As the crabapple and lilac blossoms confetti themselves on the lawn, the lupin step up to steal the show. I have tried over the years to be like Miss Rumphius and scatter their seeds in the meadow. Sadly, they are reluctant to spread into swaths of color like we see in the median strip of I-89 on the way to Montpelier.
When some of us went to Susan‘s house to play Mahjong on Tuesday (on her screened porch!), I could not resist taking a photo of the lupins her daughter-in-law brought by. Such elegant beauty from a wildflower!
The Rowan tree is blooming by the front door, the ferns are strutting their stuff under the crabapple and the lobelia greet us on the porch post. Spring was late and then enthusiastic this year!
Our forget-me-nots remind me of so many dear friends and family, near and far and gone altogether. I think before they fade I will make a list of my beloveds. I’ll light a candle, take a few deep breaths and let the names flow. Mother Nature can be such a minister sometimes.
I’ve been inspired by the wonderful Sara Buscaglia and her weekly quilt block tutorials. I cannot show my squares to you yet because someone is turning three this summer and needs a quilt for her “big girl bed” before the snow flies. It’s turning out to be a real joy to work on this project.
Kale, spinach, lettuce and parsley from the hoop house, where I go for my drive-thru lunches these days.
It’s finally going to get hot here in the next few days, and so this morning I went out to gather things to cook up before the heat makes the kitchen an un-fun place to be. The gathering basket was made by my beloved Franny, so her spirit went out to collect things, too.
This morning I made
A batch of yogurt
A jug of black current iced tea
A jar of stewed rhubarb to go on the yogurt from this cookbook
A pitcher of rhubarb rose infusion from this cookbook
A batch of miso-curry delicata squash from this cookbook
Things that are filling my heart
Insight Timer’s free Mid-Year Reset Challenge, which I prefer to think of as an invitation. You may need to download the app to your phone.
Liz Lamoreux’s Five Things workshop, here.
Learnings I took away from the Vermont Library Associations Annual Conference that I attended a few weeks back. The theme was Rooted in Community, and we all got seed packets of Gilfeather Turnip seeds. Read about why the turnips are special here. AND, one of the keynote speakers was Hannah Miller and she spoke about her quest to knit in every public library in Vermont. Merciful heavens, she was absolutely fabulous. Such radiance, such integrity, such fun. You can find her here.
A few weeks ago one of my very best college friends found her way to Vermont for a family celebration. We had not seen one another since 1978. I was allowed to “ kidnap” Ann for a day and it was such a joy to hear her laugh again, to catch up on our lives and to just be in one another’s presence. Like other Earlham friends Tracy, Carolyn and Martha, I feel so lucky that they have all made the trek to our “bit of earth”, and broken bread with Batman and I. I have cherished my time with them.
My friend Anne Butera has finally found her place in the country. Much like Batman and I, it took Anne and Matthias a l-o-n-g time to find their spot, but hip hip hooray, they’ve done it! Joy abounds! Read about the excitement via her newsletter, subscribe here.
And welcome to new subscribers to sewandsowlife Linda and Gwen.
And thank you so very much for all of your comments on my last post, I recently answered them over on that post.
For so many reasons I am no longer “churched”. One of the things I miss is singing hymns. You can listen to The Sweet June Days here. It’s a beauty.
Well dearest readers, I wish each of you could sit on the porch and sip rhubarb rose infusion with me. We could listen to the birds sing their tiny little hearts out. We could sniff the last of the fading lilacs and swoon at their scent. We could talk about our fears and our dreams and we could feel connected in real time. For now, let this little blog post be a golden thread that sews me to you.
love, light, hope…all for you.