It’s Friday afternoon and I’ve just brewed some tea and how I do wish you could be here with me friends. After three very blustery and snowy days, the sun has finally come out and made a few puddles of sunlight in the living room. You might have to gently push Cora or Wilma out of the way to find a spot to sit, but I do wish you would. We could chat about what’s new, projects we’re working on, what we might be struggling with, or maybe something we’re celebrating. Remember those times when we used to get together with friends and family to “visit”? I guess that’s a bit of what blogging has been about all these years. And what Zooming has been about most especially this past year!
Here’s a bit of what I’ve been up to, and maybe you’ll drop a comment (like Anne and Donna and Jen have done recently) to let us know how you’ve been faring.
On Sunday afternoon we headed over the ridge to Raven Hill Farm to pick up our 2021 supply of maple syrup (one of the main food groups here at our house). Jackson and his friend Derek (at Anchor Light Farm and Third Branch Horse Logging) use a team of draft horses to go into the sugarbush to collect sap. No plastic tubing for these guys! Jackson and his wife Katja also raise animals and that very morning a mama goat delivered her babies out in the chilly field. By the time we got there the babies were snuggled in the barn with their cousins and aunties. Only a few hours old, the little ones were scampering and romping all over the barn, including up and over one another and the mamas. Too freaking cute! We were all 6 feet apart, outdoors, and our neighborly chatting turned into some great conversations. Winter and Covid isolation has begun to lift and we’re all hungry for in person community!
Some fun listening for you…Two ten year old girls decided to do some online teaching to work toward their business badge for Girl Scouts. I heard this story while doing errands and it made me smile as the miles rolled under my car. Listen to it here.
While I was on Interstate-89 I also got a chuckle from a few of the message boards set up as public service announcements along the way.
Camp in the woods, not in the left lane.
Your mother called, she said fasten your seatbelt.
We finally replaced the ancient post that held up our clothesline. Batman cut down a birch out in the woods and we hauled it over to a new spot. It took Batman a good bit of time to dig a hole that would accommodate the upright (because in Vermont you can’t dig a hole without finding rocks.) We reused the hardware from the old setup and now my “domestic prayer flags” (the laundry) flap from this gorgeous birch pole.
Have you heard about the collaboration between Decolonize the Garden, Public Library Quilts and Land In Our Names? They have teamed up to host a fundraiser to feed funds into a BPOC Growers Grant in the UK. One side of the quilt is a gorgeous patchwork of indigo shibori, the other side is made from hand plant-dyed fabric from around the world. Just for fun, this afternoon I put together a block using some of my own hand dyed fabric…onion skins, avocado and tansy, using the pattern they have shared in their promotional materials. I hope you’ll check out these links whether you make a donation or not. It really is a very thoughtful and unique collaboration!
Last but not at all least, are thoughts I have on the conviction this week of Derek Chauvin. It provoked a lot of feelings for me, but I think what has haunted me most powerfully was the role of teen Darnella Frazier. She was the bystander and trail witness who recorded the video of the crime with her cellphone. I have heard that some people think she deserves a Pulitzer Prize for her courage. I hope she gets one. Her brave act has me wondering what I would have done if I had been on the scene. Do we ever know what we’ll do in a situation like that? Darnella was bearing witness in the midst of chaos. She did not look away. Her moral courage helped make history this past week. I will be sitting with thoughts of Darnella close to my heart for quite some time.
By now our tea mugs are empty, the biscotti is gone and I’ve got to get moving on taking in the laundry, checking the mailbox and starting supper. How about if we keep chatting as you pull on your jacket and mittens? I’ll walk you out to your car, and wave to you as you turn out onto the road. Until next time friends, stay well and have hope. xo