Can you see the little fingerprints left on the window by Flora and Maggie when they were visiting over the holidays? I cannot bear to wash the evidence of their curiosity from the window. They watched the snowfall and birds from their perch here in the living room.
FRIENDS! The news headlines are going berserk! Covid! The stock market! Military aggressions! LET’S JUST TAKE A PAUSE FROM ALL OF IT! I invite you to carve out a bit of time to wander around some of the internet with me, to take a few moments away from the fray…
Did you hear the interview Terry Gross of Fresh Air did with Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson? He made his directorial debut with the documentary Summer of Soul. You can listen to the interview here. Batman and I listened while driving to Detroit for Hannah and Loren’s wedding in September. We made a mental note to watch it.
We finally watched the documentary last week, as one way to mark Martin Luther King Jr Day. The documentary was put together using recently discovered film shot during the summer of 1969 (the same summer that Woodstock happened.) I was 13 at the time and I was taken back to those days when my awareness of the wider world was exploding. The assassination of MLK Jr had happened just a year before the festival and it was still a fresh wound. But in its aftermath, the energy, pride and solidarity caught on film was contagious. This documentary is a masterwork and I cannot recommend it highly enough…but perhaps you are way ahead of me and have already viewed it. :-)
We recently ordered some hemp-fiber growing mats and some terra cotta seed spouters from Lee Valley Tools. I have no affiliation with the company, I’ve just been delighted with these products. Best of all, their tag line is “Time to hibermake”. HIBERMAKE! I love that made up word (maybe because we have almost daily snow and are in the deep freeze here in Vermont…-15 anyone?)
Micro greens growing on the windowsill, as we avoid going to the store as much as possible…
Each week we bring new pots of bulbs up from the root cellar...this week it’s hyacinths and daffodils, set onto the kitchen island and living room windowsill.
4. Another fun place to explore is the blog of artist Hannah Nunn in the UK. She recently wrote about mosses and I found myself wanting to wander in the woods with her near Hebden Bridge, a place I long to visit. Hannah had recently read Gathering Moss, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (who also wrote the lovely Braiding Sweetgrass.)
5. I also stumbled upon an absolutely magical artist who photographs birds and animals in the wild, but with props to delight! David M Bird’s website is enchanting, especially the videos that document how he does his work.
This saucy red squirrel tunneled from the bird feeder over to the window where Corazón and Wilma sit to watch the action. It sits and chitter chats at the cats who chitter right back and swish their tails in excitement. The dear birds and tiny rodents are ferociously hungry as they try to retain calories in this deep freeze!
Besides all of these fun distractions, I have had my nose tucked into Jen Hewett’s book This Long Thread, Women of Color on Craft, Community, and Connection. I was able to participate in Jen’s virtual book tour event via Gather Here, and am glad to have a copy in my hands (ordered from Gather Here).
A drawstring bag and balsam sachet, made here in Vermont at our bit of earth. The casing for the drawstring bag was dyed with birch bark, as was the balsam sachet.
The wee button on the sachet was fashioned from birchbark fallen from a tree out in the woods.
Back in January 2009 I launched my blog sewandsowlife on the Blogger platform. Just over a year ago I migrated over here to Squarespace. I have rambled for years about gardening, sewing, cooking, moving to Vermont and everything in between. I also found some fun blogs to follow myself, and I’ve “met” some fine friends. As Instagram gained popularity, the blog world diminished. My friend Anne and I are both hoping for a comeback for blogs.
I’m so grateful to have you as followers, dearest ones. Your patience with my musings and kind comments are heartwarming. I’d love to mark the anniversary of my blog with a giveaway. If you would like to have a chance at finding the drawstring bag and balsam sachet in your mailbox, please leave a comment below or send me an email at <sewandsowlife@gmail.com>. I regret that due to current circumstances in the world (and the inclusion of balsam needles), I can only offer to send a package to the contiguous United States.
Let me know if you would like a chance at winning the giveaway by next next Tuesday, at noon EST, February 1st. I’ll post sometime on Wednesday, letting you now who the winner is. I’ll tell you about those quilts I mentioned a while back, too.
Be strong, friends, and do what you can each day to spread hope and light.
xo