Bye June

It's been a strange month of horrific heat and then rain.

I have been taking a 30 day self inflicted break from weaving, in an effort to let my shoulder

recover from whatever ails it.

It's been interesting finding things to do, when I really just want to weave.

I had a stash of skeins wound, and a couple of warps wound that needed dyeing, so last week, every day, I tackled that.

I got it all done.

I had the idea to make tote bags out of the egg towels,  and my friend "Ellen" was kind enough to whip me up a prototype!!!!

I love it.

She's got me inspired, so I will be making more.

I've been trying to keep up with weeding the perennial garden, and the little garden by 

my back door.  And cleaning, there's always cleaning.

It's perspective, I find.  Once again.

I wonder if you only stop working on your "perspective" when you are dead.

My cilantro is encouraging me to perhaps grow more herbs and veggies next year.

I occasionally take a walk around my little 1.2 acres

Years ago, my mom bought me 4 trees, and this is one of them.

It makes me so happy, just to see it.

I know that my mother would love it.

While I can't weave, because the repetitive motion sets my shoulder on fire, 

I am still able to do a bit of sewing.

Tatiana, my part time apprentice, comes about once a week, and these are 

some of her weaving.

I love putting them together.

The warp is rose milk, and the weft of these first two is banana pearl.  The drape, the softness, the incredible lightness of the fabric is a amazing.

This last one is ALL rose milk, hand dyed, and it is the loveliest of all, and it is already sold.

My toes have finally recovered from the light fixture smashing down on them,

and Willie and I have done some walking.  Naya stays home, because even though she

thinks she wants to go, when we get out there, she can't go far.  Then she can't jump back into the car, because she is tired, and winded.  I usually take her for a stroll around the property, and she is very happy with that.

Willie LOVES his walks.  I have to use my left arm to hold the leash, but it works.

The last several days have been hard.  Bill died on the 25th of June, and his birthday was yesterday.  So the memories hit hard, and the tears came too.   

It's ok.

It's ok to grieve, and to cry, and  to miss someone.

But with that comes a whole lot of remembering, and cherishing all the time we had together.

A reminder maybe, that change is a constant, and the moving on is the only choice.

Spring and sprang

For a few years, I have lusted over this craft called "sprang", which is pronounced "sprong".

It predates knitting and is usually done on a wooden frame of some sort.

But it has been used in weaving, and the photos I saw of it were so intriguing I knew that I had to try it someday.

So last month, I took the plunge.   

Setting it up was easier than I thought, but the actual doing the sprang motifs was

a lot harder.

I put on too much warp, as usual.

And after I had played with this for a week, I was of two minds.

On one hand I was THRILLED that I had mastered it (somewhat).

On the other hand, I was quite positive that I didn't want to do it any more.

One of the perks of getting older is being smart enough, IMHO, to recognize when

you are done with something, and to be able to gleefully put it aside.

And I did.

I quite gladly cut that warp off the loom, and put another one right on.

Then I started weaving what makes me happy.

Then I hit up my scrap stash of handwovens, and made this vest, which also made me

very happy.

There is really no reason to do things that make you unhappy, if you don't really 

have to.

My feeling is that at my age, time is short, there are no two ways about it.

So I do what I want.

I also amused myself outside.  Years ago, there was an old whetstone behind the old barn.

The wooden parts of it had rotted, but the whetstone itself was intact.

I have always wanted to do something with it.

So I found this old metal frame, that I have used over plants when they are small, 

and in danger of being mowed over, and put the whetstone on top of it.

Right now there is a shallow bowl on top of it for the birds to bathe in or drink from.

But in the winter it will be a bird "charcuterie" board.

It makes me laugh just to say that.

But can't you see it with birdseed, and maybe some fruit and nuts on it, 

on a snowy day???

I wish I could set up a camera......I have to think on that .

I gave up my big vegetable garden, but I kept my garlic bed, and it never fails to 

please.

My yard is a sanctuary, and when I need it, it's there.

I need it often.

                I was walking the labyrinth the other day, and thought back to when I built it.

My grandsons were 8 and 11.  

Today they are 25 and 27.

How time flies by.

The youngest told me then that it was where you find the center of your heart.  I will never forget him saying that to me.

It's part of what makes it so special.  

I think you have to go there often.  The center of one's heart is an elusive thing.

Later then.