raw cow's milk

Cows are cool. They can walk up a staircase but not down. They have no pupils so their peripheral vision is 100%. If your goal in life is to sneak up on a cow, get another goal. If mama has twins, and they are a boy and girl, there's a 90% chance the girl is sterile. They have four stomachs, one of which is slightly smaller than a five-gallon bucket. Cows can jump! They're usually too happy to ever need it, but they can easily clear four-foot fences if they have to. Cows are cool.

I got the above in an email from K.J., who takes care of our cow. Yes -- we, who live in the middle of Denver, have a cow. Actually, we have a cow-share and K.J. owns and operates the dairy and cow-share operation. So that we can drink clean, fresh, raw cow's milk in keeping with our efforts to eat and live locally.

Honestly, until we bought the cow share, I avoided milk as I didn't like the taste -- this from the daughter of a farmer/rancher. But then I started reading more and more about the benefits of raw milk and cheese from pastured cows and we took the plunge. We use it for drinking, in recipes, and making lattes. Sometimes I make yogurt and I've made kefir. I'd like to make cheese but just an itty-bitty mound of mozzarella takes a whole half-gallon.

I pick up our milk on Wednesdays and after I got home yesterday I saw several headlines about the situation with the food supply in Japan. The Fukushima region in Japan is a major source of milk and vegetables. According to The New York Times, the nuclear crisis is hitting farms up to 90 miles away from the nuclear power plants via high levels of radioactivity in milk and spinach. When the cows ingest radioactive grass and water, their milk is affected. And then when humans ingest the radioactive milk, they are affected.

I am still hoping for clean food and water for all.

rosehip dyeing

Around the time of the last new moon, I noticed some rosehips left on an Eglantine rose bush, Rosa rubiginosa. I'd just read that Eglantine is a good variety to use for dyeing. The rosehips were dried up but I thought it was worth a try as the skins still looked quite red.

Silk organza was layered with the broken-up rosehips and then misted with vinegar.

It was rolled up tightly and fastened with a rubberband, then placed in a sealed plastic bag for two weeks.

When it was unrolled, I brushed the plant matter off and ironed the silk immediately thinking the heat would set any color. Then it was rinsed and dried. The mottled color was a total surprise, so soft and muted. It reminds me of latte art.

Here it is beside the same silk organza dyed with onion skins. I think it's lovely. Just imagine using rosehips in the autumn when they are fresh -- I can't wait to see what color they transfer then! Does anyone know?

Now, I'm going upstairs to make myself a latte!

tamari egg

                                                                                                  tamari egg

Have you ever seen a tamari egg? Well, it's not an obscure breed of chicken! but rather a hard-boiled egg, peeled and coated with tamari sauce. And it is delicious. The tamari gives it enough seasoning that I don't need to hold a salt shaker in the other hand like I normally do. When sliced over a salad, it's perfectly seasoned, just like that.

I'd eaten tamari almonds, tamari pumpkin seeds, tamari sunflower seeds, etc. -- had never even dreamed of using it on hard-boiled eggs. But again Mark Sisson came up with something new (for me) in The Primal Blueprint Cookbook that I picked up at the library a few weeks ago.

After hard-boiling and peeling some eggs, just heat up a spoonful of tamari in a pan until it starts foaming, then roll the eggs around until they're coated. So easy. Who knew?

Do you have any tamari secrets?

Also posted at Food Renegade.

leafing out moonday

Things are beginning to leaf out in Nature. Same for my boro'd Gap boot-cuts, the last patch. That's the checkered chain stitch down the middle where you use two different colored threads on the needle that take turns making the chain -- it's pretty fun. I'm not sure what's next stitch-wise on the leaf patch, but odds are it'll be black and white. It's on the upper thigh area and I don't really want to attract attention there, if you know what I mean.

Today is a waning moonday in the light and airy sign of Aquarius. Because Aquarius increases mental activity, our minds may work a mile a minute and mightn't want to stop for, must less tolerate, any obstacles. Aquarius rules issues of the lower legs like muscle cramps and varicose veins, so it's also a good day to avoid having to stand in one place for too long. If you can, put your feet up. In other words, let your mind do the walking today. 

If you do have problems with your calves, you could try massaging comfrey salve or oil onto the area. As soon as my garden comfrey gets going again, I'll be making up a new batch of comfrey oil as we are nearly out of salve.

Comfrey Oil: Harvest and tear or cut up enough fresh unwashed comfrey leaves* to fill right up to the shoulder of a jar. It should be loosely packed and perfectly dry. Moisture in the jar or on the leaves can ruin the entire batch. Then fill the jar to the top with olive oil, stir around with a chopstick to get the oil evenly distributed and remove any air pockets. Screw the lid on the jar and set in a cool, dark cupboard on a protected surface as it may ooze. After 2-4 weeks and making sure there is no mold and it doesn't smell funky, strain the plant material from the oil, putting the oil into a clean dry jar. Label and store in a cool, dark place, should be good for one year. This oil is for external use only -- it can be applied as is or used as the base for a healing salve or cream.

*I always use fresh leaves for my oil -- I've tried using fresh root but it always comes out smelling "off" -- if you'd like to use comfrey root, then buy some dried -- it works great, too.

india block printing

I loved this video by West Elm -- the sounds alone put me into a trance. Notice the body paint on the elephant in the beginning . . .

amazing ficus

I'm itching to start digging and planting full-force in the garden, but it's a tad too soon here in Colorado. That's OK though because there's still plenty to do indoors with the Green Nation. My houseplants can definitely use a little TLC about now --  each one needs a shower in the kitchen sink, a haircut, a top-dressing with new soil, and a few dog food nuggets snuggled down a few inches in the soil. Yes, dog food -- as it decays, it releases its nutrients -- just make sure your dog doesn't see you do it! Or you could use diluted fish emulsion, but dog food doesn't smell.

This was a recent houseplant project. The goal was to root these ficus cuttings from a friend and pot them close enough to braid as they grow. I started out with four in case one didn't take.

Some people evidently don't use rooting hormone with ficus, but I had never rooted it before so figured I needed all the help I could get, plus we already had some. Moistened each cutting and dipped it into the rooting hormone.

Poked holes in the potting soil with a pencil and placed the powdered stems in the holes. Then I watered the whole business and placed it in a low-light situation. And forgot about it except when I watered it along with other plants. No special treatment whatsoever.

Six weeks later, I noticed new growth. So out came the fourth cutting and the first braid was begun. Amazing ficus!

Do you feed houseplants anything unusual? I'm collecting ideas.

giveaway: this old project #4

Continuing on the pledge to resolve unfinished projects, this time up is a bead-knit watermelon bag

This was begun back in the day -- see the fancy instruction sheet with kid-scribbling all over it! A hank of tiny black glass beads, teflon-type needle & thread for the beads, thread for knitting (DMC Cebelia Cotton, Made in France), knitting needles (one is bent), and basically no directions. I think I was meaning to knit two identical pieces with one a bit longer to be a flap-closure. Or a clasp could be attached, too.

I know for a fact that I'll never finish this. If anyone would like this, I'll mail it to you next Wednesday. Just let me know if you're interested, and if there's more than one beader or knitter out there who would take it, we'll have a draw.

And I'll type up the "directions" for you, too!

dandelion italiano

dandelion italiano, a favorite of ours, was made last weekend for the first time this year. It is a tasty spring tonic food that clears out congestion by stimulating the appetite and making the rest of the digestive system, especially the gall bladder and liver, step it up. Taraxacum officinale cleans house in the body which is exactly what should happen in the Spring.

This is how I make it: Gather at least 3-4 cups of pesticide-free dandelion leaves. (Make sure you know how to identify dandelions before you even get started.) For this batch, I gathered about 7 or 8 cups of dandelion leaves, cutting the clumps at the base and leaving the roots to grow new leaves. Wash them really well and pick out the tiny bits of stray plant material that sneak in.

Bring a pot of water to boil, add the leaves and bring back to a boil. Strain immediately in a colander. You can collect this first water and sip on it while you continue or save it for soup. Then do the same process at least one more time. If it's later in the season and the leaves have turned bitter, I'll do this at least three times. But in early Spring, twice is just fine. After the last straining, let it cool down a little, give the leaves a good squeeze, and loosely chop.  Eleven cups of fresh leaves yield about one cup of squeezed dandelion but don't let that discourage you because a little goes a long way, flavor-wise.

Saute 6 or more cloves of chopped garlic in a little olive oil. Add the dandelion leaves and a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a tablespoon of tamari and 1-2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Season more if needed and serve at room temperature.

This was for a potluck so I buttered some baguette slices as a carrier food, but you could serve it with any kind of cracker or on eggs or meats or even by the spoonful! My version is based on Susun Weed's original recipe.

Do you make any Spring tonic foods?

Also posted at Food Renegade.

black & white moonday

Sometimes things are black & white. Sometimes they need to be, like night & day. Opposites are parts of a whole so opposites attract. It is something to think about because like attracts like, too. The more you think about it, the deeper you have to go.

Just trust yourself, then you will know how to live. --Goethe

We used to make equinox cookies for the spring and fall equinoxes -- round sugar cookies, half frosted with chocolate and half with vanilla. Nothing fancy, a tube of sugar cookie dough ready to slice and two cans of frosting. This was not normal fare around here but seasonal changes had a strange effect on me. Sometimes we gave them to neighbors who I'm pretty sure thought we were slightly odd. But they liked getting the cookies.

Instead of making spring equinox cookies yesterday and scaring the neighbors, I decided to make an equinox cloth to represent the balance of light and dark. I see this as eventually evolving into a sunflower, a plant I've chosen to ally with for a time.

Today is the first spring moonday going into the sign of Scorpio in a few hours. The Super Full Moon is only two days old and Spring Equinox one day old so there really isn't a strong sense of the waning moon yet. Contrary to the Roman calendar, this time is when astrologers (in the Northern Hemisphere) mark the beginning of the New Year, as the Sun enters 0 degrees Aries. And it's not too late to do full moon/spring equinox work by first noticing what has been fulfilled, then taking pause for reflection, forming intentions, and making choices regarding them. Those intentions and choices will manifest during the next year.

Scorpio is a water sign so it brings the quality of cool moistness. Water represents our emotions and inner feelings, and we may seem to go deeper into them than we normally do. For some, the intensity can be uncomfortable. I personally sometimes have the feeling of having sharp edges during Scorpio days, that's my best description of it. The parts of the body affected are the urinary tract and the sexual organs so tonics and medicines for those parts are well-used now. At the same time, they are the more sensitive areas with infections and menstrual cramps possibly acting up.

With Spring's arrival, now is when life becomes so very busy with garden planning, clean-up and planting. When we start to cook or otherwise prepare the last of it in the freezer or on the shelf or whatever early-green-goodness can be foraged from the gardens. When the carpets and upholstery should be cleaned and the windows washed. When things start leafing out and the grass grows before our very eyes. Busy, yes, but so very welcome. 

How are you welcoming Spring?

i hope

the red sun prayer cloth is nestled in some berry-laden juniper trees facing the great sun in the south. I've asked the winds to lift and carry the hopes and prayers and healing love instilled in the rows of weaving and stitching to where ever they are needed.

I hope it somehow helps people find nourishment and safe, warm shelter on this snowy day in Japan. I hope it somehow helps lift people out of the abyss of grief and despair. I hope it helps the air to cleanse itself and the water to purify itself. I hope it helps the land to grow clean food again. I hope it helps all of Nature's two-leggeds, four-leggeds, no-leggeds, water-dwellers and wings on air to regain their natural state of health and vitality.

I hope.

beautiful herbal drinking water

                                                                                                     sage water

Most of us have floated mint leaves and lemon slices in water. Or the first Spring leaves of lemon balm. But have you ever used sage leaves?

I picked up Mark Sisson's The Primal Blueprint Cookbook at the library and while fanning through the pages, the making of sage water jumped out. It's the drinking water served at a farm-to-table restaurant, The Linkery, in San Diego. Very simply, you fill a glass or pitcher with cool water and infuse it with sage leaves for a few hours. The sage is wonderfully subtle, yet there, and nicely refreshing. I will be making this often.

                                                                                    lemon thyme & english thyme

Tried out a couple of other unlikely herbs while I was at it. The left is lemon thyme and the right is English thyme. I really liked these, too -- especially the English thyme -- not what I expected, for sure. The flavors of a cold infusion are different from a hot one. If a taste could be described as beautiful, that's how I would put it. Beautiful.

Sage and thyme in water, who'da thunk? I can't wait to experience (because that's really what it is, an experience) other herbal drinking waters -- basil, oregano, rosemary -- it's endless.

I'm realizing the more I know about herbs, the more I know I don't know and the more I know that I don't know. Do you make any unusual infusions?

Also posted at Food Renegade.

this old project #3

Continuing on the pledge to resolve unfinished projects, this time up is a knitted          angora baby bonnet.

I made this when I was a young mother. For some reason I never blocked it or put the ties on, I don't know why. Maybe because it looks small -- more baby-doll size than my (overdue-every-single-time) real-baby size.

Decades later, I'm happy and lucky to be Nana to a little girl who happens to have baby dolls that will soon have a new bonnet -- so soft with cotton strip ties and little pink buttons.

I found this with it -- the 4 size means size 4 knitting needles. Pretty fancy instructions!

garden journal

A few weeks ago, De Cicco and Calabrese broccoli were started in this large 4-pack. The De Cicco had faster and better germination with sturdier seedlings. I'm not saying it's superior, the easiest to grow isn't always the tastiest.

Ended up with enough seedlings for 13 two-inch pots.

They presently reside in the cold-frame and are doing well.

I was quite happily thinking I might have to buy a new blank book in which to record my little planting experiments. But then I came across this nature/garden journal I collaged a while back and had forgotten about. Why does that keep happening? Wish I could at least say I suddenly remembered it and went to look for it, but no. Was just going through a book shelf and there it was. Admittedly, there is a fun side to finding things forgotten.

It was meant to be more than a garden journal really. This was the one and only entry.

And then it was forgotten.

Until now.

Think it's re-entered my consciousness permanently.

I'd love to know -- what is your method for garden-journaling? I'm not very attached to what I've done in the past, still looking for the simplest and most efficient system.

prayer cloth moonday

Yesterday was a red sun-day. Thinking and reading so much about Japan. Saw a picture of their flag.

Woven and stitched with hope.

needle in, food
                                 needle out, shelter
                                                                           . . .  in, warm
                                                                                                                      . . . out, safe

Over and over, stitched into a woven sun. Prayer cloth.

Today is moonday with a waxing moon in the watery sign of Cancer, the perfect time to sow seeds. Any seeds -- garden seeds or seeds of hope, it doesn't matter. They will grow well if you plant them today, I'm almost certain.

                                                                                 18 four-packs of newly-sprouted genovese basil

The sign of Cancer rules the lungs and the digestive system. It is a restless time because our emotions come to the forefront now. Things that we've held deep inside seem to find their way out now and that's OK if you remember that sometimes it's better to allow our emotions their space rather than suppress them for the sake of control and normalcy. Think of the stress our bodies hold when we keep it in.

Both bronchial  and digestive issues can be aggravated now but treatments are also more effective at this time. There is a known connection between emotional stress and asthma or indigestion, and many of us have experienced it. I know I have. I guess the best advice here is to allow it but don't go looking for it.

Cancer is a nurturing time when you want to feed people, to hold them, and make them feel warm and safe. And I dearly hope that is being accomplished this very moment.

ginger

Ginger was popular in my kitchen this week. First up was a favorite, ginger liqueur . . .

Peel fresh ginger with a vegetable peeler, then chop into small pieces.

Place 1-2 tablespoons (I used 2 but my recipe says 1, it's your call) of the chopped ginger in 1 1/2 cups brandy and allow to infuse at room temperature for two weeks, shake occasionally. After two weeks, strain out the ginger bits and make the sweetener syrup -- add 3/4 cup brown sugar and 1/2 granulated sugar to 1/2 cup water and boil until the mixture is clear. Cool and add the syrup to the brandy, then allow the liqueur another week to develop the flavor.

To make a somewhat healthier version, I suppose a person could substitute another type of sweetener, honey or agave,  but I haven't tried that yet. I always figure a little sugar can be tolerated now and then.

Next up was ginger honey . . . chop enough peeled ginger to fill 1/3 to 1/2 of a jar, then pour honey over all, stir it in, cover and allow to infuse at room temperature for 2-4 weeks. Strain or not. After only a few days, the honey takes on the ginger flavor. This would be fabulous added to a vinaigrette, I'm planning on it next chance I get. And a spoon of this in a cup of mint tea is heaven -- the peppery, sweet bits of ginger in the tea are an absolute delight. Taken before dinner, it will stimulate your appetite and taken after dinner, your digestion!

Ginger tea was made . . . pour boiling water over a couple of thin slices of ginger infuse for 10 minutes. Drink plain or add lemon and/or honey. This is the most common way to prepare ginger for treating colds & flu -- as a diaphoretic, it helps break a fever by increasing perspiration, thus lowering the body temperature; plus, sweating removes toxins from the body through the skin -- you've heard of sweating it out. After you've made it once, you'll know if you want to add more ginger for a more potent brew. I make mine quite a bit stronger than this, but then again, I really like ginger!

Last but not least, ginger vinegar is on my to-do list . . . add about 1/3 to 1/2 jarful of peeled, chopped ginger to a small jar, then fill to the top with apple cider vinegar. Make sure to use a plastic lid, or with a metal lid, first place a layer of saran over the top of the jar to prevent corrosion, and infuse 4-6 weeks in a cool, dark cupboard. Strain. Use in recipes, but it is also well-used medicinally in this form.

In addition to what I've already mentioned, ginger, Zingiber officinale, helps relieve motion sickness, stimulates circulation by dilating the capillaries and blood vessels, and soothes a sore throat as a gargle. It is a good herb to include in herbal formulas as it intensifies and prolongs the effects of other herbs. I have even known people to take little doses of ginger vinegar when hiking in the mountains to prevent altitude sickness.

I'm always looking for new ways to use medicinal herbal foods -- do you have any special uses for ginger?

I wrote this last night before the earthquake occurred in Japan. As I read over ginger's effects, they remind me of what Earth is undergoing right now on a magnified scale -- dispersion and movement in the form of earthquakes, the increased strength of stimulated waters pouring across part of the planet at this moment in time, and the intensity of it all causing such pain and suffering.

My heart goes out to all once again affected by Nature. May all feel safe and loved whichever side of the veil they find themselves.

Also posted over at Food Renegade.

string bag

This is the string bag that was dyed with turmeric a while back. Every time I looked at all those empty diamonds, I kept thinking gotta weave something on that . . .

A tapestry needle. Three strips of bright cotton, each woven all around, front and back. Two little braids. Done.

 Still have my eye on some chain link fence . . .

by clementine candlelight

Last night we had dinner by candlelight. Clementine candlelight, that is.

I saw a video yesterday over at Apartment Therapy . . . basically you score around the middle of the clementine peel, loosen and gently remove the sections, leaving the core intact. The core is the wick. Pour a little olive oil in and light the core/wick. It doesn't need to dry out or anything, just hold a match to it until it lights.  Carve a little opening in the other half if you want a lid on it.

We liked it better with the lid off so we could watch it burn. It lasted  for 1 ½ hours!

  

  A lot of mileage out of one cutie!

2 things: the dye-pot and beautiful women

This leaf spirit oversees the back gardens from a blue spruce trunk. The tree itself has gone to the great beyond, but for this 7' section of trunk. And nearly all the bark on it has fallen off -- another large section last weekend. I still miss this tree.

Wondering if material collected from a long-dead tree will have any color at all? I'm hoping, but that may be my naiveté -- not a lot of critical thinking going on here! I'll try infusing a few pieces in boiling water, as India Flint mentions in Eco-Colour, before spending too much time on it. It can always be broken up for a nice homemade bark mulch.

                   

When clearing out a drawer this morning, I came across a couple of packages of very old incense. This reddish one was labeled "dragon's blood" -- I'm not sure if that's a folk name for a plant or what. Another thing to look up. But I thought I'd give it a whirl as a dye. Realizing it probably contains a trace of essential oil, I still tried to mix it with water -- it didn't really dissolve but didn't stay afloat either so maybe a better description would be that it absorbed the water while staying grainy. Spread it on silk, misted with vinegar as mordant, rolled it up. Will leave it in a jar on the counter to be unrolled on a full moon. Seem like a possibility? Has anyone ever dyed with old incense successfully?

On another note, today International Women's Day is celebrating 100 years in existence in over 100 countries from Sierra Leone to right here in the U.S. If you visit this website, you can enter your country and city and find events that inspire and celebrate women's achievements. http://www.internationalwomensday.com/about.asp

Once there, you'll see cool notices on the side bar like this:
INDIA: Air India apparently running all-women crew flights on International Women's Day!

I really liked this from an article by Kari Henley over at the Huffington Post : "Who is the oldest living woman you know? Make a point to get in touch with her this week -- give her a call or pay her a visit. Maybe show up with some flowers, or a card, and ask her to tell you what her life was like as a woman when she was young. For it is upon the shoulders of these foremothers we all stand today, and they cannot be recognized enough."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kari-henley/international-womens-day_b_831499.html

Lastly, this short video of beautiful women, all.

3 norn moonday

                                                                                                                                         3 norn moon

Oh, you don't don't know how much I hesitate to show this piece. But I did take that other little pledge down there on the sidebar -- this time the pledge is about showing and sharing your process. I seem to be taking a lot of pledges lately! I don't hate 3 norn moon (a/k/a 3 fates) but I don't love it yet either. The idea here is a hall of life that has three windows: green for the young, maiden years; red for the middle, mother years; and purple for the feisty-wise, crone years. I thought about doors but they looked better as windows. The purple is the largest because that is what is just ahead for me now. There will have to be some creative stitching on this and maybe even some couching around the windows. The moon is from this old project #1 (another pledge -- big sigh) and I had hoped to capitalize somehow on the angles. I was offered some great suggestions (bird's beak, moon rays among others -- thank you!) but this seemed like my easiest option because it's so small.

Today is a waxing crescent moonday in Aries when things are building, growing, and progressing. You may have noticed by now that as the moon moves through the planets, its effects on the body work from the top down -- beginning with the head under Aries and continuing downward to the feet under Pisces. Aries rules the head including the parts to just below the nose. As always, treatments for healing are well-used at this time while it's also good to avoid stressing the same parts.

Aries can be an impatient, stimulating and hot energy around the head making it a common time for headaches and migraines. If you're a migraine sufferer, it might be worth noting under what lunar sign and phase the headaches come on. (I realize that if you have migraines, you're probably already tracking why and when they occur, but maybe having this additional information will be helpful.) Honestly, if I had migraines, I'd use these days, regardless of any existing pattern with Aries, to prevent an occurrence by staying hydrated, drinking relaxing herbal tea, and avoiding caffeine and sugar. I, myself, woke up this morning to a cold-sore on my top lip and that's a pain in my head!

The moon is getting close to the phase it was in when I was born, a waxing crescent 5-day-old moon. The stage of the moon at one's exact birth-time is that person's lunar birth phase and is believed to have an effect on the individual's personality. And, when it reaches that exact phase again each month, called the lunar return, it is experienced as a unique time for each of us. I am beginning to take note of the fifth day's qualities to see if any patterns emerge.

If you'd like to know what your lunar return is, try this website. Click on the picture of the moon at the bottom of your personalized page and you will receive more lunar information. Good stuff.
http://www.paulsadowski.com/birthday.asp

I'd love to know how you feel the Aries energy today!

                                                                                                                                     drink more water

a moon is born

It's time. A new moon in Pisces is born today. Other things are emerging from the darkness of gestation, too. I am so glad to think of promise and potential! Even more so with Spring's arrival in a few weeks -- I hope it makes its due date.

just a few of the new beginnings in the moon basket today . . .

stitching ~~ practicing sashiko stitching where the stitch is longer than the spaces in between, love this.

planting ~~ in keeping with The Growing Challenge (sidebar) of starting from seed one vegetable crop (that you've never started before) for each season, eggplant is my choice. It was sort of hard to come up with something new to grow from seed that we will actually eat. And how perfect a new moon in Pisces is for starting a couple of 4-packs of this prolific Japanese eggplant! Another challenge I've set for myself is to grow, but not from seed necessarily, all the vegetables required to make ratatouille. That will be onions, garlic, tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, green peppers. A couple of other gimmicks for challenging myself are still in the planning phase.

greencrafting ~~ the inside-out box is smooth and sturdy, reminds me of linen. I thought about using it as a vision board surface and then reassembling it to be a holder of some sort. But it has other possibilities, as well. We'll see on this one, it needs more time in the basket.

concocting ~~ nice, plump ginger root has shown up at the healthy-food store so it's time to make ginger liqueur, my favorite. And ginger tea. And maybe some other things, too. Recipes next week.

inspiration ~~ Pronoia by Rob Brezsny, a wild and crazy, uplifting compilation that's beyond anything I've ever seen. Rob Brezsny must be a genius or a savant of some type. It's rowdy, it's like a hummingbird on red bull -- I laugh out loud when partaking of it in teeny-tiny doses. On the shelf since 2005, I'm only now appreciating it. When the student is ready, they say.

To possibilities with beginnings for all!

zakka pillow

A while back, I flipped through Zakka Sewing by Therese Laskey + Chika Mori. I was looking for unusual stitches and saw a few. But I put the book away because I was working on boro-ing the jeans at the time and decided I better stick with basics.

I wove this last weekend.

A couple days ago, a bell started clanging in my head: it has the vibe of Zakka Sewing! The point is, be careful what you put in your head. It'll come back out somehow . . .

Composed of one red cotton shirt, one beige shirt, some remnants, dyed silk, green silk, and linen calendar pieces. So far, that is.