hello again...

after days and days filled with delightful guests and inspiring travels, i find myself here at "a bit of earth" with a few quiet moments to savor summer in vermont. here are some snapshots you may enjoy...

-fabric procured at gather here in cambridge, ma.

-my japanese indigo, soaking up the sun in the garden.

-freckled lettuce. from the garden to the salad bowl in minutes. freshest.

-the blueberries are ready!!!

-black-eyed-susans and some of her cousins, filling the meadow with their fragrance.

-"green and white is always right", complete with lingering wedding memories.

-an open window in the kitchen, lentils soaking under a bamboo mat, destined for lemony marinated lentils from at home in the whole food kitchen, by amy chaplin.

-tiny wooden spoons, stored in a miniature abenaki pack basket, (with a prosecco cork celebrating the baby news), set by the kitchen sink. brings a smile each time i see it.

-print by jennifer judd-mcgee, purchased at her shop, swallowfield on mt. desert, me. "always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder."   -e.b.white

As we continue to watch the nonsense in our nation's capital unfold, I have found myself seeking out beauty and loveliness with great intention. It has become my summer treasure hunt...to visit places and see things that defy the darkness. Keep an eye on this space in the next few weeks...I'll do my best to share some of the things that have sustained me. 

"Life can sometimes be a wrestling match between love and fear. We can CHOOSE which to embrace. Every day. On my "to do" list? Breathe, hope, notice, invite, love, create, wonder, celebrate. "

-monday, january 19th, 2009...my very first day of blogging.

xo

noticing

someone is arriving this evening for a visit.

i brought a bit of the meadow to her bedside.

The summer seems to be evaporating. 

In a good, life is filled-to-the-brim kind of way.

So many exciting changes in our family...two moves and a grandbaby on the way, too.

A grandbaby.

Our first.

Life.

It moves along even when you wish you could capture it and slow it down.

So I am noticing.

Little things.

Like the slant of the light at all different times of the day.

The stars in the pitch dark sky of the night.

The warmth of a smile.

The coyotes' call and response in the dark.

The freshest of vegetables, prepared as simply as possible.

The hum of the ceiling fan, and sleeping under just a cotton sheet.

The tang of icy cold lemonade.

It's a practice, this noticing.

A spiritual practice.

Being fully present.

As the summer slips into the dog days, what are you noticing friends?

the three season room

hi.

sorry i've been absent.

we've been recovering.

recovering

from all the wedding prep,

and all the wedding excitement,

and all the wedding clean-up.

finished up just days before the festivities began,

we transformed the three season porch

from dark and dingy

to fresh and inviting.

(most of our home is decorated in

peaceful and muted tones,

but we went with bright and whimsical 

for the three season room).

now one can step from the dining room 

into the three season room,

then out onto the deck

and then out into the yard. 

summer living.

reading, napping, dining,

sewing, knitting, chatting, 

jigsaw puzzling, card playing,

letter writing....

lindsey and scott's wedding

the tent went up on wednesday,
along with an infusion of love in the air.

wednesday night brought local strawberries, local whipped cream
and shortbread made by the bride.
batman and i hosted dinner at "a bit of earth"
for the bride, groom and scott's parents.

buckets of flowers from stitchdown farm,
a local place the next town south.

the bride, minutes before she headed to the meetinghouse
just down the road, to get hitched.

the bride and her bouquet.
(with a few flowers from batman's "peony crescent").
she and her groom left the ceremony perched on a straw bale
 in the back of our pickup.
they threw chocolate coins to the crowd
(a la sense and sensibility).

my toast may have made the bride tear up,
and her groom crack up.
sorry, not sorry.

the reception food from our favorite local eatery,
 the black krim tavern was fabulous.

the beer drinkers loved the brews from bent hill brewery
(our neighbors...if you look carefully between the hops
on their webpage, you can barely see our falu red house up the hill!)

just trying to keep everything local!

the lonesome jukebox helped us "dance the night away".

the bride, having some fun at the end of the day.

hannah and lindsey, still celebrating on sunday morning.

the bride and her big brother,
cooking birthday breakfast for batman
in our vermont kitchen on tuesday.

we also celebrated the tenth anniversary of
finding our "bit of earth" yesterday too.

there was so much love and joy and happiness
floating around here, it's really hard to describe.

sometimes that's the way the most sacred things turn out to be.
hard to describe, but easy to feel.
xoxoxoxoxoxox

(with thanks to berissima on instagram
and the bride's sister hannah
for a few of these photos, the rest are mine)

june 22

Love is the answer.

xo

to sit and breathe

-sweet wilma, waiting out the heat.

-the mountain ash, (or rowan tree), filled with blossoms.

our rainbow flag is flying proudly this month, and today i'm thinking about pulse in orlando. "he who shall not be named" continues in his downward spiral. there is much to distract us.

and yet, here on braintree hill, june has crept in with birdsong, breezes from the west and steamy afternoons...far from the rumbles of the clanging world.

even as wedding preparations continue, there are moments of respite. 

-a tall glass of water with a lemon slice floating amongst the ice cubes.

-a bowl of pickled radishes, a weck's jar of marinated golden beets, a bag of washed greens from our csa, and a jar of sliced carrots...all waiting in the fridge ready to add to relaxed meals.

-a "something blue" project, on the cutting mat in the cooler basement sewing studio.

- the refuge of meditation, and the availability of the present moment to bring calm and peace to a busy mind.

and happy 88th birthday to anne frank, wherever you are, dearest one.

Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.

xo

mother of the bride ponderings

lately, i've been thinking a lot about dumbledore's army.

there's a handcrafted nimbus 2000 hanging in the breezeway, 

just in case.

this morning while listening to vermont public radio,

i heard a kindred spirit, madeleine m. kunin.

listen to her here.

there are others too.

mayors, governors, academics and so many good hearted souls

who are pledging to uphold the 

paris climate agreement.

“It was important, Dumbledore said, to fight, 

and fight again, and keep fighting, 

for only then could evil be kept at bay, 

though never quite eradicated. . . .”

as i wash windows, put up screens,

inventory the bed linens, plan meals,

paint, weed, spread mulch

and watch the wedding countdown

slip away...

i'm reminded that when a couple says 

"i do"

a leap of faith happens and the light of

hope and love

beams into the darkness.

xo