terrariums

I had a terrible craving for green. Planting up a terrarium and then another followed by one more took care of it. Here's how it went. I'd gone to a garden center only to get a green fix and some seeds but left with gravel, charcoal, and some tiny plants. I swear I was high when I walked out (the natural kind). I hear some people feel that way when they buy clothes or shoes or anything, but in this case it was plants.

I used glass containers from the basement -- an old jar, a ginger jar vase, and a bowl for floating flowers in. Then a silver horse from when I was little, an metal bell, and a goddess figure. Stones and moss. That's it.

One for the living room, one for the kitchen, one for the sewing room.

it's-just-thread moonday

The way people always say it's just paint, I've been telling myself it's just thread. A good thing it's just thread, as I have stitched-and-unstitched on the green hand cloth more than I've ever done before on anything ever. The hand has been embellished twice, the leaves have had both roots and stars. All torn out. A shift seems to have occurred, inspired by the magic diaries class -- some leaves have become eyes -- I'm thinking of them as possible symbols of the life force/wisdom of plants. Plant spirits. The leaves also remind me of buds; old botanicals refer to buds as eyes. Nowadays, we usually only think of the sunken buds of potatoes as eyes. But when you see a bud, you know something is alive and growing.

Today is a growing moonday in Taurus. Taurus is a patient time, thank goodness, that helps us to stabilize and focus on practical matters. There is a tendency to be stubborn  but I don't see that as necessarily a negative thing, the line between strong and stubborn is so blurred. Here's how I gauge it -- if I feel myself uncomfortably shutting down from change, I'm probably being stubborn.

Although it may not be the absolute best planting time, a waxing moon in Taurus is also considered highly ideal. Maybe even especially so for early spring or fall plantings when hardiness is so important as seeds sown or projects begun under a Taurus moon are usually long-lasting and dependable.

Taurus rules the jaws and neck including the voice, throat, teeth, ears, and thyroid gland. Now is a good time to focus on healing those parts and avoid causing them additional stress. Have you noticed that a sore throat is sometimes simply a warning to "watch it" and take better care of yourself? I can go to bed with a sore throat but after a good night's sleep, it's gone. Amazing how easy it can be if I only listen to my body. 

Wishing you a patient and earthy moonday!

heart space

                   

Seeds were planted in 4-packs -- tomatoes, basil, jalapeno peppers, lettuce and kale -- the plan is for them to go into the cold-frame after they germinate. An experiment to test their cold-tolerance. Peppers like it warmish so I'll keep them in the house a little longer than the others, but it is a test, after all.

A few nights ago we had a windy snowfall and one of the tops to the cold-frame was flung open -- the result was a 3" blanket of snow that I frantically scooped out yesterday morning with bare hands, half-asleep in my pajamas and snowboots. I keep a rock on it, but evidently it wasn't heavy enough. The other side is weighted with the solar automatic ventilator. With the sun's intensity increasing, yesterday felt like the brightest, whitest day yet.

This is the best baked acorn squash -- it's filled with a mixture of 2 T. butter, 2 T. honey, 1 T. Worcestershire sauce, 1/4 c. walnuts and 1/4 c. dried cranberries during the last 15 minutes of baking. I ate three out of the four in the photo! They were little though.

I tried to hold out until Jude's next boro class begins, but I need to wear these jeans asap so they were temporarily mended. I sort of don't want to buy new jeans when there's really only a few more months of even wearing jeans. And if I buy some now, I'll probably be a whole different size by next fall. I won't say which way but a person can hope.

It's been a good week to re-center, I guess you could call it being in heart space. Lighting candles, winding floss, reading, getting dirt under my fingernails again. It had been a while.

Thanks for visiting. And happy weekending! xo

more onion-skin dyeing

Computer problems so I'm posting on my ipad. I'm not sure how to get the photos right, it shows up as code on my screen and that's scary, for sure.

These are the results of a little more onion-skin dyeing -- only one of the baskets fit into the dye-pot and that was unfortunate because I love the color of this little heart basket now. Also, some strips of cotton, wooden beads, and a clothespin. I thought the yarn called for a shot of ginger liqueur, color wise -- then a little knitting play. Lastly, I'm trying to overdye this coffee-dyed cotton knit top that really didn't take the coffee color very well. We'll see.

Any tips on blogging with an ipad?

empty basket moonday

I had this great idea to empty every basket in the house and sort through the contents before refilling it. Sort of like cleaning out the kitchen drawers, only baskets. When I walked into the not-even-completely-moved-in-yet sewing room, I counted 13 baskets. We probably have baskets in every room -- I'm rethinking my plan. Maybe I'll get a few baskets in the sewing room done. Maybe.

I loved this idea when I saw it on an organizing website, sorry I don't remember where and I didn't save it. If it's your idea, you are a genius. It's so neat and tidy plus the color code can be written on the clothespin with a sharpie. The vintage floss from my mother's stash won't be wound because the labels are just too cool. And that Nun's Boilproof Flochelle is fabulous to work with, by the way.

Today is a dark moonday in Aquarius and I'm focused on the dark moon aspect more than the ruling planet this week. The dark (or balsamic) moon is the one-to-two day period before the new moon. It is a time to release and empty and rest. Hanging on to stuff leads to stagnation and heaviness with no space for either change or new possibilities. Over and over throughout each month, we go through this cycle of inspiration, planting, growing, celebrating, analyzing, reflecting and emptying.  Our emptying process can be viewed as preparation for what's to come and that makes it an exciting moontime, one I really like.

Aquarius rules our lower legs and their circulation making it a probable time for both aggravating and resolving problems with those parts. The color for Aquarius is blue which calms inflammation while red increases it. I wouldn't wear any red socks, slacks, or pajamas today if I had aching legs. Just saying.

I want to spend today emptying and preparing for the new moon tomorrow -- on both an inner and an outer level. On an inner level, Davidji of the Chopra Institute has a guided "agni (fire of transformation) meditation" with a breathing exercise to exhale letting go of who you are, and inhale becoming who you might be. I have this particular one on CD but some of his meditations can be accessed online. He has the perfect voice to take a person inward.

On an outer level -- our new moon tomorrow will be in Pisces, a water sign, and a new moon in a water sign is the best time ever to sow seeds in or for the garden. A new moon in a water sign during planting time only happens once a year, the next one (in Cancer) will be in hot (or cold) July, and then again in November (in Scorpio). This is not to say there aren't other auspicious planting days, there are -- but they are not on new moondays. Some other projects for today besides baskets in the sewing room are to wash and fill with soil lots of 4-pack pots to be planted up tomorrow, to empty and dye some blah baskets, and strain some herbal tinctures.

Do you find yourself wanting to clear out space today?

wool & silk onion skin yarns

The wool yarn up there is for more hexies for the beekeeper's quilt project. I'm hoping to use all bee and honey colors with a touch of light blue for the sky. And our bee hive is painted light blue, too. The plain mini-hank has already been washed and rinsed. I hope so badly that the others keep their variations, am scared to wash them!

Okay, technically I don't think I can call this silk yarn but it sort of is. The onion skin silk organza curtain made almost 20 yards of yarn. You just snip and tear, side to side, making sure not to tear all the way through.  Happily there's another whole curtain panel to do yet, that'll make about 40 yards!

I'm waiting for the cable man as we're consolidating our phone, cable and internet today. That means being able to get rid of the phone line hanging across the middle of our back yard so I'm willing to risk it. Keeping my fingers crossed that it all goes smoothly. 

Happy weekending! xo

it is what it is

The stitching is for flying dreams, I'm trying to let loose a little. While I was doing that, somebody was having herself a knitted hexie, intended for the beekeeper's quilt. Then she took a little nap. And I just noticed the other dog threw up by the back door. I won't show you a photo of that. Maybe I should count my hexies.