once in a blue moon kind of a cat

rest in peace, dear old henry boy.

thank you for the years and years 

of devoted and steadfast companionship. 

i miss you so, so much already.

xo

wedding sneak peek

Yesterday was a steamy day in Vermont. I spread a bed sheet on the grass, (to protect the wedding dress from stains and bugs!) pulled up a wicker chair and settled in with a few deep exhales. As I hand stitched the bodice lining over the skirt top I thought of the dreams that Batman and I had woven about this blessed place, years and years ago, even before our bride was born. I invited the sylvan energy of our beloved birches into the dress. For sure, this dress is being filled with love and hope.

Last night, Batman and I began working on the arch/chuppa. I went out early this morning, with my tea, to make sure it was still there. It was, and so were the morning mists, waiting for the sun to burn them off.

There is magic all around us, if we'll just look up and notice it. xo

(Thank you so much for your lovely comments on yesterday's post)

positive energy

A dear friend sent me some very special snail mail. She lives far, far away and I miss her so much. Her note is propped on the desktop and it is a reminder of our deep friendship. (Never doubt the value of a card, a stamp and few kind words!)

The garden is coming on strong, the sewing continues, the punch list for the wedding gets daily updates, and I am making sure to meditate. (It is my sanctuary). Yesterday I was reminded that my dearest Batman is my even keel. He's another, special kind of sanctuary. 

When I feel challenged by all the busyness of life right now, I take a deep breath. I look out at the line of white birches, set against the green grass and blue sky and I exhale. Mother Nature is our wedding planner and she has been guiding us well. 

I look forward to sharing some wedding prep sneak peeks in the next few days. xo

capacity

• the blessings of hospitality (both offering and accepting)
• the blessings of abundance
• the blessings of creativity

for these i remain grateful. and in that gratitude there is an appreciation of the fleeting nature of all that we experience here on this earth. i undertake a daily accounting of all that is precious. as my gratitude muscles get stronger i make room for more. more love and more hope. i like testing my capacity.

triptych 21

The bride and groom are here for a visit, helping Batman (who needs a knee patch on his old jeans!) build a tent platform. We have a brand new canvas tent to sit in this gorgeous spot, creating another guest room for the houseful we're expecting for the wedding. That's a pretty sweet view, eh? 

And looky here, we finally have a muslin made of the wedding dress that fits! This week I will do some serious meditation, take a deep breath and cut into the pretty fabric we bought in NYC. 

The blueberries are ripening and the sky is hazy. I really am not a summer girl at all, but summer of 2015? So far, so good.

What have you been up to this weekend? Are you busy or relaxing or doing a little of each? xo

triptych 20

In mid May, we planted buckwheat. We planted it as a cover crop, and plan to have it plowed under this fall. We'll plant potatoes and squash and other storage veggies there next year. When I posted the top image on Instagram yesterday, my friend Natalya asked, "Are you going to harvest kasha?"

Her question sent me to our home library to pull this sweet book from the shelves (illustrated by one of my faves, Nikki McClure). Harvesting and processing the groats may take some work, but we may just try a small batch to see how it turns out. (Thanks Natalya, for the fabulous idea! If we actually pull it off, I'll send you some).

When I was down in the field taking pictures, I was delighted to find that some of the saved lupine seeds that I planted have sprouted. Now I really must go back out there and do some weeding to ensure their future success!

This morning we did indeed sign the contract and write the hefty deposit check. Our long awaited house renovation begins a week after the wedding! We will get our house rehab blog up and active again when all the excitement finally begins.

what the world needs now

My cousin Nate, in his early 50's, finally found the love of his life.

He and Mary got hitched yesterday.

This sweet girl came all the way from Sweden, and her cute 

dancing partner sang with the band.

There was a lot of multi-generational love gathered in.

xo

days filled with...

working on the wedding dress...

• a visit from Ben and Gretta
• celebrating Batman's birthday
• rain, rain and more rain
• celebrating the 8th anniversary of finding our "bit of earth"
• a day trip to the Vermont Quilt Festival
• a house full of our favorite Swedes
• sewing a muslin of the wedding dress, and adjusting and adjusting...
• sunshine, finally, with two loads of laundry, dried on the line
• greens and herbs from the garden to the kitchen
• a long suffering kitty, with a new protocol that seems to be helping
• real and final house reno plans and a contract, awaiting a careful reading, and then ready to go the week after the wedding. (eeeep!)
• watching "our" doe and this year's fawn, grazing in the meadow (please leave the apple trees alone...)
• sighting what we think may be a kestrel, hovering over the meadow...such a gorgeous bird 

If you would like to savor summer in the company of kindred spirits, check this out.  Anne of My Giant Strawberry has organized a lovely project for the month of July. (I fear I will barely make it through the summer with my brain intact, so I plan to pop in and visit the fun when I'm able).

If you'd like ideas for what to do with garlic scapes (like my buddy Sharon) check out these ideas.

Do you have plans for this weekend? I am leaving Batman to tend the place while my Mumsie and I attend a very special social occasion on Sunday. More later. :-)