A SUMMER MINI SERIES:: PART THREE:: ESCAPE

Batman has transformed an old shed into a playhouse. This same pirate flag hung from our kids’ playhouse in Chicagoland long ago. The blue chairs came from my grandmother’s kitchen.

Batman repurposed lots of bits and pieces. This railing came from a toddler bed he built for Stewart when we lived in Old San Juan. We found the kitchen gear at the thrift store. The apples were gathered by little ones.

I stitched a bunting from an old birdseed bag and a cat litter bag.

Batman trimmed a few branches from a maple and hung a homemade swing.

In the past two weeks we have had 12 adults and 8 children gathered here in an assortment of different combinations. One afternoon we put the tables end-to-end for the first time since the “before times” and gathered a crowd. It felt very Karin and Carl Larsson around here. The day was breezy, the sky was blue and the vibe was intergenerational.

Not everything was perfect which was just perfect.

As time passes and the world changes, I know in my heart that all we have is this present moment. It is our escape and sanctuary and home. xo

A SUMMER MINI SERIES:: PART TWO:: EASE

Batman and Maggie looking at craters on the moon. She’s wearing my corduroy shirt ‘cause it’s been chilly in the evenings here in Vermont. The BEST kind of evenings!

A daily ritual in July, deadheading all the day lilies. These gardening clogs are still spattered with Falu red that we used when we painted gazillion lengths of exterior siding to save money. Also, the toe of the left clog was chomped by porcupines who set up life in our woodshed for a few weeks. #countryliving

Harvested yesterday, with help from small girls, garlic drying on the front porch.

Corázon and Wilma, snuggling in the room of requirement.

Wilma, who was gifted a handmade necklace, made by little hands.

After quiet Covid summers, our “bit of earth” is alive with visitors again…friends and family, tucked in like sardines at night and gathered around the table with both leaves added to the dining table. “Pull up a chair, sit next to me, please pass the salt and pepper!” Arriving in waves and overlapping with one another, it’s been a celebration of love and connection.

Which brings me to ease. The kitchen is running full tilt, the toys get picked up in the evening, shoes are kicked off in the breezeway and there are so many books to read “again”. There’s intergenerational laughter, some tears when feelings get frayed, things to harvest in the garden and wildflowers to pick in the meadow. Plans get made and then are adjusted or changed altogether…depending on the weather or moods or disruption of naps. But we all try to roll with it. Because that’s what this time of year is all about. Ignoring the big wide world and just dropping in to the current of the day with beloved ones. Easing together into days we will all remember once we’ve said good-bye to one another.

Wishing you ease, dearest readers…days that roll out from the morning, into midday and into the quiet of evening, when you fall into bed tired and happy.

xo

a summer mini series:: part one:: BIRDS

I’m on an anti-fretting campaign. And looking for kindred spirits, fellow hopers, clothesline compatriots, dirt worshipping diggers and bird watchers.

A few days back I asked…Given the realities of everything we are living through right now, how do we keep our heads above the waters of overwhelm?

Let’s deepen our connections to Mother Nature and see what healing we can offer our hearts and what resilience we can bring to our communities. I aim to post resources, thoughts and encouragement here for the next few weeks.

Today, it’s all about birds. We love that our space here on the ridge is popular with so many birds. I think they like the open meadow, the shelter of the trees and the abundance of bugs (the more they eat, the fewer bugs eat us!)

Cora, Wilma, Batman and I have discovered Merlin, a free phone app that identifies birds in an area by their calls. Just push “record” and voilá…the bird species begin to scroll on your screen!

We sit out on the three season porch most mornings and eat breakfast with our Sibley guide and the Melin app and binoculars. Here’s what the app has picked up in the last few weeks…

We have yet to actually spot the indigo bunting, the scarlet tanager or the magnolia warbler, despite our best efforts. The fun is in the listening. The waiting and watching.

The birds often flit down to land on the wooden posts we use to secure chicken wire to deter woodchucks. They preen and sing while they cock their heads to find bugs and larvae in the gardens.

We sit in silence and are wrapped up in pure pleasure as we watch their comings and goings. A few weeks ago we watched the bluebirds fledge their wee babies.

If you look closely, you can see the bluebird box on the far end of our hoop house.

The blueberries are beginning to ripen, and so we have netted them. This is one thing we are not willing to share with our feathered friends.

I did a walking meditation in the meadow on Tuesday morning and made a bouquet to share with friends.

Early yesterday as the ash from Canada began to lift.

And very blue skies above the hay field across the road from us today!

A few years back we visited the Birds of Vermont Museum, a wonderful resource for all things bird in Vermont, including a collection of gorgeous carved wooden birds. We may need to revisit this summer!

Maybe you are a birder? Or a bird appreciator? Maybe you’re an ornithologist! Do you find inspiration while watching birds? Does your blood pressure drop as you calm down and sit and wait for the birds to come to you? Let us know in the comments! (Thanks Stacy, for letting me know the comments were “off”! Just fixed it.)

some thoughts on these times

Good morning friends. I use a high efficiency washing machine. I choose my laundry detergent carefully and I dry our organic sheets on the line in the sunshine.

But, today I had to get the sheets out on the line early, because we have an air quality alert starting here this afternoon (again), due to wildfires in Canada. My “green” laundry detergent comes in a plastic jug.* And my organic sheets are made of cotton, a fiber that has a pedigree of colonialism and environmental degradation.

As a person who lives with a degree of privilege and comfort, I’m able to think about and make choices in my daily life. Sometimes there are multiple bottom lines to consider…is it local? It is produced and sold fairly? Is it sustainable/renewable? And truth be told, even the choices I/we make to do less harm in our everyday lives are a drop in the bigger bucket of living in this Anthropocene.

My friend Anne linked to this article by Mark Bittman in her latest newsletter (it’s one of my favorite things to find in my inbox.) After the week we’ve had here in Vermont, his words resonate in a very big way.

So here’s the question I’m sitting in the middle of. Perhaps you are too.

Given the realities of everything we are living through right now, how do we keep our heads above the waters of overwhelm?

There are lots of folks asking this same question. The answers I’ve been finding are helping me build a stronger sense of community, of kindredness, of hope and sometimes the answers are right under my very own nose.

We have two rows of day lilies…one in front of a retaining wall, where we can see them as we wash dishes at the kitchen sink, and one out by the garage.

More later this week…

*Have you tried making your own laundry detergent? Please share in the comments!

flood update and how to help

Batman scatters dried lupine seeds from the garden across the meadow. We are finding comfort in very small things.

We remain incredibly lucky up here on the ridge. Our bit of earth was not impacted by the flooding that has ravaged our brave little state. But, oh, my goodness, there is such distress all around us. This video taken by drone over our beloved capital city, Montpelier got me in my gut. I could point out to you some of my favorite shops amidst the water, mud and silt. We already have a housing crisis here in Vermont, now made much worse due to homes lost and damaged by the storm. Small scale farmers, who are some of Vermont’s best ambassadors find themselves mid-summer, with nothing to show for their hard work but flooded fields and ruined crops.

Enough.

I sit on the board of directors at an anti-poverty agency in Central Vermont. Our Barre office, including our food shelf, industrial kitchen and offices has been flooded. Our agency has been asked to set up a fund to support small businesses impacted by the flood. Our Executive Director, Sue Minter is the real deal, (she led Vermont's recovery efforts after Tropical Storm Irene), so I am confident that all donations will be used equitably and with integrity. If you would like to make a donation in any amount, you can find the website here.

Also, NOFA-VT has a farmer emergency fund, you can find the link here.

Thank you.

And now, the governor is very concerned about an approaching storm and wants all vehicles OFF THE ROADS between 4-8PM tonight. The risk of downed trees increases when their roots are hanging onto saturated soil. Additional outages are a huge concern when trees start falling down over rural power lines. Repairs can be hindered by remote locations and roads can quickly become impassable.

If you are so inclined, please light a candle this evening and while you sit in silence for a bit, send some hope and courage to the Green Mountain State.

Please, please remember that we are all in this together, friends. We all live on this fragile, beautiful planet, and she is inviting us to help her survive...

xo

quick check in

Hello friends,

Just a quick post to you let know that we are OK here at our bit of earth. A few of you have so kindly reached out to see how we are faring. Since we are at about 1400’ of elevation, we are indeed very wet, but not flooding. The rain runs down the hills and mountains and tends to flood the valleys below. Much of Vermont is in the throes of Mother Nature’s fury, and we won’t know until tomorrow or the next day the extend of the damage. A lot of us are remembering Tropical Storm Irene, which tore through the state in late August of 2011.

Please send good thoughts, especially to those who are unhoused.

I’ve been distracting myself from the downpour by cleaning the house (where I can exert some degree of control), simmering a pot of Cuban black beans on the stove (my ultimate comfort food) and stitching on this fun top designed by KZStevens. I bought the fabric years ago at Bolt, a fun fabric store in Portland, OR.

Again, thanks for your your good thoughts. They mean a lot to me. I’ll bring you an update in the next day or two.

Stay safe wherever you are! xo

mending and devotion

Nothing like a worn in leather thimble!

Hello dearest readers. I’m wondering how you are feeling. I’ve been so angry since last Friday’s SCOTUS decisions! And 4th of July celebrations added to my upset…not sure there’s much to celebrate. I’ve fumed. I wrote a blog post yesterday and quickly took it down, because I had not brought my best self to this space.

So. How about redirecting my/our energies…

I’m returning to devotion, the word I’ve been trying to build my days around. And mending. Because when I mend things with my hands, my heart often follows suit. And when my heart feels stronger, I find energy to mend broken pieces out in the world.

I have a favorite needle case that I’ve used for years. You can find it here. It usually sits next to my sewing machine. I decided I wanted another one to keep with my mending basket. I used homegrown, hand dyed fabric for this newest one. The front is dyed with tansy, grown here in VT in 2019. I used clothespins to create the “resist” design. The inside was made with fabric I tie dyed with indigo that we grew here at our “bit of earth”. The leather tie was made from scraps left on the factory floor at Vermont Glove (formerly Green Mountain Glove), a local business producing gloves for over 100 years. I took a field trip there, you can read about it here.

So now I’m devoting myself to doing more that feeds my creative spirit and refocuses me on hope and lightness.

Here’s a quote I saw the other day, author unknown.

Remember, being happy doesn’t mean you have it all.

It simply means you’re thankful for all you have.

Here are a few sweet little things to watch that may bring you a smile or two.

I just ordered this pattern (I’m going to make a bunch of them!) and got a lovely follow up email from the founder and designer of Sew Liberated. She highlighted this little video. I know it’s part of a marketing scheme…but it resonated with me.

I’ve long admired the work of Emily Louise Howard, and she has a fun YouTube channel where you can see her English sketchbook. This one is especially lovely.

Carry on, friends. Let me know in the comments where you are finding comfort, inspiration, calm.

xo

and now it's July...

Green beans, strawberries, a bottle of rhubarb ginger juice, a cuke, polenta bread from Red Hen Bakery, spinach, Napa cabbage, radish micro greens, carrots, and baby fingerling potatoes. I am not a summer gal, but, gosh, the farmers market in Montpelier sure makes me smile.

A vireo nest, out in one of our Liberty apple trees, crafted from dead leaves, birchbark, grasses and twigs.

Out in the meadow. Where crickets and lightning bugs play.

The hoop house is filled with tomato and pepper plants, some greens, herbs and other goodies.

The upper gardens are looking good, too. Sadly, the indigo seedlings we started and planted did not make it. They are tricky little seeds to manage in Vermont. We have had hot and hazy days…the last few have been complicated with ash from the Canadian wildfires again…

The California poppies continue to self seed and thrive. They remind us of dear friends in the Bay Area. xo

Life update

Since this past February, we have curated my Mumsie’s possessions, moved her into a studio apartment at an assisted living community, cleared out her house that she moved into as a bride 70 years ago, put her house on the market, sold it, closed on it and all of this while navigating my own medical journey (which has come to a pause, I remain vigilant and hopeful.)

It was a lot.

At one point I lost track of myself.

I missed myself. I couldn’t find “me”. That had never happened before. It was scary.

So I asked for a bit of help, and got it.

I’m still tying up loose ends, with change of address BS, power of attorney updates, and helping my Mumsie navigate some of her own medical adventures…because when you’re ninety, there are bound to be hiccups, right?

But I am so glad my Mumsie is safe, well cared for and happy. She says to anyone who asks, “Why didn’t I do this 5 years ago?!?!” Such a great outcome!

And one of the best silver linings was time spent with one of my brothers and his wife. Batman and I teamed up with them and we were a remarkable force. We spent many weekends driving down to MA to empty the house. We worked hard together and then we relaxed and ate good food at their house and walked the beach to restore our equilibrium.

We were able to distribute some of my Mumsie’s things to others who appreciate them. I did not keep much for myself, but I treasure two scrap books filled with pictures drawn by my dad when he was a little boy. Perhaps someday I’ll share some of them here.

I have not spent much time making things, but I’m setting July aside to see if I can’t get back some of my inspiration.

One afternoon I lit a candle and sat down to make some curtains for the pantry shelves in our “room of requirement”.

I used a tablecloth that had been my paternal grandmother’s. Rather than have it sit in a drawer, I was inspired to have it out in the open. Now whenever I look into the room, the clutter has been hidden, and I smile with memories of my Gram.

The news is filled with things to be very concerned about. I’m trying to maintain some sort of equilibrium in the usual places…meditation, reading, writing snail mail, checking in with friends and family.

I hope you are finding some balance in your lives, too, dearest readers.

xo

on the eve of the summer solstice

Hello dearest readers. It is said that the devil fools with the best laid plans. And so, it’s been a while since I checked in with you here at sew and sow life.

As we stand at the threshold of the summer solstice, I invite you to take a pause with me. Are you able to set aside a bit of quiet time in the next day or two to light a candle and sit with yourself for a few minutes of meditation?

Perhaps you’d like to brew some tea, or draw a glass of fresh water. Maybe you would enjoy some peaceful music.

Settle yourself into a comfy spot to relax. Take a few big inhales and exhales, relax your shoulders and do it all again. Close your eyes. Imagine a beach at the ocean, or a meadow filled with tall grasses and wildflowers, or a hilltop surrounded by breezes and birdsong.

As we turn from spring to summer ask yourself two simple questions… “What do I want more of in my life?” and “What do I want less of?”

Maybe you’d like to write something down, or sketch ideas that come to you. Maybe you’d like to call a friend or write them a note to check in with them. Maybe you’d like to write things on a slip of paper and go outside to burn it with a match. I invite you to internalize what you discovered, or release it…whichever serves you better.

(One of the silver linings in this challenging chapter of my life is that I have found myself on the coast of Massachusetts, wrapped in the generous hospitality of my brother and his wife many times. Last week, my daughter Gretta and granddaughter Maggie joined us. We strolled the beach one evening and again the next morning. The second photo, above, was part of Maggie’s “village”.)

hello June

Vermont is exploding with spring beauty. Batman pruned one of our lilacs last year and this year it is putting on quite the show. It’s covered with blooms and the buzzing of bees. I read somewhere that you can infuse water with lilac florets, and so I tried it. I pulled about 1/3 cup of florets from the stem, put them in a glass of water, covered it and put it in the fridge for about 6 hours. I strained the water from the flowers and now I am sipping a most delicately flavored water.

These past few months have been quite the challenge, but loose ends have been tied off and soon I think I can write about it a bit more. I feel like I’m getting out from under such heaviness. And now my life is full of ideas and possibilities and it’s all centered around devotion, simplicity and beauty. I look forward to sharing some of it with you here, friends.

I hope you are well and open to the joys of the season.

xo