a sweater and a quilt on two different sides of the world

my knitting guru friend franny has been here in CT for a few days.
she talked me through the next steps on my cardigan.

the decreasing has begun,
making way for the shawl collar.


read all about gretta's adventures in
australia here.

she made a quilt top with fabric she designed and screened
while interning at ink and spindle.

here's a huge shout out of gratitude
to lara and teigs
for tucking gretta into their studio
and filling her head with wonderful, inspiring ideas!

before the next season swallows us up...

finding sage under a foot of snow

having my snow tires put on the day before the foot of snow arrived

ukulele and guitar duets

intergenerational, raucous laughter

taboo and bananagrams

lots of help in the kitchen

walks in the woods and on the road

family from near and FAR

a fabulous turkey from the Green Mountain Girls Farm

wood fired pizza baked in the Home Comfort

a shooting star against the blackest sky

watching Orion set at dawn

Batman setting off fireworks

the flash of coyotes at the edges of the headlights

lunch at Tiny Thai in Winooski

DVD's and Che-Ha (Chex mix)

thumbs up for rock and roll

knitting
hot, spiced cider

conversations and planning and reminiscing

the sweet little airport in Burlington

and underneath it all...

deep gratitude.

and now we are all scattered back in the "real" world.

did you do some "gratitude accounting"?

gathered and gone

the quiet reflection that comes with an empty house

feels like the other side of 

the energized anticipation of their arrival.

around the table

Gratitude is heaven itself.

-William Blake

hushed

could there be a better day to bake pies?

granny smith apple and 

from-the-garden pumpkin

forks, anyone?

xo

missing some...

You're already home when you feel loved.

-the Head and the Heart

for stew and dawn and nelson in oregon

and

gretta in melbourne.

there's always a place at the table for you guys.

even in spirit.

xo

the best week on the calendar

there is quite the domestic hustle and bustle
here at our bit of earth.

airing blankets, making beds, planning menus,
sweeping, hauling firewood...

oh, corporate america,
you have yet to get your greedy claws into this one.
the simplicity of gratitude is beyond your reach!

no picture today, just an invitation...

Having young people in my life keeps me on my toes. My kids and my daughter-in-law and their friends,  help me to be in the midst of a different generation, even though I do not belong to it. My work on the boards of two schools...one pre-K thru 12, and the other, a college...give me the gift of involvement with the future.

Thank goodness for these blessings. I do not ever want to be out of touch with the hope and promise of young people.

I invite you to pop on over to the blog of one of my favorite young people. Jamie is an Earlham grad and his Change from Within is worth a read every time he posts. Today's is a gem, (inspired by Andrea Gibson), and I would love to see any of you leave a comment over there.

Being vulnerable helps us grow.

xo

rainy day ramble

• It is impossible to choose a wall color on a rainy and overcast day. Even if you have an idea in your head of what you're looking for. 
• Batman and I decided last night that scrubbing walls and woodwork after a long day is not as easy as it used to be. But we are not old geezers quite yet.
• I donated another pint of blood today, in memory of Erin. (Do you donate blood?)
• This is a fabulous movie (thanks, Doug and Ra, for the recommendation).
• I have a jar of local nutritious deliciousness on my kitchen counter...home grown sprouts. To use in a sandwich tomorrow, I think.

• Sometimes when you long for more meaning in your life, opportunities turn up, just like that. At least that's what's been happening to me lately.
• I am counting the days till I get to hug some of my favorite people and celebrate the best of all holidays.
• I am going to make a bumper sticker to put on my car. This is what it is going to say, "Caution! I stop for STOP signs".  I would also like to find a device that would attach to my bumper, with long spikes on it, to deter tailgaters. My best buddy Liz and I talk about these things over coffee and it seems to help us stay sane. (She gave blood today, too...thanks, Liz).

So that's enough rambling from me. Tell me what's on your mind...where has it rambled today?

afternoon tea and stitching with friends

felt doves, embroidered with floss...

getting started on a folk bird garland  from

this book...

a portable project, easy and sweet.

what are you working on these days?

clarity in work

Funny how the simple

chore of washing a few

windows

helped make

everything 

more clear.

it's just another day*

Today started with sleeping late (!!!),

homemade  "Ro-cha-cha" blueberry muffins

and  spakling walls, sanding rough spots and scrubbing woodwork.

Then Batman dismantled the ceiling fan and I took the paddles out

to sand and scrub them in the sunshine 

(spray paint tomorrow, a cheap fix).

A trip to the vet, errands, some Etsy business and 

a washed ceiling later, it's time to chop veggies for a stir fry.

This sweat equity thing has it's ups and it's downs.

Tonight I didn't resist a Granny Smith "chuck".

I am glad that Batman is my best buddy. 

*love those Beatles.

numbers

There's quite the hub-bub going on about the date, 11/11/11. Here are some of my favorite posts...and they represent a wide range of content!

• resurrection fern
• secret notebooks wild pages
• ink and spindle
• mommy hungry
• remembrance day via poppytalk, here
• all about the corduroy appreciation club

Some say that the date is highly significant, others say it's just what comes next, chronologically. This is all I know for sure about today...

• our yard is surrounded by a ribbon of red haze, caused by the flaming euonymus bushes.
• the wind swept clouds are flying across a november blue sky and the american flags are snapping.
• there are brussels sprouts, cranberries and more apples in the fridge, firewood stacked on the doorstep and clean laundry hanging on the drying racks.
• i have good work to do today and tomorrow, and a chance to sit and knit for a bit, too.

Whatever comes next, or doesn't, I'm just hanging out here in the present moment...breathing and noticing, and collecting gratitude.  How about you? What do you make of the date?
 

thinking about the holidays

reusable

fabric

gift

bags

gingerbread

boy

tea

towels

Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday, and I don't like to see much of the December holidays before, well, December. But I have been watching the explosion of handmade gift items over at Etsy, and thought I'd get a few things listed myself. I've been away from that space for a while, and so thought I'd start with a few simple, quiet offerings. And I created a treasury, too, collecting some really pretty ideas for holiday giving.

I wear this button pinned to my purse and love the conversations it starts. Are you thinking of making some handmade gifts this holiday season? Will you be shopping and/or selling at Etsy or other handmade venues? Are you part of the revolution???

noticing the light

this "fall back" timing thing is hard to get used to.

but light is always intoxicating, whenever i find it.

earning his keep

as the weather turns to chill,
little grey rodents come looking for a warm place to nest.

henry has become a mouser by night

and a napper by day.

(i know it's a little rough, but mother nature has
a plan that we don't mess with).

hallowe'en, connecticut style

our town is celebrating hallowe'en tonight,

thanks to the mayhem from the wild weather

we had last weekend. 

here is my handsome husband, batman,

in his traditional frankenstein hallowe'en costume.

do you love the bolts on his neck? 

sometimes i really do wonder who i live with.

;-)

real life

before breakfast we filled the pick up truck twice 

with fallen branches

and heaved them into the giant wall of storm refuse at the

transfer station.

then oatmeal and tea/coffee.

we're headed back out with the chainsaw to go

at the bigger stuff, and we'll stage the piles for 

tomorrow's trips.

the transfer station with its roaring chippers going full tilt

is open 7 days a week to keep up with the

recovery.

a week after the snowstorm,

about half the town is still without power and heat

(and many without water, too).

this situation is bringing out both the best, and in some cases,

the worst in people.

we have had folks here taking showers, 

charging phones and computers, and

doing laundry.

(we even have breast milk in the freezer!!!)

i've run errands for folks who needed a hand.
the tea pot has brewed black tea, green tea and herbal.

my to do list went out the window this week

and my days filled with whatever turned up.

we take so much for granted.

this week we have been counting our blessings

over and over again. 

autumn afternoon

The mystery, the essence of all life is not

separate from the silent openness of

simple listening.

-Toni Packer

an altar for remembering

today is dia de los muertos.

welcoming back the dead...
at the time of year when the veil between
the spirit world and ours is the very thinnest.

paying homage to their souls and offering companionship
while they linger.

if just for a whisper of a moment...

who are you remembering today?

for other day of the dead posts, see here and here and here.

voila

scrappy tote

Made 100% from my fabric stash.

No pattern, just some measuring and thinking.

(OK, and a tiny bit of cussing).

Even the handles are leftovers, from this project, 

that Batman and I had fun with years ago.

The side panels are leftovers from a quilt backing that I tie-dyed.

So glad to finish up a project,

and know that it all came from stuff I already had in the house.

 I'm looking forward to making my Day of the Dead

altar this afternoon.

Delicious dinner last night...
miso-curry delicata squash,
with tofu, chard, cilantro and pepitas
from here.

There is such energy (in nature, in the spirits that walk with us,

in our nesting instincts, in our kitchens) at this time of year,

can you feel it?