Tuesday, August 30, 2011

I wish she took my zinnias

So we are fine.

Our power is out, no cell, no road out but our house was untouched.

Yesterday was filled with long walks along Route 4 - Marion and Charles rode to Woodstock - no cars were allowed through so it was a surreal prominade. People walking, sharing their stories, news from the 'outside'.

We spent a second night with the scent of beeswax candles, light flickering, chatting softly in our living room and trying to keep, well I don't know, just trying to keep it going. Happy we are together, me, Charles, Charlie and Marion.

Thinking of everyone.


route 4 - bridgewater

flooded mill bridge

miranda's pottery at the bridgewater mill

Sunday, August 28, 2011

you can take my sunday but not my zinnias


I can't seem to make a decent cup of coffee today. After my third attempt, I remembered the flowers. We are blessed so far to be only receiving a very thorough soaking from miss irene but I knew the last of my summer flowers would not make it through the day, so I salvaged what were not already sad and soaked.
 It's not the end of the world to be forced to stay in all day. There is plenty to do....
finger knitting

nice color

adding binding (not a job I enjoy)

more knitting

name tags for desks and cubbies

Sunday, August 21, 2011

errrrr ER?

Gee I learned a lot this week. Most of it I learned a week too late but learned it is. It began as we were preparing to get Marion to a birthday party at a friends pond when Marion called for me to look at the week old graze she had on her foot..... 

Lesson One: do not let your panic show when you see a large infection growing on your child's little foot. (child will panic)

Lesson Two: Do not mutter the word's, 'I will just call the ER'. (child will think things are VERY bad)

Lesson Three: Do not hurry the family into the car as if there is not a moment to lose (child will cry inconsolably believing they will not be returning home with left foot.)

Lesson Four: Find out from Doctor that everything you could have done to cause an infection you did. (remember to do everything opposite next time)

Lesson Five: Child is strong and healthy and will heal - must not blame self, blame bacteria.


The goods

the patient

the entertainer

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Tonight


CSA Pick up


after pick-up swim

Local Yokel

I was in the local food store yesterday when I became spotted this little bag positioned between the big manly Pennsyvannian peaches and southern yellow cling peaches. The photo doesn't show their true size  but think smallish plum and you'll get the picture, the beauty of these peaches are that they are grown right here in Vermont - local peaches!!!!! And how did they taste? Fantastic - sweet, juicy and gone in three bites.


It is almost done - the yoke (sorry for title pun but who could resist). This sweater is the first sweater I have successfully made for the Baker. My previous attempts were too small or just not quite right but this one is a beauty. I think the Baker thought it was some sort of commitment issue on my part - ahhhh men - so it will be blocked and all loose ends tucked away by his birthday (Sept 6). The sweater is from Jared Flood - it is the Huron. I have to say I love these patterns, I have been knitting for so many years now and yet I learnt so much about construction, short rows and sewn in binding and the sweater is very sweet.

A final note for today - the house is not finished. painting, painting, painting, will it ever end!!


Friday, August 12, 2011

In the morning light

I always wake full of ideas for the coming day. Many of these quickly change or dissipate as the children rise and reality tells me for example a full day of hanging out with a paintbox and these flowers is not going to happen. One thing that is happening today is I am purging all of our magazine stacks.
Some of them, like those pictured below sit neatly in our kitchen bookshelves pretending to be cookbooks but I very rarely reference them, so........... out they go.
tomatoes from our garden, flowers from our CSA

Goodbye and thanks for the good times.
We are midway through our CSA. Each week we fill our bags with what ever is ready on the farm, kale, beets, peas, lettuce, tomatoes and  on and on. One of the nicest parts of this CSA is the pickup is at the farm, so there is a lovely community gathering with music and food and there is lots of pick your own. Having never managed to put in a great vegetable garden, I love going each week and harvesting from this most healthy, successful garden (they are professionals after all) and we can pick flowers too!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The House


I went out in the morning light to assess how far we have come and how far we have to go.

 If I keep looking in a certain direction, at a certain angle it all looks so good and then...............

THIS!!!!! Actually the front is nearly done. That is one of the flower boxes getting ready for a coat of paint (can't decide on the color - some pale greeny blue I expect) This is a good illustration of how my eyes have suffered over the last few years. I am sorry but blue - this blue - does not belong on the side of a house. So the scrapping, priming and painting will continue until we have purified the whole place with Glacier white. More picture will follow.

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Now, no really, now!

I like to wake up and have a little time to myself before it begins again.

It's August and soon it will be time to put my teacher's cardi back on and get to it. So many things linger on my Summer list, a half painted house, a....... well I won't bore you with my list.... we all have them don't we.

A lot of my time is spent making sure everyone is happy - by this I mean fed, clothed, loved, safe, occupied and happy. This is my thing, trying to put a happy spin on everything. Yesterday, one of mine asked about the dark places. Those deep, dark feeling that dwell in us and I even tried to put a happy spin on that. "yes, we are able to feel all emotions, I said, you are so lucky you can go to those places, don't be afraid, you will come back up again. You need to feel to make art."

Well, there was a wake up call for me. I can not make everyone happy, certainly not a child that is fast becoming a tween, and I guess that is okay, maybe I don't have to try so hard anymore. Maybe fed, clothed, loved, safe and occupied don't always need to include happy in them. Hmmm.


Monday, August 8, 2011

Sally and the Golden Turtle


Marion was very pleased to find Dianna: Goddess of the Hunt at Saint Gauden's Garden. Great bow!


Love the turtle.

We took a drive down to Brattleboro (thank you Nancy Drew for entertaining us on the long drive) to see Sally Mavor's exhibit of handmade fabric reliefs.


I am afraid this post will not live up to it's lovely title. I am very pre-occupied with painting the exterior of our house - will post pics soon - and so can not string a thoughtful sentence together.