(left) A close up of the door spray I put together for May Day for our neighbors down the road.
(right) The full spray, made with bits and pieces from the yard.
Hello friends!
It’s been a very slow and chilly spring here in Vermont, with a bit of a drought, and then some lovely, refreshing rains. The hoop house has gorgeous spinach and kale under its shelter, and a few of the veggie starts have gone down there to harden off. The madder in the dye garden is up, and since this is the third year we’ve had it, it will be ready to use at the end of the summer! And, oh my goodness, the rhubarb is thriving. I may go grab a bit this weekend and stew up a compote to put on my yogurt.
Down in the village, the fruit trees are blooming. We’re just a bit higher in elevation, so our trees are still in bud. I’m guessing the blooms will come any day now. Lilacs, crabapples and pears! The birch catkins are dancing in the breezes up here on the ridge and the spring bulbs have lasted way past their usual time. May and October are my favorite months and I am delighted when they linger.
Mending a moth eaten sweater with Sashiko thread (the color match was irresistible). It’s a Laura Ashley sweater brought home from London by my mother-in-law for one of our girls years and years ago. It will soon be headed out to our grandbaby, Flora.
We all have stories to tell about this bizarre time in the world. Batman and I took Vermont’s very restrictive Covid protocols to heart. Our Brave Little State has had some of the best overall statistics in the nation. I felt safer here than I think I would anywhere else. But it has come at a cost. We have not seen our four kids and their families in a very long time. We have not seen our granddaughter Maggie since November 2019 and our little Flora was born in the midst of the darkest days in Detroit’s Covid struggle. Today is her first birthday and I have yet to meet her.
There’s a lot happening in our cherished family right now. A move will be underway at the end of the month, bringing all four kids back to their Midwestern roots. Maggie and Flora, the two little cousins will be able to grow up together. There’s a new job for Margretta, Hannah’s postponed wedding has been rescheduled. The sale of a shared family summer home of 52 years is on the horizon. It’s a home filled with treasures from years of living overseas and family pieces.
So yes, sentiment is pretty strong around here.
Yesterday marked the two week wait, after our second doses of Moderna. Batman loaded the truck with lots of our kids’ childhood treasures that had been stored here and headed west. My dad made this dollhouse for Lindsey in the mid 1980’s and now it’s ready for the next generation, safely delivered last night.
Batman arrived in Detroit after a long drive. (He’s on the first leg of his journey to meet up with siblings to begin the work of emptying the summer house).
I made this little dress for Flora and her new baby doll for her birthday. (With all due respect to gender neutral child raising?) I was delighted that Batman could deliver these in person. And thank goodness for FaceTime! I was able to watch Flora open her gifts, with my mug of tea in hand, from our kitchen in here Vermont. What fun it was to see Batman, Lindsey, her husband Scott and their wee Flora sharing breakfast and celebrating such a milestone together way out in Detroit.
(My turn to catch up with family will come. We have plans. It will happen. Patience. xo)
And, friends, I know that the important things in life are not things. Certainly not! But sometimes things can be treasured and passed along and they can be full of meaning and sentiment and, well, love. Like things built by hand, stitched with intention, tucked away with reverence.
Such a bunch of ramblings here today!
I will be back in this space sooner rather than later with some photos of spring here at our “bit of earth” and a few links to places I’ve been poking around on the internet and a book that is knocking my socks off.
Until then, friends, stay well and strong and hopeful.
K-