bee creative

altered and not

Altered... 

And not.

Think I'm done being silent. 

It's been the most beautiful October that I can remember. 

Sunny, a few record warm days (around my preferred temp of 70 F), cold nights. 

Fog the last couple days. 

There has been some making.

A new pair of mitts, knit primarily on the bus.

Some dyeing.

A lot of thinking and journal writing. 

Some long walks.

A lot of cooking. 

Quinoa + carrots + zucchini + ginger + beans + chicken + green salad.

After over a month of avoiding wheat, dairy and sugar I'm re-introducing wheat and dairy in limited amounts and sugar in very limited amounts.  In many ways I feel better than I have in a long time and I don't want that to change. 

Altered. 

But I also really miss cheese.  More than anything. 

Going along with the theme of altered, a song that fits the day...

 

 

mend or play, either one is correct.

perfect match

I've had two piles of fabric on the floor as I've been sorting...all whites which for some reason Lola thinks makes an appealing bed.

And everything that has been plant dyed.  As I looked at that pile I realized all those scraps are perfecting for mending the "Under Starry Skies" quilt.  Originally I had dyed all the white squares with a tea dye. 

The pinkish-brown patch was dyed with native elderberry leaves.  I need to remember to get more the next time I'm at my parents...

 

fieldnotes #48

The weather has cooled considerably, back down to the low 70's (around 20 C).  I'm ready for the next "heat wave." Two pairs of Pants No. 1 by 100 Acts of Sewing are done. They are great with my tank tops, short and dress length and of course Dress No. 2. 

It would be safe to think that I didn't have a garden the way I fill a basket at the market. Today's purchases: zucchini, cucumber, cherry tomatoes (the first!), broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, cabbage, new potatoes, onions, cherries, strawberries and a rhubarb danish.  And basil plants.

In the garden there are all kinds of herbs to harvest, garlic, raspberries, the first of the blueberries, the occasional strawberry, lettuce, peas, Swiss chard and sour cherries.

In another month there should be zucchini and tomatoes.  One of the cucumbers is about to bloom. It's the difference of a green house and micro climates. 

Shopping at the farmer's market is really more about getting fruits and vegetables ahead of when they are ready in my garden, getting enough of something to preserve (cucumbers for pickles), or things that I don't have the room for or struggle to grow well (corn!).

First sighting of baby deer for the year on Friday...at the bus stop.  So sweet but worrisome too.  This is an area with a lot of traffic. 

A little further down the street two blue herons flew over.  It's wild out there... 

 

 

 

 

fieldnote #43

Another term under consideration: teacher-researcher. 

Both this term and "provocations" come from the Reggio Emilia approach.

The idea is, as it sounds, that a teacher is always learning along side with students...  As Jude suggests, "what if?"  I wonder, what would it be if we were all, every individual, recognized as both teacher and learner? 

Logging: time that first chickadee sings in the morning, the time and weather at sunrise, and just 'cause...how many eggs collected that day.  Field notes.

I'll start another page tomorrow and want to add eagle sighting.  The bald eagle has been over the house 4 or 5 times now during the last month.  A neighbor that I ride the bus with has seen the eagle as well....usually when it's being chased off by crows or seagulls. 

What if I started a bird log for my garden/neighborhood?  It's a possibility.

The garden is a glorious green. 

On the to do list: bindweed round up and doing something about the caterpillars eating one of the currents...

There is indigo to get settled for the summer and a few more tomatoes to find home for. 

 

 

 

fieldnote #42

Sunrise 5:32

The chickadees seem to be the first of the birds to announce dawn is coming.  I've been keeping track for the last six days: 5:10, 5:13, 5:07, 5:28, 5:33, 5:18 AM. It seems to be slightly dependent on the weather.  I'm going to continue to keep track for awhile.

The Fieldnote blanket strip I've been working on is 81 inches long.  This weekend it will be long enough to attach to the sky scarf and begin the process of turning it into a blanket.  I'll crochet the strips together; it's probably the easiest way to go.

We are sliding into the spring everyone dreams about. Warm, mostly sunny, new flowers blooming everyday.  It's time to think about beans, tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. 

Sunset 8:39

The solar lanterns come on at about 9:00.

 

fieldnote #37

Sometimes it's enough to just watch, to witness, to be in the moment. 

1. The bald eagle circling over the neighborhood last Sunday, hunting until he/she was chased away by a crow. 
2. The humming bird feeding in the wild currant that is now in full bloom.  And then later in the day zooming up high above my head and then pausing to look down before rocketing off to sit in a near by tree. 
3. Dandelions blooming. 

Sometimes it's enough to capture a moment as it is, to pause to say this is beautiful or interesting and I want to share it.

 

An abalone shell full of rain water.

But there are a lot of times when I feel the need to alter. 

Altering something allows a different perspective. 

 

Sometimes it is repetition that gets us there. If we come back and repeat a thought, try to say it again, perhaps something can be learned in the process?

When I've made a pattern for the 10th time, what do I know that I didn't before?

When I make stitch 39,000 on my sweater what have I leaned that I didn't know when I cast on?

Each season is a repeat, part of a cycle and yet different each time it comes round again...

Current temp: 60 F! 

Sunrise: 6:34 AM

Sunset: 7:48 PM

Regarding rain fall:  Put a shower curtain over the top of the chicken run.  Don't think I've ever seen the two chickens as bedraggled as they were Thursday night. 

Frost/ice on Monday, last one?

Planted: nasturiums, sweet peas, sunflowers.

 

 

 

 

fieldnote #36

Blossoms can be found everywhere now.

Starting to plant things.

Mostly I grow mint in containers but this one I'm letting loose on a corner of the garden. 

Hoping it will spread.

I am spring cleaning.  Going through things and working to take any found projects to the next step. 

When I first started this I think I was thinking beast.

But turned another direction I saw something different...

I like it like this, where it could be either.

Liminal and in transition. 

friday field notes #34

Spring! There are signs...

One of the smaller and earliest of the daffodils,tete-a-tete; liverwort (Hepatica), lungwort (pulmonaria) and Kaufmania tulips.

"Wort" plants are generally ones that historically had medicinal uses.  I have a few others and think it might be time to start a collection.  I especially want asters again, "starwort."

The weather has swung from warm to cold (32 degrees the last two mornings), and from pouring rain to sunshine.

Magic happens when sunlight hits hard frost. 

There are things to start nibbling on in the garden: sorrel, Swiss chard, sprouting broccoli, garlic and kale.

It won't be long before there is rhubarb.

It's later than I usually plant, but today I'll plant peas, lettuce, spinach, radishes and a few potatoes, just enough so I can have new potatoes from the garden.

It's a cycle that continues and I find that so very reassuring.  

 

feild trip: Portland Oregon

Last Thursday I hopped on the train heading to Portland to take a shoe making class (Laughingcrowe)!

I love my shoes so much and the class was fabulous!  So much so that I brought home tools with me so I can do it again.  I also have some other leather projects in mind. And well...thinking by the end of the week I'll use my pattern again to make wool slippers. 

Making shoes was the last piece of a goal I set for myself, to make every item of clothing that I am wearing.  More on this later. 

I didn't take many pictures of Portland, too busy looking, soaking in some sunshine and worrying about finding the train station. 

 

Sunset on the river:

 

A really cool fence on the way to class:

One of the very best parts of the trip was staying with a friend I've known since we were 10. Thank you Renee and Kevin for your hospitality and more good memories.

I did take quite a few pictures on the train...The trip was beautiful.

Almost to Portland.

Mt. Rainer

Sunset coming out of Seattle.