Strength

Those who contemplate the beauty of the earth find reserves of strength that will endure as long as life lasts.

-Rachel Carson

Swiss Dot Curtains

Here they are. Would it be weird to say, "I love them?" I do. I really do. Another 1 hour project. No hems. Raw edges and cotton lace trim. Oh, and when the breeze blows? It takes my breath away...

It Felt Love

It Felt Love

How

Did the rose

Ever open its heart

And give to this world

All its

Beauty?

It felt the encouragement of light

Against its

Being,

Otherwise,

We all remain

Too

Frightened.

-Hafiz

Street Art

I love street art. There is lots around here in PDX, but I saw this painting on a storefront in San Francisco.

In the Haight.

Enough said.

This Room

This room is very important to me. As a single mother of a boy AND a girl, I often went without a room, giving the rooms to my children. While raising them, I was in school and then a teacher so funds have always been tight. A three bedroom house is much more expensive than a two bedroom house, so we often lived in tight quarters. I guess this is why I love my room so much. And my bed. And the door. Oh, how I love the door. Our last home had no doors. The children were wee most of the time, so it wasn't an issue, but as they grew, the boy child would often ask for his own door for Christmas. He now has his own room way on the other side of the house...And this? This is my sanctuary. New curtains were just made, will post photos when they are hung! Xo.

The Beagle

I am sorry. I couldn't resist. Merry, The Wonder Beagle, is my first dog. Before this sweet thing, I was an official Dog Disliker. Didn't touch dogs. Didn't look at dogs. Didn't acknowledge their presence on the earth. Although I did attend a doggy wake for a former student of mine, that was nice. Fast forward a year and here we are...The Beagle sleeping on a brand new couch with her latest toy, which she loves with all of her heart...

Finger Pies

We turned our berry picking adventure into this! Mixed Berry Finger Pies. I got the recipe from this cute blog, Made By Melissa. I apologize for the weird 1970's editing on the berries. They actually looked so yummy...

Busy Hands

My hands have been hiding inside, away from the heat and I have been sewing up a storm! I am not really a window treatment kind of girl. I like to look out onto the scenery, windows clear and open. My choice of window treatment is usually white. I have a romantic feeling about white curtains blowing in the breeze...

But, my love likes his privacy and so I set out to find us a compromise. I found all of this fabric at a consignment store here in Portland. It was $30 for a good big piece, more than my thrifty heart wanted to pay. In the end, it was enough for long, draping curtains, plus a little extra.

I wasn't in love with the fabric at the time of purchase. It just had a lot of the elements I was looking for, color, weight, style, etc. Now? I LOVE them. I sewed a little hot pink rik-rac on the edge for a little surprise. This way they look cute from the outside too! The fabric is just enough vintage for me. I left all edges raw, partly because I am a very lazy crafter and partly because I like it that way. I also like to finish a project beginning to end in less than one day.

Including mounting the 97cent hooks from Home Depot and an old curtain rod, sewing and washing the fabric, the project took about 1.5 hours...I am tickled that it looks a little like the curtains from Anthropologie that I really wanted...

Lots more sewing happening...Stay tuned.

What If?

One way to open your eyes is to ask yourself,

'What if I had never seen this before?

What if I knew I would never see it again?'

-Rachel Carson

Berries And Cream

Guess which one I like most? Looking at this photo, I was struck by how much whipped cream I prepared. Hmm. Regardless, fresh strawberries, warm almond biscuits, and barely sweetened whipped cream. Delightful.

All the Hemispheres

All the Hemispheres

Leave the familiar for a while.

Let your senses and bodies stretch out

Like a welcomed season

Onto the meadow and shores and hills.

Open up to the Roof.

Make a new watermark on your excitement

And love.

Like a blooming night flower,

Bestow your vital fragrance of happiness

And giving

Upon our intimate assembly.

Change rooms in your mind for a day.

All the hemispheres in existence

Lie beside an equator

In your heart.

Greet Yourself

In your thousand other forms

As you mount the hidden tide and travel

Back home.

All the hemispheres in heaven

Are sitting around a fire

Chatting

While stitching themselves together

Into the Great Circle inside of

You.

-Hafiz

Envelopes

It is true. I will never be purchasing another envelope again. As long as I have random bits of paper around, I have an envelope. The fun part is folding them just so...I often pen pal with a former art student, she's 10. These envelopes crack her up. They kind of crack me up too. How about you?

Walking

Merry, The Wonder Beagle and I took a little walk around Hoyt Arboretum. Apparently this lovely mountain in the middle of the city is responsible for keeping the air clean...go figure. Maybe we should keep natural spaces in our cities, it cleans the air and soothes the soul. Sounds like a win-win to me.

Berry Picking on Sauvie Island

We went early. We picked only what we could eat in the next few days. There is no need to rush. We live such a lovely drive away, through woods and water, over bridges that look like churches and through fields of ripening berries. Summer. Makes my heart swell. Makes me want to go berry picking EVERY DAY.

Rest in Peace, Harvey

It makes you feel good to know that there's other people afflicted like you.

-Harvey Pekar

Starvation Creak-Columbia River Gorge

The River Of Bees

by W. S. Merwin

In a dream I returned to the river of bees

Five orange trees by the bridge and

Beside two mills my house

Into whose courtyard a blind man followed

The goats and stood singing

Of what was older

Soon it will be fifteen years

He was old he will have fallen into his eyes

I took my eyes

A long way to the calenders

Room after room asking how shall I live

One of the ends is made of streets

One man processions carry through it

Empty bottles their

Images of hope

It was offered to me by name

Once once and once

In the same city I was born

Asking what shall I say

He will have fallen into his mouth

Men think they are better than grass

I return to his voice rising like a forkful of hay

He was old he is not real nothing is real

Nor the noise of death drawing water

We are the echo of the future

On the door it says what to do to survive

But we were not born to survive

Only to live

Isabel & The Flute Player

My friend, Isabel, has lots of little statues that are unique and very sweet. I fell in love with this flute player. She thought it was silly how I loved him so. On our departure, I was gifted this wee musician. I still love him so...Now he sits atop this quirky shelf I picked up at The Goodwill for $2.99. Play for me, my sweet! And yes, the little bottle on the right is an old bottle of Sneezing Powder...God Bless You!

Would You Think It Odd?

Would you think it odd...

Would you think it odd if Hafiz said,

"I am in love with every church

And mosque

And temple

And any kind of shrine

Because I know it is there

That people say the different names

Of the One God."

Would you tell your friends

I was a bit strange if I admitted

I am indeed in love with every mind

And heart and body.

O I am sincerely

Plumb crazy

About your every thought and yearning

And limb

Because, my dear,

I know

That it is through these

That you search for Him

-Hafiz

Old Curtain

I snatched this up from a pile in one of my hold thrifty haunts in Pasadena. It was always packed to the gills, unorganized and chock full of treasure unimaginable! I found so many great, useful items in that tiny store. This bit of cloth floated around the fabric bins for some time. Eventually, I used it as a curtain for a french door.

After the move I tacked it up to cover one of the big blank walls in the bedroom. It is on my side of the bed, so I can gaze at it each morning. It soothes me, reminds of France and Marie A. Now that I look at it, it seems so silly to have a curtain hanging so close to a window...but not on the window. Hmm. Silly. But I like it.

Two More Reasons To Love Portland

Portland's perfect lunch. We are enjoying every bit of the handcrafted food here in The City of Roses! The Rouge Creamery Smokey Blue is great with crisp romaine, a squeeze of fresh lemon, and cracked black pepper. It has been the perfect supper during the heat wave...The Willamette Valley Cheese Company makes a great soft cheese for spreading. So mild, even the teenage boy likes it. Hide the bread! Have a delicious day.

Time To Create

I am so fortunate to have time to create new things for our delightful new home, The Alberta Hen House. Trying to keep things simple and uncluttered, I made these jewelry frames from old frames I picked up at a thrift store. They have had many incarnations since I have owned them, but this, by far, is their day of glory.

I walked down to Bolt and purchased a small amount of golden velvet. I covered a piece of cardboard from one of our moving boxes, shoved into the frame and added T-pins for hanging. I can see all of my baubles and gems! You like? I do.