Samhain

The Pumpkin Tide

I saw thousands of pumpkins last night

come floating in on the tide,

bumping up against the rocks and

rolling up on the beaches;

it must be Halloween in the sea.

-Richard Brautigan

see here

simple joy

flurries!

living the good life

this was the view from our "bit of earth" this morning.
i was imagining setting out on a barge into the mists of avalon...

and down the road a piece, if you looked toward the east,

this magical view could drive you to distraction.

batman has been building new garden beds.

he treated them with linseed oil,

 and installed them yesterday.

this morning we drove the truck up to montpelier,

and bought a square yard of soil from

vermont compost.

we came home and laid layers of newspaper down on the lawn

in the new beds, hosed them down with water,

and shoveled and raked the mulched soil into the beds.

this is a modified "lasagna" gardening method.

by spring planting, we hope the turf will have died back,

allowing us to plant crops with shallow roots.

we've essentially doubled our planting space!
yippee!

supper last night...
fresh butternut and pumpkin ravioli
topped with onions and fresh sage sizzled in olive oil.
broiled baby bok choy, drizzled with olive oil
 and sprinkled with sesame seeds.
big green salad.
yum!

soaking in more of the best season

there's been a rustle, rustle in the neighborhood.

my birch friends, all quiet and autumnal.

here's a bunch of happy nubians.

we met them at trevin farms b&b,

where we took a goat cheese making workshop this morning

(thanks to lindsey's holiday gift).
kevin walked us through the process and convinced
us that raw milk is the way to go...
and had us thinking that maybe gretta IS right...
maybe we really DO need goats someday...

our rural "tool box" grows!

watching

the robins are flocking and feasting on the last of the crabapples.

the landscape is full...

of edges and layers,

 of stark patterns and muted hues 

and the play of light and weather.

the foggy air is so full that it glistens on the boughs.

today,

the orange tipped plow markers have been installed along the road

and the last of the corn stalks are being harvested.

it is oddly warm.

folks are saying, "snow, come friday"...

hushed and...

...haunted

shrouded

spooky

bewitched

enchanted

magical

mystical

ethereal...

for today and every day

A Warm Embrace - The Great Bell Chant (The End of Suffering) from R Smittenaar on Vimeo.

guest post by lindsey

Our oldest daughter, Lindsey and a posse of her friends from Boston, retreated to our "bit of earth" a while ago. A large white pine, out in the meadow had been struck by lightning last summer, and we were happy to have some help in sending it on to it's next incarnation. Here's the story, in her words...photos courtesy of Lindsey and friend Eric M.

Lindsey
This project got started last summer, when Dave and some campers cut the first notch into this dying White Pine.

Emily

The weekend crew started hacking in from the other side with our unique "spiral cut".

Lauren

We started backing away when the tree reached "beaver" level - axed in from all sides so there was only about 8 inches holding the whole thing upright. Good timing too, because before we knew it, Lauren dealt the death blow and it was time to yell a victorious "TIMBER!"

Dave

There's nothing like taking a huge tree down with 100% human power!

The Posse!

(Note from The Mom, some of these folks are seasoned outdoors people, 

with wilderness first aid certification, and lots of camping and forestry experience.

 Some of this may look scary to you,

but they knew what they were up to.)

and please scroll down to the previous post for a quick message...

hello

i'll be wearing purple tomorrow.

will you?

and i'll be taking a small blogosphere break for the next few days.
be well.

celebratory stitching

years ago, judy worked with my brother nelson,

and then became friends with my mumsie.

now, thanks to judy's blog, and recent meet ups,

we have become friends.

i am so grateful for her friendship.

this spring, we took jane's online class together,

and we decided to be "lab partners",

sharing feedback with one another, and comparing notes.

judy's perspective really helped me grow and stretch.

linen, cotton fabric, embroidery floss, vintage buttons, 

frayed selvedges, cotton thread

when she stitched me a beautiful portrait of henry for my birthday,

i started thinking of what i could do for her.

her recent sewing room rehab inspired the color palate,

and i had these vintage buttons, just waiting for a project...

so i made her this wee wall hanging.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JUDY!

walking at weir farm

i spent most of the weekend cleaning the house and 

doing some dense reading for an upcoming board meeting at earlham.

at around three this afternoon, 

i realized i was looking out the window at the 

blue sky and changing leaves, more than i was reading...

so i put on my walking shoes and headed down to weir farm

for a hike around the pond.
read about this magical place here.

inspired by m. heart, i took a reflection picture.

this was one of our favorite family walks,

when all four kids were still home.

the woods are full of beautiful beech and oak trees,

mountain laurel and meandering stone walls.

no fancy shmancy masons here!

early farmers just hauled the rocks out of the ground and 

stacked them up. some with care, some just flung.

 i was feeling the spirit of my gram yesterday,
and my dad's presence was with me in "the church in the woods" today.

i've loved reading your artist lists.
i have so many new artists to explore.
many thanks for playing along!

still connected

it's a bit early for

dia de los muertos celebrations...

but this time of year always grabs me by the heart

and makes me miss the folks who have gone on without me.

here is an eerie, old polaroid of my

grammie lowry, standing next to my wedding cake

thirty one years ago.

her birthday is october 19, 1901

and she died on october 12, 1992

just shy of her 91st birthday.

i have been longing for her company ever since. 

the veil between our world and theirs 

really does feel so, so thin at this time of year.
i can almost feel the steam rising from our tea cups,
while sitting at her kitchen table.

nor'easter

outside...

moaning wind

whirlpools of bright leaves

pelting rain

thumps of wind against the house

rushing stream

...inside

peace and calm

shelter

coziness

gratitude and surrender

sneak peek...

...at the very first project to come out of the new studio.

(no artist lists out there?)

just for fun

making the rounds on the internet 

is a fun "quiz" asking us to name our

15 favorite artists in 15 minutes or less.

in other words, no researching/agonizing...

just a quick, from the gut list.

here's mine 

(it's a bit more, shall we say, eclectic than the ones i've seen).

beatrix potter

the wyeths (i know, that's cheating!)

carl and karin larsson (that too!)

andy goldsworthy

william morris

leonardo da vinci

mary azarian

sabra field

william b. hoyt

ansel adams

trina schart hyman

yann arthus-bertrand

m c escher

frank lloyd wright

and my favorite,

mother nature

who's on your list?

sewing/storage island

the island!

henry, the snoopervisor.

late afternoon sunshine, plus brooding clouds,

plus amazing blaze of maples.

photos do not do them justice.

i am changed by the magic. 

just be who you are...

...and let others do the same.

happy national coming out day!

a day when gay, lesbian, bisexual, 

transgendered and questioning

folks can step out into the world, authentic and proud...

and their straight allies can hold their hands

and give 'em a hug.

love vs. fear.

let love win.

xo

duh...

last march i wrote:

"my disorganization keeps me from...

+actualizing my dreams

+living into my values of simplicity and good stewardship

+staying focused

+having a lovely space  in which to create"

 i have made huge progress in getting better organized 

and i'm living in better alignment with my values.

and my, oh, my does it feel good.

sometimes the most obvious  truths  take so long to sink in

and manifest  as  action.

what is batman ironing?

his new favorite product...

veneer edging!

i LOVE this work island, but we have decided to modify it a bit.

• we are creating a storage cube, without the knee opening, thus making maximum use of space for storage. 
• we are using 8" legs under the cupboards, 'cause i'm a tall girl.
• we are topping the island with a nice grade of 3/4" plywood, edged with veneer edging. (the glass idea was cool, but we worried a bit about the weight of it, the fragile nature of glass, and the expense). we will paint the plywood "stone harbor", just like the cupboards.

i hope to be moving the last of my supplies in to the island

(bigger stuff, like batting, my light table and bins of old clothes for repurposing)

by tomorrow evening.

this whole taking-forever-new-studio-project is almost done!

what are you working on this weekend?

noticing

It is only when we are aware of the earth 

as poetry that we truly live.

-Henry Beston

for my mumsie's birthday...today!

on monday, i popped by my mumsie's house for a cup of tea 

(on my way home from doug and ra's).

i brought her a little bag of goodies for an early birthday surprise.

here's the pillow i made for her.

the back is made with another repurposed button placket, 

and a bit of leftover fabric from a dress i made for hannah

when she was a little girl.
(yes, my fabric stash is quite amazing.

the dress had an eyelet collar, and i think it might be in 

the "treasure box" in the attic).

i thought my mom might like a pillow 

that echoes the colors in my new studio.

happy birthday mumsie!

xoxoxoxo

see other pillows here, here and here. here's another and another.

if you're searching for hope...

the first one, via m. heart over at  secret notebooks, wild pages.
the second one, via my brother, doug.
thank you, kindred spirits!

cranberry goodness

after the sunday afternoon merriment,

i stayed overnight at my brother doug and sister in law ra's house.

in the morning, ra and i took a walk around one of the cranberry bogs.

 to see pictures of last year's harvest, look here.

as usual, doug and ra sent me home with a 

generously sized bag full of berries.

some will be baked into cranberry bread this week,

some will go into the freezer for later.

cranberries are part of my heart's calendar.
(the things that i look forward to and
that comfort me and reassure me.)

Some things will never change.
Some things will always be the same.
Lean down your ear upon the earth, and listen.
-Thomas Wolfe 

lonesome jukebox

years ago, my brother doug, two of our cousins,

(nate and a.j.) and a bunch of their buddies formed a 

rockabilly band, and practiced in basements and barns.

now they're part of the music scene on the south shore of boston,

playing in bars, festivals, and opening for bigger names.

yesterday i drove up to see them in action at

t-bones roadhouse in downtown plymouth.

lindsey drove down from boston, too

and we all had a rockin' good time.

there was LOTS of dancin'

a bit of drinkin',

and some wild and crazy singin'!

what fun it was to hang out with family, old friends (and new)

and just have a plain old wicked good time.

maybe that's what the world needs... 

...a bit more dancin' and singin'.

check out lonesome jukebox music here.

exquisite poetry

julie is a fellow earlhamite, 

and although our time at earlham overlapped,

i did not know her.

but i heard garrison keeler read some of her poems 

on the writer's almanac a while back,

and i recently ordered her book.

i was stunned by her work.

it took my breath away.

she and her college sweetie were married for 23 years

before she lost him to multiple myeloma.

her writing is full of grace and beauty.

here's a sample.

sometimes poetry is my spirit salve.

studio pics, despite the rain!

here are some of the old cupboards that batman and i wrestled out 

onto the lawn on saturday.

we peeled old wallpaper, sanded and scrubbed them.

hauled them up onto the porch and painted them, 2 coats.

last night we set the rehabbed cupboards up in 

my new studio space and did a little happy dance!

i'm still not sure about the aqua curtains, am waiting 

for a sunny day to decide if i really love them or not.

ugly plastic bins are hiding behind door number one.

i used bits of the very special fabric from ink and spindle 

as an applique accent.

this little birdy lives down in the corner, by my sewing machine,

on the curtain helping to protect my thread rack from dust and sunlight.

dedicated bookshelves for sewing/quilting/knitting only.

next week there will be a studio art tour,

and if we're lucky, a peek at the island?

PLEASE BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN AND 

READ THE POST I WROTE THIS MORNING.

thanks.