in the midst of July

Hannah and Loren’s baby girl was delivered safely on Tuesday afternoon. Little Freya is a cherub and much cherished. She joins the growing posse of our beloved grandchildren, and I won’t hesitate to use the word blessed.

Once we finished with Zoom meetings that evening, Batman and I popped open a small bottle of Prosecco and toasted to the new and shining light that has entered the world.

Our veggie gardens are parched, requiring us to water them once in a while, which is concerning, because our home depends on well water. The sun gold tomatoes are just coming in down in the hoop house and I close my eyes when I pop them in my mouth. It’s the quintessential taste of summer for me.

The improv kids’ quilt is coming together. It will be donated once it’s done, via our quilt guild. Do you have any thoughts on what solid color might be nice to use as the in-between lattice strips? (Does that count for “crowd sourcing?”).

I’m using scraps from a cape I made for Maggie a few years ago. It’s a super fun novelty print that I’ll use in other projects down the road. I just can’t throw the scraps away!!!

This is how I work. Messy as heck.

How about you?

Are you a tidy project person or a jump into the deep end person?

Yesterday Batman and I spent some time in Middlebury, VT checking out a new shop opened by a dear someone we’ve known for ages, (one of Gretta’s best friends from high school). You can read about the shop opening here. I love that Beth had a vision, and despite the pandemic, found a way to open Sparrow Art Supply and Gallery. Beth is building community with art supplies and local art. Magic.

After saying “hi” to Beth and shopping a bit, we wandered around downtown Midddlebury. We walked across a pedestrian bridge to get this great view of the falls. The trees were filled with rollicking cedar waxwings who must have been catching bugs disturbed by the churning water. Maybe there were a dozen of them, chattering and flitting, flying very close to us.

Babies, sewing with scraps, eating tomatoes from the hoop house, wandering with no big agenda…these are the things bringing me joy and comfort these days. And of course, a maple creemee on the way home, at one of the best creemee stands in Vermont.

Maybe you wandered with me here, friends, and maybe you had a chance to catch your breath. I sure do hope so.

xo

a tattoo, a motto and creating an oasis

A design for this tattoo had been rolling around in my head for years. (See my first tattoo, here.) I knew I wanted to get something like this for my 65th birthday and due to COVID I finally got it last week, more than a year later.

This tattoo really feels like a portable resumé of my life, filled with so much meaning…some of which is too dear and close to my heart to share. But I can tell you that I have spent most of my life in partnership with needles and thread. (The metaphors for mending the world seem endless these days). As I sat down with Pat at Black Meadow Gallery and Tattoo, I realized that rather than have a thread with a knot at the end I really wanted to include a square knot, one of the strongest knots around. If you tug on a square knot it just gets tighter and stronger.

I’m still getting used to catching the tattoo out of the corner of my eye, and I smile every time I see it.

And this, dearest ones is a motto I am keeping front and center these days. As my brood of grand children grows, I’m reminded of the passage of time, of shifts in the generations. I am certainly not feeling like I’m getting to the end of things…but there is more behind me than in front of me. Of that I am aware. So, Rilke’s words bring me comfort.

And as for creating an oasis…I thought I’d bring you a smorgasbord of things that have brought me relief, distraction and comfort in the last few weeks…

BOOKS

Our book group just read The Dictionary of Lost Words, by Pip Williams. It’s a gem, and I recommend it to you. I did not realize it was historical fiction until I was well into it, and I recommend reading all the goodies at the end of the novel, too.

I got two books through our inter-library loan program. Frances Palmer’s Life in the Studio has been recommended to me by several friends. The photos alone are an inspiration, and the text just adds to the pleasure of the book.

I learned of the second book via my dear, dear friend Dolo. Written in the 1990’s by historian Howard Zinn, the title is You Can’t Be Neutral On a Moving Train. Eerily timely, it’s a refreshing read on the role of hope in the world.

Do you know of Libro.com? It’s a free app where you can purchase audio books from independent booksellers. In fact, you can help support your favorite indie bookseller with your purchases. This July, Libro.com is giving away two free downloadable audiobooks, and the link can be found here. The two books have me intrigued…Let’s Talk About Hard Things by Anna Sale and High Conflict, Why We Get Trapped and How We Get Out by Amanda Ripley.

CONNECTING WITH KINDRED SPIRITS

I’ve been making a point of setting dates for phone conversations with “old” friends. Not Zoom calls, or Facetime, just old fashioned phone calls. Hearing the voices of dear friends and giving and getting updates has been profoundly gratifying.

I went to an in-person gathering of our quilt guild this morning and it was just a delight. We were careful about being socially distanced, some wore masks, but we were all together, much like my book group meeting on Friday.

We’ve been gobbling up the Montpelier Farmers’ Market each Saturday, wandering from stall to stall, basket in hand, chatting with farmers and crafts folk and bakers. Such fun to see the same folks week after week and begin to have the kind of connections that have been so missed these last few years.

REASSURING WORDS

Another resource shared by several friends are words from Mary Pipher, whose Raising Ophelia is a gem of a parenting book. Her opinion piece in a recent issue of the NYTimes titled How I Build a Good Day When I’m Full of Despair at the World is worth a read (or two).

The first Gen Z candidates are running for Congress—and running against compromise, a story on NPR a few weeks ago, will bring hope to your heart.

Do you know of Insight Timer? Another phone app, it’s free, with an option to upgrade. I often use the free mediations to start my day. I am very fond of this one right now. It’s just 6 minutes long, and it really sets a nice tone for the day.

IN THE GARDEN

Be sure to check out my friend Anne’s blog. She invited her readers to submit photos and she took us on a grand tour of 12 gardens! Check out the variety here.

Batman and I have been rehabbing overgrown flower beds, weeding the veggies, spreading new mulch on the paths between the raised beds and chipping more branches downed by the winter winds and trimmed with Batman’s clippers. Getting into the dirt while the sun kisses our shoulders and the breezes discourage the bugs…being a team, still after all these years…an oasis, for sure.

I really am a list maker. Are you? Here’s my list of the fun things ahead for the week (vs the ordinary, keeping up with commitments things)

• piece a promised quilt top to help our guild reach its goal of 22 donated quilts in 2022.

• catch up on snail mail

• FaceTime with Maggie

How about you? Where are you finding hope? What’s on your fun “to do” list?

Sending buckets of love and hope and joy and comfort to each of you, dearest readers. xo

walk with me

On Wednesday Batman and I consolidated a bunch of errands (to save on gasoline and time) and trekked out into the world, taking I-89 south. We were determined to pack some pleasure into our day and so we found this neat, off the radar spot to take a short hike. The trail loops out onto an esker, dipping up and down in elevation through gorgeous pine groves. The trail goes out onto a steep drop-off where the esker created a finger of land jutting out into the Connecticut River. Our steps were cushioned by layers of pine needles and the ferns rustled in the gentle breeze.

It was a good place to shed some tension and reset my attitude. Lots of deep breaths, sighs and stretches helped.

Maybe you have found a place to wander, relax your shoulders, exhale, readjust? They are precious places these days, because we are all carrying so much in our spirits and hearts.

Did you watch as Ketanji Brown Jackson was sworn in yesterday? I was teary. I am so grateful that Judge Jackson is willing to serve on the court, but because it’s so broken, I hold thoughts of her close to my heart. She is wading into very rough waters and I wish her strength, support and protection.

Sending you courage, dearest ones, as we navigate the changes that are swirling around us.

xo

P.S. Today I did something I’ve been thinking of doing for years and it was deeply satisfying. More later.

solace for today

light and dark have played together since the beginning of time.

decay and newness can be held at the same time.

grief, anger, frustration…they can lead us to action and change.

this is something that may be easier to embrace in the days ahead.

for now…find some beauty and sit in her midst.

please do not forget to let your own light shine.

keep thoughts of faithful friends close to your heart.

remember to look up.

nourish and hydrate.

the sun will come up tomorrow, no matter what.

dearest ones, it has been a day. know that i am here, holding space for all of us to just breathe. xo

summer solstice on the hill

Drifts of daisies, devil’s paintbrush, buttercups and red clover speckle the meadows. Lupin are making a last splash amidst the medians on I-89. Most of the flowering trees have turned their energies to starting fruit on their branches. The lightning bugs have begun their evening flights of fancy.

What a treat to spend so much of yesterday caught up in Mother Nature’s rhythms. The certainty of her planetary cycles is a welcome respite from the current chaos we find ourselves enmeshed in.

On Sunday, Batman and I edged, weeded and mulched the peony crescent. It was so satisfying to use our homemade mulch, chipped with the help of an attachment on Batman’s tractor.

Last night, early in the evening, I wandered out to the peonies, clippers in hand and harvested a bowlful of blossoms.

I brought them in, pulled the petals off, rinsed and drained them. Then I poured boiling water over them, covered the bowl with a tea towel and left them to steep overnight. The scent in the kitchen was intoxicating.

Batman and I had strawberry shortcake for supper, because what else would one have for supper on the solstice? We used King Arthur Baking’s recipe for lemon cornbread biscuits, here. Of course we had them mit schlag and berries from the farmers market. The biscuit recipe really is amazing.

We ate generous bowls of deliciousness outdoors as the bonfire was lit. Rain was in the forecast, so we got started after the sunset, but before it got dark.

I made a daisy bracelet and took this photo for Maggie, who was very curious about my wrinkly skin when we were together last week. :-)

You may be able to see the sheets of rain coming across the valley in waves as it hits each mountaintop along the way. We stayed outdoors as long as we could and then tumbled in just as the downpour began. We need the rain. It was a celebration of hope and renewal.

This morning I got up early and made five jars of peony jelly, using this recipe that I found on the website of the Alaska Peony Cooperative. (Did you know there was such a thing? I did not!) I’m not convinced I’ve got things just right and am waiting til later this morning to check the jelly out. I still have much to learn in the world of making preserves!*

It’s still raining and so I will spend some time in my sewing studio today. I have some new and fresh inspirations I want to play with.

I hope you were able to find some time to celebrate the solstice, friends, wherever you are. I know things are topsy turvy in the Southern Hemisphere. That has always fascinated me…how we are all rooted on the same planet, but can find ourselves in different seasons and time zones.

Oddly, I’m not a huge fan of the summertime. Her blazing heat and glaring light challenge my northern soul. But each year I try to find her pleasures…lovely gardens filled with bounty, quiet evenings on the deck with a breeze off the mountains, more social time wrapped in the freedom of being outdoors, farmers markets, festivals…and dye season!

Sending love, sending hope, sending hugs…to each of you, dearest ones. xo

*The peony jelly was a success! It jelled nicely and it’s got a complex and delicious flavor. :-)

a winner :: an adventure :: and some curiosity

A WINNER Hello friends! I have been away for a week and I returned to find some very lovely comments and emails about my last post. Thank you for your generous kindness. I picked a random winner and Martha will find the “imagine” banner in her mailbox next week. I’m so glad to know its gentle message will be hanging in a home far from Vermont.

Whenever I do a giveaway, I end up a bit sad that I cannot offer something to everyone. I’ll continue to do an occasional giveaway in hopes that someday will be your lucky day. xo

The Ambassador Bridge, an international suspension bridge across the Detroit River, connecting the USA and Canada.

AN ADVENTURE We loaded up the pickup with bins of 1980-1990’s era Playmobiles, Legos and marble works. Batman had refinished the bunkbeds from our own kids’ era and we loaded those up too, along with an assortment of other childhood treasures. We spent our 43rd wedding anniversary on a 13 hour drive through to Detroit. :-)

Oh, the fun we had, gathered with all four kids and three grandkids.

On Friday, Batman painted Flora’s new bedroom and we set up her new “big girl bed”. We made another visit to Fish Eye Farm, to pick up a CSA share. Early on Saturday, we visited Eastern Market, Our mission is to nourish a healthier, wealthier, happier Detroit, as we have been doing since 1891. Later in the day, we celebrated Hannah and Loren’s baby shower. On Sunday we went to the opening of 4 1/2 year old Maggie’s art gallery, in her apartment. Photos, above. On Monday we celebrated LIndsey’s birthday with a cruise along the Detroit River.

Another day we trekked out to Ann Arbor to the WE Upjohn Peony Garden at Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum at the U of Michigan. You can read all about the amazing work that’s being done to study this gorgeous flower on the linked website. (And right now, our peony bed here in Vermont is spectacular!)

A carousel filled with roaring tigers.

Tuesday night found us watching the Tigers play the White Socks with eight of us supporting Maggie’s first baseball experience. What a hoot! Maggie made it to the seventh inning stretch when she realized how late it was and decided it was time for her to go home. She was ready to go back the next day for another game.

The Tigers were Batman’s childhood team and he remains loyal to them all these years later. What fun to have some of our kids in the Tigers’ neighborhood!

There was amazing food all week, some homemade and some ethnic take out, which is hard to find on the back roads of Vermont. We also made a pilgrimage to Sister Pie, one of our fave Detroit landmarks.

We had some quiet time with little Theo and his mama and papa on our way back east, and ended up pulling into our driveway last evening.

What a privilege and joy to be able to spend time with family and friends far from home. It reminds us of how precious these connections are. And spending time in and around Detroit continues to inspire and challenge the way we think about equity, inclusion, diversity and belonging. There are so many connections to this work, no matter where we live. And so…

SOME CURIOSITY Juneteenth’s coming up this weekend and I am learning more about this holiday each year. There are many events scheduled here in Vermont, one of the whitest states in our nation. I’ll be listening to some podcasts in the next few days to open my heart and brain to more learning. Maybe you have some curiosity too?

Now that we’re home from our adventures, I’m looking forward to time in my studio, refreshed by a break in our routine.

I hope you are able to find refreshment, friends. Maybe it’s a break from your routine as well, maybe it’s just a walk around the block or out in the woods. In any case, wishing you a wonderful weekend…full of curiosity and fun.

love always, me.

"imagine" :: a giveaway

the blue color here is slightly distorted.

As a child of the 1960’s, some of my strongest memories are infused with images on my family’s small black and white TV. Our bravest Americans were assassinated onscreen, protests of all sorts were caught on camera and inequities were challenging the status quo all over America.

Despite the time and energy many of us have invested in doing what we can over these many years, here we are again. Or better put, still. These are tough times to navigate, friends. Often it’s hard to know how to say something meaningful.

But friends, there’s music. There was music then, so much amazing music. Music to inspire, to resist, to pull people together. And there’s music now, too.

I head to my sewing studio to find sanctuary, calm and restoration. As I thought of the invitation from the Chandler Center for the Arts and their call for submissions for their area artist exhibit, I felt moved to bring John Lennon’s timeless anthem Imagine to life with this textile piece.

Imagine all the people

Sharing all the world

You

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope someday you’ll join us

And the world will be as one.

The show comes down soon and I want to spread a tiny bit of hope and love and comfort today. I’m not sure what else to do at the moment…IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO TOSS YOUR NAME IN FOR A CHANCE TO FIND THIS imagine banner IN YOUR MAILBOX, leave a note in the comments below or send me an email at sewandsowlife(at)gmial(dot)com. I’ll leave this giveaway open until next week…say Friday June 17th at noon EST.

maker’s notes: fusible transfer paper for the letters, raw edge appliqué and quilting done using my sewing machine, vintage linen napkin purchased at our hospital’s thrift shop for the base, cotton quilt batting, letters cut from linen dyed with homegrown indigo.

hello june

Sometimes it just feels right to put on my rubber boots and go out to wander. My lupine patch out in the scrubby meadow persists and I’m fascinated by how perfect drops of water form in the center of the leaf whorls. I let myself imagine that I meet Miss Rumphius out there and invite her in for tea. (This afternoon I read about the real Miss Rumphius .)

Vermont’s state flower, red clover, has begun to bloom too. I remember planting scads of clover seeds in anticipation of our daughter Gretta’s wedding. We hosted everyone up here on the hill on a perfect summer’s day.

I’ve sort of melted into the landscape and the memories it holds. It feels like a good place to be these days, friends.

One way to preserve this lovely sense of calm and sanctuary is to dye with plants that grow from the land we walk on. I dyed these vintage linens with birch catkins which hang and sway in the spring breezes before they drop to the lawn. Freshly rinsed, this piece will dry on the line in the shade and wait for some stitching.

Per my last post, I’ve been working on less “news” and more inspiration…

One of my “internet crushes” is quilter Grace Rother, who I’ve mentioned here before. Her recommendation of the podcast Abolition is For Everybody has caught my ear.

Two of my faves, Jess of Public Library Quilts and quilter Zak Foster recently had a heartwarming conversation about “sturdy traditions” at the SEAMSIDE Project. You can hear it here.

Jess and her friend Shokoofeh Rajabzadeh wrote a piece about sharing cross cultural traditions in a piece called Quilts and Carpets: Our Gifts For Kin. It’s via a new-to-me website called Reasons to Be Cheerful. What a treasure trove of delight!

Emergence Magazine is another online treat. Creating connections between ecology, culture and spirituality, it’s an editorially independent initiative of the Kalliopeia Foundation.

Sooooo….that’s all I’ve got today, friends. Just sharing a few things that may refresh you, inspire you and comfort you.

A gentle reminder, posted in our kitchen, from young Benjamin Franklin’s “Virtuous Life” questions.

may musings (this is a long post, you may want to brew some tea) xo

lilacs blooming on the hill

crabapple blossoms, for just a quick few days before they shower the lawn with pink petals.

forget-me-nots, planted here in vermont to remind me of our first, sweet neighborhood in chicagoland.

lily of the valley along the stonewall. i used to read books in my grammies lowry’s patch of lily of the valley, under her lilac hedge when i was a kid. those two scents will forever remind me of spring in a magical childhood place. and of her dear presence in my life story.

The scents!

Lily of the valley. Lilac. Freshly cut grass. Cotton sheets dried out on the clothesline. Freshly spread manure. The garden beds after a soft spring rain.

The sounds!

So many plants abuzz with bees. The spring peepers as dusk falls. The coyotes out in the meadow at night. The birdsong, especially the swallows as they stake out their nesting spots. Tractors tilling neighboring fields. Chainsaws clearing trees downed over the winter.

The wildflowers!

Trillium. Columbine. Soloman’s seal. Marshmallows. Trout lilies. Primroses. And all the tiny violets and other sweet things in the lawn.

Eating!

+++Fiddleheads! We tried fiddlehead soup this year. (Be sure to research harvesting and cooking fiddleheads before you try anything! There are safety precautions to be aware of!)

+++Rhubarb! Stewed to eat with homemade yogurt (using Deborah Madison’s recipe.) Or baked into this delicious recipe!

+++Fresh chèvre! Our dear neighbors down the road made a new batch of chèvre and rolled it in the first dandelion petals of the season. They delivered the goat cheese with freshly baked sourdough ciabatta bread. SO GOOD! My gram used to dig the first dandelion greens of the season, steam them and eat them with a pat of butter and splash of cider vinegar. There are so many “spring tonics” we have lost track of over the years. It’s so fun to see some of them coming back. Here in Vermont it’s traditional to plant your potatoes when the first dandelions bloom. :-)

+++The farmer’s markets have been full of delightful treats. It’s been so fun to wander their stalls, basket in hand, renewing acquaintances and bringing home things fresh from the earth.

birch catkins, picked up off the lawn and brought in to the first dye pot of the season. vintage linens went in, i’ll share the results next week.

Recreating!

Once in a while Batman and I try to keep a day or two free of volunteer responsibilities and take a bit of time to do “retirement” things. Last week, we went down to South Royalton to check out a new-to-us food truck, Carlita’s Cocina. It was amazing, including some of Batman’s favorite carbonated beverages from his days of growing up in Latin America. After lunch, Batman cast a few under the bridge into the First Branch of the White River. I sat in the sunshine on the rocks and read a book. It really was blissful. I would like to do this more often. (If you are a vegetarian, you may want to skip this part…) On the way home we stopped at Roma’s Butchery, a woman owned and operated butchery, selling local meats. What a treat to have access to meat that is grazed on pasture and raised humanely and harvested compassionately.

we thought of you, kristen and gary. xo

Reading!

My goodness, I have been on an Amor Towles binge! I started with A Gentleman in Moscow (his second book), went on to The Lincoln Highway (his third book) and ended with Rules of Civility (his first book). I love Towles’ writing and each book is very different from the others. My Fave? Hands down, A Gentleman in Moscow. But don’t let me sway you. Please let me know if you have read any of them and what you thought of them!

I also read Pauper Auction written by fairly local author, Mary Kronenwetter, which I found to be fascinating. The author did some major research into old New England ways that I was not aware of. Always learning.

Now I’ve got my nose into Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Gathering Moss, another gem.

I found most of these titles via our public library, and am glad that we can wander in its quiet space once again. (I still wear a mask whenever I go inside anyplace.) It was lovely to sit and read Cook’s Illustrated in the squishy leather chairs after such a long absence.

Thinking about!

Holy smokes, friends, if you are still reading, do I have something for you to ponder!!!!

I had the most wonderful massage the other day (such a luxury!). As I described the horrible kink in my neck, Missy and I spoke a little bit about how stressful the world is, and of how the 24/7 news feed can be overwhelming. I do try to limit my exposure to the news, especially because it doesn’t seem like “news” to me anymore. How many more wars and mass shootings and inappropriate behaviors can be called “news”?

Missy stopped me in my tracks when she told me she checks the news once a week.

I am still thinking about that. And wondering if maybe I want to be like Missy.

If I can reduce the frustration, anger, anxiety and grief I experience while consuming “the news” might that provide more energy, hope and clear thinking for the small bits of good work I try to do in the world?

How about you friends? What do you think?

xo

P.S. Just saw the “news” . Thank you Sen. Chris Murphy (D) Connecticut for asking, “What are we doing?” Indeed, WHAT ARE WE DOING?

another collaborative quilt

Gretta, Lindsey and I hatched a plan in the early winter, to make a quilt together for Theo. It took us a while to come to consensus on the fabrics and pattern, but once we decided, we kicked into high gear.

We bought a bit of three different Charlie Harper prints and filled in the rest of the fabric with bits from our stashes. Here you can see the praying mantis, the luna moth and the nesting birds that we chose.

We picked “stacked coins” for our pattern and decided that each one of us would make a stack, sewing some of the Charlie Harper fabric and bits from our own stashes. That way we would have a cohesive colorsheme, but with some individual variation, too.

Here’s a text message from Gretta, showing us her completed stack of coins, posted from Ypsilanti, MI. My stack went out to Detroit via the postal service.

Thread, backing, quilt top and batting… ready to quilt.

All three of our stacks ended up in LIndsey’s sewing room, where she put the quilt top together, using the lovely KONA solid cotton that she and Gretta shopped for. We ordered the ferny/seaweedy fronds designed by Dear Stella from Gather Here, (after much deliberation.)

The top and backing arrived via the USPS here in Vermont and I added batting to the formula. I basted and quilted it in my studio and sent it back to Lindsey. She sewed the binding to the front of the quilt.

In April, Gretta, Lindsey and even Hannah took a turn at sewing the binding onto the back…and I finished it while staying at Hannah’s at Cranbrook. Sewing is not really Hannah’s favorite thing to do. She did a great job and was such a good sport, and now her love is stitched right into Theo’s quilt.

Here’s the finished quilt, spread out on Hannah’s floor

And here it is, draped over the fence in Lindsey’s backyard after being washed and dried…to give it the gentle puckering that we all love.

When Stewart (Theo’s papa) was a little boy he was an avid junior entomologist, so we kinda loved the bug fabric for that reason. Young Stew was in absolute heaven when the cicadas had one of their epic hatchings while we lived in Chicagoland.

The quilt was gifted this past weekend, at Theo’s shower in Ohio, which had been postponed from earlier in the spring. I was sad not to be there, but the kids shared a video and photos, which were so thoughtfully sent.

So friends, that’s the story of another fun Reed family collaboration. I find such happiness working on projects with my loved ones, especially when we are so far from one another most of the time.

Dearest ones, let me leave you with this image. I took this picture on Saturday afternoon, up on our ridge, on our way home from the farmer’s market and running errands in Montpelier. This was another reminder to me that life is filled with blessings if we just stop to notice them. Keep your eyes open, friends…may you find things that cause you to stop, notice and fill you with peace. xo