She Is The First Thing I See When I Open My Eyes

Friday, April 22, 2011




The winter has been cold and grey and soppy. There has been snow, ice, sleet, hail, freezing temperatures and endless drops of rain. There were days when the sky seemed so heavy and dark, that I could hardly breathe. My chest felt heavy and I longed for spring deeply and with great melancholy.


She sat in the dark earth through all of this. She protected her beauty and fragile petals inside her thick brown coat. Her tenacity is admirable. It took a very long time for her to finally open to the cold, grey sky, for the ground is still very cold, despite what the calendar states. I debated about whether I should pluck her, but there are many brothers and sisters, so I brought her inside. In the pre-dawn, she appears to me as a lotus blossom. She takes me back, to the night on a train in Central India. I awoke to fussy babe, as we settled into our nursing rhythm, I glanced out at the rapidly moving night. The moon had illuminated endless watery fields of lotus blossoms, white, red and pink. As far as I could see, in the dark and lighted night, lotus blossoms bobbed on the horizon.

This tulip, this sweet, tenacious tulip worked all winter, guarding her gifts, tending her soft core, to bring this beautiful, haunting memory back to me. Thank you, sweet girl.

Spring Felting

Monday, April 11, 2011






There is nothing like the potential of an egg to make one stop and think, "Am I living on this planet enough? Am I birthing anything new and alive into the world?"
The Incredible Egg.
These were crafted with wee six and seven year old fingers.
Lovely.
The Egg.

Some Thrifting And Thrifty Baking





The cute granny napkin is so darling. Plus, I like when there is a little black in the work. You do not usually see much black, so it is a treat to me. Two thumbtacks and Voila! Instant, handmade art for spring. The tulips are coming! The tulips are coming!


The cake looks good, no? This was made with my thrifty heart in mind. We had a couple of eggs, a box of vanilla cake mix from Trader Joe's, a wee bit of whipping cream and the dregs of two Bonne Maman jam jars. Blackberry and Raspberry, I think. I added the last of the whiskey into the cake batter, plus a bit more vanilla. For the whipped cream, I scraped two nearly empty jars of jam into the already whipped cream with a large dash of Almond Extract. No sugar needed. I chopped a few almonds for crunch. After the cake cooled a bit, I turned it onto a plate and stuck into the freezer for a bit. This way, I could frost it, but when I served it, the center part was still a bit warm. Very nice.

There is tons more thrifty goodness. Stay tuned.

Spring Is Springing

Friday, April 8, 2011


I walk about the neighborhood and can't help but wonder at the work of the trees. All winter, gathering their resources, anticipating spring and summer and autumn and the work ahead of them. I imagine it must be very difficult to strive ever upward, the diligence it must take to push out those first few tender green buds from their bony, wooden fingers...Along the Williamette River, a garland of pink and white blossoms twinkle mid-day. Oh, yes, my friends, Spring Is Springing!

The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

Tuesday, April 5, 2011




Lots of thrifting in these parts. The Father, Son and Holy Ghost have come to live with us. Also, found these cute iron chairs. I put new fabric on one, I am going to put oilcloth on the other two for outside. You know, for when it stops raining...