bee creative

5 things to keep things moving forward

Mostly I think about sustainability and resiliency as lifestyle choices that affect our environment. But equally important, our lifestyles have to be sustainable for ourselves.  Resiliency is something to be developed as a personal quality, as self care. 

This is very much on my mind right now. 

One of the traps that I fall into is "I'm tired," especially this time of year when grass allergies arrive and the days get longer so I go to bed later, but still get up early. 

Loving how the evening sun lands in this corner.  A change from last year due to some pruning I did. 

To try to move past this I've been making a list each of day of five things I want to accomplish.  Things that will remind me to take care of myself, to make time for things other than my "shut-down" behaviors of napping, reading to escape, and eating foods that are less than healthy because they are the only thing that sound good. My lists this week have included:

1. Work in the garden for 30 minutes.

2. Make something.

Knitting is almost always an act of meditation for me. It is the one thing I will do when nothing else seems possible.   

3. Eat three healthy meals, no eating while walking.

My bus stop breakfast picnic.  I had yogurt too. 

4. Read something nourishing for at least 15 minutes and journal about it.

A couple more chapters to go and I will be finished with this.  Years after I started reading it...a book to savor. 

5. Wash the dishes. 

Haven't done very well on this one...

 

 

 

 

sewing...new and mostly used

New.

A top for my mother. 

And mostly used.

A pillow from cotton batting leftover from making a mattress pad, a past it's best t-shirt, and a piece of organic cotton from the remnant table at a local fabric store. 

I am working on using up a pile of clothing that needs to be recycled.

And a season marker:

First strawberries from the garden.

So early this year. 

 

 

things that have been on the bus

This is Weigela. 

It's been on my wish list because hummingbirds and butterflies like it. 

This week's Year of Making Project:

The green is linen, the natural nettle. 

I had a passing thought on Wednesday that I should turn it in to a wash cloth but have decided to keep going and make it headband/scarf length. 

Finished scarf/headband:

 

busy bee:

This one has landed on the flower of a red twig dogwood.  They are busy in the raspberries too. 

where we might stop

the beach

for a picnic

and some beach knitting.

It's the color of mussels. 

At the bus stop on the way home:

For some reason today this struck me as funny.

 

 

lifestyle labels and choices

My Dad says that I am the environmentalist in the family and he's not sure how that happened....

It's not a term that I would have used to describe myself; I tend to think in terms of sustainability and resiliency. 

Like this:

This summer I'll be experimenting with natural dyeing more than usual.  I am taking a class from Ulrike and it is fabulous! The focus is on plant based fibers, such as cotton and linen.  This is important to me as these are the fabrics that are most easily found used; whether in the closet, attic, or thrift store. 

I think often of what I want my garden to be:  a food source for myself, the bees, birds, butterflies; a source for medicines such as salves made of calendula or tinctures with hops, a sanctuary. Coloring cloth may not be necessary, but it adds more joy to life.  That has value and so is another resource to be tapped into. 

It's an amazing time in the garden.  Everything is growing so quickly. 

For the first time fruit set on my Orcas Pear.

The Highbush cranberry is covered in blossoms.

The lovage needs to be cut back and dehydrated. 

There is volunteer Swiss Chard growing, also forget-me-nots and poppies.  I let the Swiss Chard go to seed last year hoping this would happen. 

 

On Saturday I went to one of the local garden sales.  I bought goldenrod to add to the dye plant collection and a native honeysuckle (lonicera ciliosa).  There are a variety of uses for the honeysuckle.  Mostly I am hoping that it will someday be so prolific that I will be able to use it to make baskets. 

 

I've been knitting on the bus  during the morning.  Eight inches = 20 miles traveled or 2 1/2 hours of travel time.  Plus another 30 minutes of waiting time for an appointment. I'm making a headband with this.  It's a cotton yarn made by Habu textiles.

I am thinking it would be nice to knit a white strip of fabric that could be plant dyed.

 

 

 

I also was able to visit the baby chicks at my parents.  One of them is for me and will be added to my flock when she is full grown.  She's a Welsummer and will lay dark brown eggs. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For some reason this all strikes me as practical.  Sustainability and resiliency as the practical thing to do. And if that's the case, well...I learned that from my family. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

rules to live by?

#1 Put the things you love where they are easily accessible:

Love having all the cookbooks, garden books, plus other books I look at frequently close to a table. And yes, I still love the blue walls. 

#2 Start over until you are happy:

First I thought stripped shawl, then cowl; now I'm thinking fingerless mitts. But I think I'll wait a few months to start them.

Go outside:

Break time after pulling weeds, planting beans, and general puttering in the garden. 

 

be creative:

My dad wanted to know if this was the bottle garden.  I said, no this is how I keep the neighbors outdoor cats from digging in the garden.

New post at bee creative cooking.