dyer's moonday

Oh my -- now I know why its name is dyer's coreopsis and/or Coreopsis tinctoria -- the gorgeous blossoms give spectacular color. I wish there were 20 plants out in the garden instead of only four, I had no idea. The mordanted white wool (alum) was layered with fresh blossoms, rolled, and simmered 40 minutes in a small amount of water in an aluminum pot; the bundle was left sitting in the liquid overnight and then unrolled after another day in the open air. The photos are unedited except for maybe sharpening or cropping. One of the images shows three outcomes -- on the top is the mordanted wool, the middle is white silk (rolled and treated exactly like the wool) and the bottom is a moon-sized piece of white wool that soaked up the remaining water after simmering the bundles. Wool absolutely takes color better in this case and Kathy had similar results with dyer's chamomile here. Ideas are brewing and there will be yarn involved.

I don't know if we're being rewarded for all the hail we had earlier in the summer or not, but the weather has been great for the garden. If I could only grow one food, it would be cucumbers. Or maybe potatoes. I dug these up one night for dinner when I needed a vehicle for a sauce. It was nice that there was actually something there to be dug, and more to come, I hope. You never know with potatoes.

The basil is thriving and one batch of pesto is safe and sound in the freezer. More of that, too, I hope.

Today is a waxing moonday in Scorpio. Watery and fruitful Scorpio helps everything grow. Now is when to water our gardens and nurture our visions and wishes. If there are problems, Scorpio helps us to zero in on them and do a little pruning to restore healthy growth.

I hope your gardens and visions are thriving. xo