out of the dye-pot: a light blue morning glory

Some little pieces of blue cloth came out of the turmeric dye-pot today looking much different from when they went in. Nanette and I were going for green in our dye-along (blue + yellow = green), but nonetheless I'm loving these golden results. There's a light blue morning glory in there -- a good omen, yes?

I'm not starting a huge number of plants in the house this spring but what seeds I do plant will be tended patiently and carefully. I'm trying to grow a few unusual, for me, plants, too. Henna, Lawsonia inermis, seed is in my refrigerator right now -- wrapped in damp paper towel, to be brought back to room temperature in four days until it sprouts, and then placed in pots. And Greater Celandine, Chelidonium majus -- an herb Maurice Messegue refers to in Of People & Plants (a wonderful book, by the way). If you've grown either of these before, I'd love to hear how it went.

Lately I've been hearing and reading reports about Gaia's ill-health and that makes me want to do my best for her. These warnings seem like wake-up calls that we collectively hit the snooze button on, don't they? There's something different going on now though -- it feels like a kind of stirring to reclaim hidden parts of ourselves. At this point on the spiral, I'm remembering and re-experiencing how hopeful April and spring can feel -- trying to take back tasks that I've unwittingly given away, and I hope cooperating more. Growing food, for example -- being a better farmer in the spirit of the footsteps of the farmer are her best fertilizer.

Thanks for visiting.