Tuesday, April 30, 2019

may cloth and mycelium

I recently did an exercise which called for recognizing what fulfills you, waking up to your real needs and then creating a new life design around them. So I made lists for each of those categories. Long lists. Then, over a period of time, I trimmed and purged the lists. And trimmed and purged some more. Mostly what I learned is that long lists can be reduced to very short lists, but I also learned that I really don't need or want that much.


Bringing in the May once again with my May cloth -- the words are from the Cambridge May Song....I love this song so much. This piece of cloth is to be my only stitching focus for the next few days.



I planted the forsythia with forsythia syrup in mind.



Pour 1 cup of boiling water over 1 cup of forsythia blossoms, cover and let steep for several hours, then strain. Add 1/2 cup of honey and refrigerate up to 3-4 weeks. I used this recipe.



The whole time I was collecting these juniper berries, I could hear the squirrels in the upper branches chewing and eating them. I have a few cooking/baking adventures in mind for these in addition to juniper's place in my herbal pharmacy.


A Venus of Willendorf in the making -- the basic pattern idea was from Marie at Ancient Threads (her blog is no longer online). Easy to make, I just folded a legal-size piece of paper in half and drew it freehand.


Back and front.

 

Her yoni is a small triangular piece of millinery flowers.

 
Her head-wear is another cluster of millinery flowers. She has wings.


Every spring I enact a new moon egg spell for myself, writing my deepest desires for the coming season on an egg. Some things have changed over the years, but I usually place it on my little altar to serve as a reminder throughout the month -- then on the day of the dark moon, the egg is buried and a pansy planted over it. This kind of moon work can be done anytime of year but it's nice to be able to bury it in the ground and plant something atop.


Revisiting and revamping an older cloth using new eyes. 
 

Dinner party favors made with little pots of pansies loosely wrapped in old book pages and string. 

 

'Tis herself.


Spring clean-up is well underway in my garden. I walk our little bit of land here in the city everyday. I try to notice the growth of plants from day to day and make future plans for planting food crops in and around established perennials, trees and bushes. The old saying "the best fertilizer is the farmer's footsteps" makes sense to me. For the last 10 or more years, I have not disturbed the soil except for planting. Each year I put a layer of compost on the soil along with other natural amendments. No more digging and churning and turning eliminates quite a bit wear and tear on my body and gives me more time for other things. The main reason being that I want to protect the mycelium from being damaged. A mycelium is a thread-like fungal network that unlocks nutrients for plants, helps plants resist pathogens, assists decomposition, releases carbon dioxide back into the atmosphere, serves as a food source for earthworms and much more beyond my lay-person understanding. A mycelium network can be microscopic or it can be miles long.

And we need it.

Blessed be you. xo


15 comments:

  1. and i am., blessed by this post. so much.

    Emrie, who is 18 months, would love your Venus of W. She's
    that kind of girl, so soon already. I think she would like the
    name Yoni for her personal. We call it many names, but i think
    this one she will have affinity with. I'll show her your pics
    here,
    Flowers and Wings...such BeautyFull things
    Thank you and Love

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  2. Your May cloth is lovely. And the dinner table--glorious. Your design is so simple, straightforward and beautiful. I want a deep blue pansy wrapped in book pages.

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  3. Ah! Thanks so much for posting. I like Spring as the time to really renew myself--somehow January doesn't do it. I am taking aa online class with India Flint--called Being There---a year long class with lovely, thought provoking things to do and think about to expand ones perception of where they physically and spiritually are. Blessings on your journey!

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  4. So good to see you here sharing all you've been up to. I recall some of the old and delight in the new and treasure - you! Being able to easily and freely walk out of our place to the 'back 40' is something we both miss about the old place. sigh.

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  5. what a wonderful cloth! and thank you for sharing the music, I subscribed

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  6. This post.
    Wow.
    thank you for summing up what you have done to greet spring. I feel blessed.
    I too, love your venus, your pansies, your cloth, your egg, and am transformed by this post. Thank you for writing your blog. Thank you for showing us all what we can do with our precious ordinary daily life. xoxo

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  7. So happy to see a post! My forsythia bloomed and is gone. I'm going to make a note for next year and try the syrup. I just love your girl and her posies! Also your May cloth is just lovely. I read your post the other night after coming up from the basement waiting out a night full of storms and tornadoes. Very relaxing to read and calm my nerves and anxiety. No damage here, but lots of water and more to come. Oh well.... spring is here in the Ozarks, and always arrives wet and wild!

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  8. Blessed be thee dear Peggy. So wonderful all your offerings. Thank you.

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  9. PS-https://mscomfortzone.blogspot.com/

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  10. Read this about ten days ago and tried and failed to comment from phone. Glancing through a second time, I struck again at the perfection of a yoni made out of a satin flower! Love your sensibilities!

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  11. Your photography is absolutely amazing!

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  12. Oh dear--April??? I really miss seeing your blog. Every three months is a long time and you are so inspirational with your blog.

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  13. Hello and thank you to all! I forget to say it, but I so appreciate your support and encouragement.
    xoxoxoxoxo
    Peggy

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  14. Hi Peggy,
    Thank you so much for sharing my name on the Venus of Willendorf pattern :) <3
    I have missed the blogging world and I am considering dusting off my old blog and returning.
    So happy you are still here! :) Much love.

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  15. Hi Marie, so good to have you come visiting! I so hope you blog again, I miss you. xoxo

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