Narnia and sachets and good listens

 

I've got another post up at my new place.

You can read it here

I hope to have a "subscribe" opportunity at sewandsowlife.com soon.

xo

new beginnings

 

hello friends!

check out my brand spanking new website, here.

triptych #50

 

It's been quiet here in this space. Resting, learning, reading, trying new things, healing a bit, too. Late autumn, early winter here in Vermont has us drawing closer to the center of things, hunkering in, moving things around to make life more cozy.

I've been working on creating a new space for my online ramblings. A few workshops and some good advice have helped me craft my next steps in life. Things are taking shape slowly and it's so lovely not to be in a rush to get things done.

Holding all of you, my friends, in this space of hope and renewal and patience.

xo

resting

 

All action begins in rest.

-Lao Tzu

May you find time to breathe deeply.

To put up you feet.

To listen to birdsong, or music or silence.

Notice the slant of the sunlight.

Sink into the lovely month of November.

Pause to see what is revealed to you in the quiet.

xoxo

and still we plod on...

 

last night's sunset, from our place

this morning'a sunrise, from the other side of the ridge

well friends,

we made it to the other side of the elections (kind of).

such relief, celebration and hope.

and yet, concern and dismay thanks to you know who.

still it seems,

one foot in front of the other.

some distractions for you...

• The Queen's Gambit, a seven part mini series on Netflix. A bit dark, but excellent.
• A recipe for Stuffed Acorn Squash with Quiñoa and Pistachios, via Martha Stewart.
• A sweet, free downloadable pattern for a needle case from KZ Stevens.
• One of my longest lasting blogging buddies, Anne, is celebrating 10 years of being a self-taught artist. This blog post tells the tale and offers encouragement to all of us to follow our dreams. Giveaways included.

xo

november 1, 2020

 

Start acting like you are a member of a 

compassionate majority up against a

desperate,  fearful, and shrinking minority.

Because you are.

-Ethan Nichtern

wherever we end up in the next week or so,

the sun will still come up, 

and we will put one foot in front of the other,

because really, really, really,

the words above are true.

hang in there friends.

xo

suspended animation sunday

 

ash

birch

oak

still looking up, taking a deep breath and exhaling whenever i can.

if you voted early, thank you.

if you haven't yet, may the force be with you.

xo

triptych #49

 

we took a covid safe day trip to the coast of maine

to reclaim our mental health.

and eat lobstah rolls for lunch.

it was a glorious day.

i am quite fed up with "new and improved" blogger

and am working on finding an alternative platform.

(are you still holding on to hope, friends?)

xo

triptych #48

 

a storm brewing' over the meetinghouse, "the three sisters", sunrise

october 3

 

Three things cannot be long hidden:

the sun,

the moon,

and the truth.

-via insight timer

this is the way

 

I know you are tired but come, this is the way. -Rumi

peak foliage

 

Words right now seem moot.

But I do send love and hope.

Always.

just this...

 

Be a lamp or a lifeboat or a ladder.

Help someone's soul heal.

Walk out of your house like a shepherd.

-rumi

tansy and hope

 Tansy.

I whispered to the tiny blossoms

as I clipped them into the dye pot, 

"Thank you, blossoms, for bringing the magic of the soil 

up through your roots and stems, 

for shining your light these past few weeks, 

and for helping me bring your color into my stitching."

There are so many ways in this world to hope friends.

Don't give up.

Oh me, oh my, what a bit of crazy all of us are going through! We have beloved ones in both California and Oregon, who have air purifiers running in their homes, who have ash falling in their yards, who cannot go outside because the air around them is poisonous, who have bags packed by the door just in case. Global climate change is not a hoax, it's a reality that is knocking at our front doors. And the news from the White House continues to outrage many of us. The pandemic continues its death grip on the nation and yet many ignore basic public health advice. Teaching about the inequities around white supremacy and institutional racism has become taboo, according to someone who is in the position to pull our country together (if only he could see his role in it all). The economy is booming for corporate America, while mom and pop businesses are dropping like flies. 

Maybe like me, it's hard for you to get out of bed in the morning...

But there are so many ways to carry on and to be courageous in these challenging times.

For me, looking out for great stories and at the same time setting limits on how much time I spend listening to current events feels like a good way to cope.

Here's a few links you might enjoy...

• The Soul of an Octopus, by Sy Montgomery, a fabulous read, info here.
• Living on the Edge, a Moth Radio Hour story about a man waiting for a liver transplant, here.
• Renaming a dress pattern in light of current events. Are you not sure what "cultural appropriation" means? This is a very articulate and thoughtful article. From "washi dress" to "trillium dress", via made-by-rae.
• Willow Crossley's flower arranging videos are a delightful distraction! I found her via Tiny Happy, one of my long time favorite blogs.

AND DON'T FORGET ABOUT MUSIC! It can take you back in time (The Moody Blues, for me, yesterday, over the dye pots), it can help you meditate, you can dance away your tensions, you can sing along, and you can clean up your garden beds to tunes.

GET OUTSIDE (if it is safe for you). Take a walk, a hike, a bike ride, a paddle, do some gardening, hang your laundry on the line, pull some weeds, sit on your porch or stoop, look up at the stars, play hopscotch, walk to your neighbor's for a socially distanced visit.

AND REMEMBER, there is still hope and happiness, even in these dark times. Some folks even stare these times down, with determination in their eyes, like our Hannah and her Loren, who decided to get hitched. Don't know where or when, but they are going to do it.

It takes so much energy just to get through a day in 2020.

I see you, friends. Wherever you are, however you are managing, I honor you.

And I send you love.

xo

what a difference a year makes...

 

Above, after a day in Assisi, 2019.

Below, here at our bit of earth, 2020.

Some things remain the same, like gorgeous sunsets

on two different sides of the world and a year apart.

Other things, not so much.

Hang in there friends.

Hang in there.

xo

maggie's mail

Snail mail is near and dear to our hearts. Our family still sends (and sometimes makes) Valentine's cards. We send birthday cards. We send inspirational quotes. We send confetti and stickers and decals to one another. Post cards, special scraps of fabric, old photos, newspaper clippings...we'll slap a stamp on nearly anything! And some of us practice what we call "snail mail ministry", sending notes to folks who may need a virtual hug.

Some of us have even visited the National Postal Museum in Washington D. C.

We are deeply concerned about what is happening to the United States Postal Service. I hope you know what I am talking about. 

Make no mistake. We are training them young. The next generation of snail mailers is just as passionate as us older folks.

Lindsey found this sweet paper airplane fabric and embroidered "Maggie's Mail" on it. She put it in an envelope and mailed it to me. 

I appliquéd it onto a mail carrier's bag that I whipped up for Maggie. Then I put it in the mail.

Maggie hangs it on the doorknob of her apartment in Brooklyn, and stashes her snail mail in it. The next time she and her mama and/or papa go out into the world, she slings that bag over her shoulder, puts on her face mask and makes a bee line for the nearest postal box. She still needs help opening the box, but we know it won't be long until she's tall enough to pull that handle down herself!

This past spring, I made Maggie a pouch and filled it with notecards, envelopes and stickers. She has pen pals from Massachusetts to Michigan and is delighted to find replies in her mailbox down in the lobby of her apartment building.

All of this is especially poignant these days. If I think about how much I miss her and her mama and papa and her cousin Flora and her aunties and uncles, I can feel the tears starting to come. Snail mail is such a simple way to spread the love and feel more connected in these discombobulated times.

I will never take for granted the power of a sticky scrap of paper in the upper right hand corner of an envelope.

xo

bookends for the day

 this wee fawn and her mama wandered near the deck 

as i was stretching early this morning. 

 we harvested the carrots and beets today.

 due to our hot and dry summer, our root cellar

is not yet cool enough to store our veggies.

 we set the carrots out to dry a bit on the porch, 

then tucked them into our mini fridge that 

we use when we have a houseful of guests.

(which clearly isn't happening right now...).

we'll hold the veggies here until the root cellar cools down.

 as we tidied up after our gardening, the sunset caught my eye...

...and created a pretty reflection in the window of the workshop.

check back tomorrow to see some  sewing projects for miss magpie.

xo

hope you are hanging in there, friends.

mercy!

unprecedented times.

morning sky

Oh, friends, what a week it has been. 

I thought you might like to see the morning view out our bedroom window.

A clean slate.

A fresh start.

New possibilities.

Each morning asks of us...

What have I done to ease the pain in the world?

What can I do today?

xo

"bit of earth" quilt book

snapfish had a special going last week, 65% off photo books.

even with the discount, this little book was pricey,

but it's such fun to have this project documented!
their turn around time was amazing!
one week from placing the order til i had it in hand.

Two links for today

• Brave Little State episode, How to Support Vermonters of Color: "Listen to Us", a good podcast no matter where you live.
• Frog and Toad Tentatively Go Outside After Months in Self-Quarantine, by Jennie Egerdie, a very sweet read for anyone who is a Frog and Toad fan (and if you are not, I'm not sure we can still be friends). :-)