glen Falls.  It was tricky to get a good photo of the falls, but do check out the color and light in the water where the falls meet the sand bottomed pool.

 

Then we stopped at Yestermorrow, to check things out and pick up a brochure for their fall/winter classes. (Just thinking...) 

I also spent a few minutes out in their front field, where two signs read, "American military killed 1216 in Afganistan" and "American military killed 4413 in Iraq". Small white flags, set in neat rows, mark the numbers in a sobering and very real visual way. I wish more people could see this.

It was on to Moretown Common to see the ancestral home of one of the branches of Batman's family. The house needs a bit of TLC, but the cemetery is full of well preserved headstones. One was engraved with the phrase, "Passed to the Spirit World", while others told the story of ten siblings, four of whom died in infancy. Those were rugged times.

Before supper, Batman set the Adirondack chairs in just the right spot for watching the Perseid meteor showers. Alas, the sky was too overcast to see anything, but we will try again tonight. Have any of you seen them?
And look at the apples!

Where have you wandered lately? To the store, an exhibit, an adventure???

all you need is love...

RECIPE

the bride...our niece emily (3 year peace corps volunteer)

the groom...the village veterinarian

the matchmaker...emily's adopted stray pooch

LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT (for all three).

family and friends gathered in madison, from many places 

to help them celebrate an earlier civil ceremony.

parties galore, toasts, dancing...

and batman "officiated" their bi-lingual ceremony.

hannah read a poem in spanish and english.

so much laughter, celebration, hugs and love.

gracias a la vida.

some favorite gurus

Let us be silent, that we may hear the whispers of the gods.

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

If the present is really all we have,

then the present lasts forever.

And that, today, will be the benediction.

-Anne LaMott

tubing on the white river

on saturday we slathered on sunscreen, put on our sunglasses

and headed out to the "yacht club".

at first i was a wee bit cautious.

but soon i was on the lookout for the white water, 

(where we would squeal with delight).

gretta, lindsey and hannah,

chattin' it up, sister style,

as july slipped into august.

never a dull moment

thanks jane, for giving me a head's up about

  THE BOBBIN in burlington.

my friend frances (up from ct.) drove along with me to check it out.

what a fun place, and rachel, the co-owner was a blast to chat with.

sustainable crafting, recycled fashion, community builder.

later, a fundraiser for composting toilets (!) for 

the old town hall in brookfield.

"poetry and pie"

three local poets, reading their own work...exquisite evening!

david budbill

marjorie ryerson

geof hewitt

the goldenrod is early,

spectacular as the sun sets.

thinning the carrots,

perfect for salad.

baby pie pumpkins.

we had the pleasure of having all three girls here for 36 hours...

which provoked an ongoing corn hole tournament.

these are golden days.