Where the Lilies Bloom

Managing

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 21:20:05 GMT

One of my favorite phrases lately is, "We'll manage." It seems to be my catch-all comment. And that's what we're doing lately--managing. Unemployment has kept us busy and we worked much of the week preparing for winter (freezing berries and peaches), baking for the farmers' market, and dealing with leg cramps (well, me only on that one). This crazy pregnacy-job-loss experience has left me mellowed out and ready for anything. Managing is what I do best and God has really blessed us with the skill of resourcefulness as of late.

Things have been very abundant at a time when we needed them most. People are giving us fruits and vegetables like crazy and I've got a good number of green apples to "put up." I've never had so much food in my refrigerator and freezer. I signed up for WIC this week and this has been the biggest help to us. No one is kidding when they say that pregnant women eat a lot and this service is a wonderful blessing when you need it. Government assistance can be a sore spot for some folks, but you should use what you've paid for when you are in a tight spot. Enough said.

The farmers' market was a big hit today. We sold all the not-so-sourdough and most of the brownies and cookies. Napkins were great sellers, but the fresh herbs were not. It'll be pesto all around tonight for supper. It just depends on the week, I guess. We still did twice a great as usual and enjoyed getting to be a part of the town we always drove away from to go to work.

We're taking next weekend off for Mike to do some backpacking while he has the time. We had bought him a nice backpack a year and a half ago when they were on sale in the off-season and the time to use it never came up. May as well do it before things really change around here. He's got a job interview on Monday in Abingdon, so keep your fingers crossed. It's a half-hour commute, but it will work for now. It's easier to look for work when you're working than when you're not.

What's next for me? More blackberries, cloth bags for wetkneefarm, working on apples and beets and enjoying the upcoming third trimester. :-) Here's a shot of me in the new dress, looking a bit confused since I didn't know if Mike was taking a picture. Oddly, I like this photo, but I'm kind of counterculture like that.

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 20:15:59 GMT

It's been a busy week here at the Blackberry Bungalow--appointments, baking, sewing, visiting, job interview stuff. Here's a few shots from our week so far. . .

We spent some time at the cabin checking out the mid-summer flowers. . .

and mushroom friends.

We watched the grasses sway in the wind. . .

and found hidden treasures after the rain.

We soaked in the beauty of butterfly weed. . .

and picked a bunch of blackberries. . .

with Becky and her hot pink nails. . .

up at the World's Best Blackberry Spot.

I finally cut out my dress pattern from Anabaptist Bookstore. . .

and finished a new dress to wear to the farmers' market.

I'd had the fabric for months, so it was nice to finish the dress. I'm sure Mike will take a photo of me wearing it at the market tomorrow. This week we've baked six loaves of sourdough, three pans of brownies and about four dozen snickerdoodles. Mike did a massive basil harvest and I've collected all the mint. All that remains is the lavender and I'm waiting until the sun goes down. Whew! We've got a big day tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed!

Make Gardens Not War :: One Local Supper

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 00:51:13 GMT

Sometimes, being pregnant can make you really hungry and slightly desperate. But since we're not in a position to give in to my every craving or whim, we've made do. Truly, 'tis hard to manage when every one you know is flinging fresh produce your way. ;-) You know your meal is blessed when you can't believe how good something so humble can taste. I'm so glad we've got leftovers!

First up, the main meal--buttercrunch lettuce and broccoli from our garden; yummy green beans and roasted new red potatoes from Grandy and Denny, grown a whole two miles from our house. Buttermilk dressing made with onions from Carrie (2.5 miles from us) and chives from the neighbor's herb garden.

And to finish, peach and cornmeal upside-down cake--using some of the last of our peaches (not local); eggs from the farmers' market (grown near our church in Seven Mile Ford) and fresh lavender from our front yard.

Modifications for the curious: peel only two or three peaches for a ten-inch skillet (Martha must have used tiny ones) and use canned evaporated milk instead of heavy cream for a thriftier version.

Farmers' Market

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 11:37:33 GMT

Our second trip to the farmers' market proved to be a hit! We made the equivalent of a week's grocery budget and got to talk to lots of people. Mike and I sold our "underdog" items that haven't really sold well in the past--cloth bags and columbine seeds. My last-minute choice to sell fresh lavender was a big hit, with people begging for more!

This weekend is the big festival at Hungry Mother and downtown, so we'll be back there with even more goodies. I'm planning on baking breads, cookies and brownies--baked goods sell like crazy, especially when all the food for the festival is so pricey. If the Fiber Frolic looks a little empty, fear not, we'll be back with updates next week.

Provision

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:42:36 GMT

I've been thinking about Fall and Winter lately, but then again, it is supposed to be 91 degrees today. At first I was thinking it was kind of crazy for me to think so far ahead since we have something so big happening in three months. But really, it's natural to look ahead to Winter in the middle of Summer. Or first third. There is much preparation to do this time of year.

We picked up a bushel of peaches in South Carolina on our way back from visiting Mike's parents. I've spent the past two days working through them and this weekend will prove to be even peachier. Dad bought the peaches for us and we'll really enjoy them over the Winter. This year, instead of jamming so much, I prepared these just for the freezer. That way, we'll be able to thaw them out and throw them in smoothies, pies and cobblers at any time. My jam stores are still quite hefty.

This year, we'll be concentrating on the freezer that Mom and Dad gave us. They bought a smaller one and gave us their big one and I am really quite excited. I've been working hard at filling it up, slowly stockpiling what I've picked from the garden or been able to afford from the store. I found organic butter on close-out a couple of weeks ago, so I got five pounds! I've also been accumulating grains from a local bulk foods store for all of the granola I plan to make in the coming months. I can't wait to add blackberries in the next week. Blackberries in pancakes and puddings will be so wonderful.

It's beginning to feel a lot like baby around here since most of my diapers came this week. They were a special gift from my grandmother and I am super-thrilled about them. I decided to go with Kissaluvs and found a reasonably good deal here. They're soft and fleecy and I'll be spending as much time with them as I will with the baby. Mike's mother took me to do a little baby shopping during our visit and I believe I've rounded out the first three months worth of clothes, maybe even six. It's going to be cold for that long, so I've planned to keep the baby in sleepers and gowns. We're not high fashion around here.

Function in bulk. That's us.

There's an important theme in all of this--provision. We haven't been in want of our needs through all of the challenges and uncertainty in the past month. People have been immensely generous to us and we are immensely appreciative. It's a little funny sometimes to have a new baby coming and not be able to buy anything, but it's a huge blessing not to need to. We will look back on these days, glad we made it through, and remember how much we were helped. Hopefully, we'll be able to do the same thing for our little ones when they need us.

Mike continues to look for jobs and I am trying to get back into the groove of sewing for the shop. We'll be packing up our wares and heading to the farmers' market today, so if the Fiber Frolic looks empty, it's only temporary. Now it's time for a weekend of weenie roasts at the cabin and more peaches. Cobbler, this time, I think.

Happy Birthday!

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 14:18:43 GMT

For leafwhisperer, may your day be peachy and sweet! :-P

Make Gardens Not War :: Lavender Harvest

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 00:24:27 GMT

A little something to look at while Mike and I do some visiting. The Blackberry Bungalow sure is blessed to have fertile soils. :-) Lavender's soothing scent couldn't have come in at a better time.

Things Fall Apart

Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:53:51 GMT

I decided yesterday that I'm not going to cry anymore about all the crazy things that have been happening to us. Mike made the difficult decision to leave his job. I'm not mad, though this will present some challenges. Instead, we're trying to look at all that has happened as opportunities to live our lives more deliberately and locally. This means no more long commute to Wytheville and lower gas costs (none, for now!).

I've said for some time now that Mike and I have the perfect life together. We had jobs in the same town, just blocks from each other. We were able to eat lunch together every single day. We had settled into our stereotypical adult lives and found a good time to have a baby. After that, things started going a little funny. If anything could have gone wrong at work for the both of us, it did. We've been tested in this department for a year or more, but things have recently come to a breaking point. Each of us had to stand up for ourselves and give all we could. In both cases, that meant accepting the fate of moving on.

I've talked about moving forward, and really, we're still doing that. It's all we can do these days. We pay the bills, tend the garden, take all the fresh produce offered to us, and settle into lives that will never be the same. I've come to have zero expectations and only minimal survival-based plans. We'll make it through these changes financially, though times will be very tight. Thank goodness for the kind people at the Virginia Employment Commission and for the help of my parents. Sometimes, it feels as though they're the people keeping us going.

This, too, shall pass. And after it is over, there will be chuckles of "remember the time I was pregnant and we both were out of work and trying to plan for a new baby during a recession?" I've learned two big things so far that I work to remind myself of each day, when I start to get a little nervous. First, I have had a perfect pregnancy. Nothing could have gone more smoothly and I am thankful for each day of wiggles in my tummy and dozens of bathroom trips. Second, sometimes God blesses us in ways that are so amazing we cannot understand them when they happen. I prayed for God to send Mike a new job and I should have known He'd be counterculture about it. ;-)

Forward

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 21:03:58 GMT

July,
she will fly
And give no warning to her flight. . .

One of the excuses I was given for losing my job, apart from budget cuts, was that I was not forward thinking. Clearly, some people are not traveling the same sort of forward as me. Today, my forward gained new momentum. I've embarked on a journey whose path I do not know, only having the knowledge that I can't go over, around or under. I've got to go through. My forward is not to bigger-and-better and more and getting. It is to less and simpler and quality-over-quantity.

I never believed that "not forward thinking" bit anyway.

It's hard to say what's in store, though I may end up in a part-time position back at my old workplace. After all, on unemployment benefits, you must take any job offered to you or lose your benefits. We'll see what the mail fairy brings over these next couple of weeks. Suffice it to say, just when I thought pigs couldn't fly, some went flapping by the window as I packed up my worldly goods from my desk. Sometimes I feel the insanity never stops.

But there is always home. It is the one place where Mike and I can find peace, no matter what the outside world throws at us. Our pace here is set by us, not by a society driven by greed and rushed by desperation. Our vegetables do not shout vain commands and the berries grow sweetly in the grass. Indeed, my forward is the blessing of time on my terms, infinitely many bathroom breaks, and the first cloth diapers drying on the rack.

Give me my forward any day. :-)

I was so much older then. . .

Sun, 29 Jun 2008 11:10:43 GMT

Mike told me a couple of weeks ago that I've aged. Apparently, he was looking back through old photos and found this shot of us at the Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest. We'd been married less than two months and were working part-time then. The day before, or so, we'd slid down the big rock face into the icy cold water. I was the chicken who'd worn a life jacket and nearly hyperventilated on the way down. We were surrounded by kids who'd made dozens of trips down the rock and were pumped for more. Once was enough for me.

Three years later, I admittedly look a little different. I'm a whole quarter of a century old, have one day of work left, and will be holding a baby in less than four months. I still manage to make funny faces when my picture is taken because my being photogenic wore off at the age of ten. Really, I was great until then.

Twenty-four was a big year of preparation. Twenty-five will be settling in. I'll have three-ish months to get used to one income before the baby comes. There will be a final summer of just being Mike-and-Brandy. There is a freezer to stock and berries to pick. There will be firsts like crazy and I will be here to see them all. Lucky me. :-)

Now that I'm back from the break, I'll participate in helenkosings meme, Six Quirky Things:

I cannot sleep late, no matter what. I might miss something. Like breakfast.
I cannot lie when it's the polite thing to do. It just doesn't work. Social graces seem to have escaped me. So, I guess you know that if I say thank-you, I really do mean it. Otherwise, the foot goes into the mouth.
I won my best friend Becky by annoying her until she gave up and liked me. Isn't stealing pieces of a person's flute in band at least slightly endearing?
Cereal is my favorite pre-packaged food genre. I can eat cereal until the cows come home, laugh at me for awhile and go back out to pasture. Good thing I found Tammy's granola recipes. I talk about them rather a lot, if you haven't noticed. They'll likely save our budget in the coming months.
My husband loves Dave Matthews Band like I love cereal and I do not. Life's funny like that.
For the first time in my life, I have no plans beyond December. A month of back and forth, hemming and hawing, up and down, waiting and waiting, I've learned a lot about flexibility and zero expectations. Probably a good thing, considering.

Now it's time to inaugurate a new year with a hot bowl of Cream of Wheat with maple syrup. Happy Birthday to me!

Taking a Break

Sat, 21 Jun 2008 11:17:21 GMT

June is proving to be even more busy and challenging than May. I think it's time for a short break over here at the Blackberry Bungalow as we sort through the thorny brambles to find treasures in difficult times. I'll be back in a week or so.

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 19:07:08 GMT

It's a sunny and pleasant 73 degrees outside today. I've got my corduroy pants on and short sleeves and it seems just a bit crisp. The stifling heat of last week is gone and reward weather has taken over. It's rather like Autumn out there. I think I might stand in the yard tonight after I move the tomatoes and thankfully layer on a long sleeve shirt.

Mike and I went over the mountain to the cabin last weekend and drove past our wood cutting spot. It made me think of that cool and pleasant day working together when the leaves were at their peak. Mike was wearing my pumpkin hat and that made me chuckle a bit. I plan to make a little pumpkin hat for the baby. After all, it's my most famous design and who better to wear it?

Sometimes it is hard to think of our baby as a little girl. We've been calling her "the baby" for so long now. Even though I had a feeling from the start that our little pumpkin seed was a "she," saying it, actually having "her" come out of my mouth seems so concrete, so real. Now I can feel her wiggle around inside me and Mike can feel her interior antics on the outside.

Usually, I try to pass the Summer by and head straight for Fall, but this year there is much to do. And while I am anxious to hold our baby in my arms, I know enough to know that we will need every bit of this time of preparation. Then at last, when the garden is in and thick blankets are on the beds, we will reap the rewards of our first harvest.

18 more weeks. Is that all?

Not my Job

Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:36:38 GMT

I fluctuate between hard and easy days lately. Between euphoria and anger. Right now, I'm trying really hard not to feel angry. It's not productive and I don't want my angry vibes to have anything to do with my baby. For a brief time, her world is protected and life is mundane. It is my task to be a peaceful parent during the last few months.

I had some things said to me on Thursday which were very untrue, but hurt my feelings nonetheless. Sometimes, you hear about a person so morally depraved that others crumble around him, so unconcerned that no one stands a chance. I have met and worked for that person. There is not hope for a transition period, part-time work, or a severance package. If it happens, I won't be surprised to see pigs flying when I look out the window.

It is hard to be at work these last nine and a half days. Yes, I'm counting. There is little work to do. I've already contacted most of the people who will be affected by my absence. I'm working on tutorials to coach the computer-illiterate through pieces of a highly technical job. I've cleaned my worldly goods from my desk and now I wait. There are a few tasks here and there, by mainly I wait.

A couple of months ago, when eliminations of the "non-essential" seemed like a bluff, our pastor gave an excellent sermon on handling pain and anger. I am working hard to remember it today since I am really struggling and just want to tell a few people off. It is not my Christian duty to find fault in others and make them pay. Revenge and nasty words do nothing but place me in the same boat. It is not my job. My anger is fruitless and hurts only me and those around me who must deal with my bad mood.

Really, I look forward to my time being up. I look forward to time enough to enjoy life more fully. I've always had trouble with the American ideal of the desperate struggle for money to have big things that we drive away from all day long to struggle for more money to get more things. I'm not the only one, but I suppose I've been given a direct mandate from God to focus on what really matters right now and in the coming years. It will never be an employer who cares not for my happiness or my financial security.

It will always be, however, making a home where those who dwell in it long for its peace when they are away. It will always be time carefully managed to extract life's full sweetness. It will always be a life that is bigger than me where there is time enough to reach outward. And even when times are meager, it will always be the first five red raspberries harvested where the lilies bloom.

Strawberry Lemon-Aid

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 21:53:43 GMT

Thursday, after the bad news, I made up a batch of Strawberry Lemonade that pearlibuttons suggested. My mom had brought me fresh strawberries from her garden and they were wonderful in it. We did not sieve out the seeds and, really, they just sink to the bottom anyway.

It is indeed very yum, Emily, and if I could pour you a glass and hand it to you in your hospital bed, I would. In fact, I'd bring you the whole jug. You deserve proper refreshment keeping those babies safe and sound for so long.

So if the rest of you need a pick-me-up after a tough Summer's day, try this recipe and prepare to drink sunshine. :-)

Thu, 12 Jun 2008 14:55:27 GMT

Well, folks, my last day of work will be June 30.

Times are strange, indeed, and full of big decisions and planning. There will be time enough for canning tomatoes, making watermelon rind pickles, and picking blueberries and blackberries. There will be hours ahead for napkins and hankies and soap and loving frugal meals. No one will ever steal my joy.

If you've got questions, you know how to contact me.

This Week's WIP's :: A Bun in the Oven, Bread on the Table and Napkins Coming Out My Ears!

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:56:29 GMT

I'm so glad to be free of all the commitments of May. Only one this month--to show up at a trail work day this Saturday. I'll be in charge of pruning (I hope) and looking cute. I think I can handle it. ;-)

It's been a hot one this past week, but we've managed to get lots done. Operation High Security continues on as today I planted watermelons, more cucumbers and loofas. Mike and I covered the area with newspapers and rocks just before a short storm came and drenched them. Success! I've fortified the little hills where the seeds are with tomato cages to discourage any deposits of the feline variety. I've covered the other cucumber plants (which I ended up buying) with bird netting. Keep your fingers crossed!

Saturday, I went on a baking frenzy and made two loaves of my Famous Sourdough-which-is-not-Sour, another big batch of Tammy's Cinnamon Crunch Granola and the first Peachy Blueberry Pie of the season. Whew! That ought to do us for a week or two. I love to bake and somehow, it being 95 outside is very enticing. Either that, or I had temporary insanity and wanted to really heat up the house.

Speaking of things in the oven, the baby is doing really well at being super active. Her movements are much stronger than when I started to feel them around seven weeks ago. I can feel her somersault around in my tummy and can really tell when she settles in for a moment right above my bladder. Sometimes it feels like I'm either at the mercy of my hungry tummy or my super-productive bladder. No matter, I love every flicker of life I get to feel. Even at 4:00 AM after my fifth bathroom break.

I've been churning out the custom orders for etsy and am really glad to have reached a point where sitting down to sew six or twelve napkins at a time is no longer daunting. That's one of the things no one tells you about crafting--sewing, knitting ,crochet, or otherwise--you have to have time to get used to the pace of the work. When you find your pattern, things go much more smoothly. I've moved the ironing board into the part of the house with the air conditioner and now things are even more productive. Who can sit down to sloth in front of the Food Network with dozens of anxious napkins staring back?

So, yeah. Here's the obligatory crafting shot.

I'm really liking the lavender hankies.

Say prayer for us at the bungalow--I'm still waiting for some important news and may get it later in the week.

Let me add a big thanks to Tammy for giving me a free ad on her blog. I'm so thankful for her generosity during uncertain times. Check it out--Mike designed it. He's so clever!

Make Gardens Not War :: The Pacifists Take on Cats

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 16:02:34 GMT

Over here at the Nichols homestead, Mike is getting to be mighty proud of his garden. He peruses it every day: lovingly staring at the gourds, carefully watching the strawberries and expectantly watching the broccoli. The gardening efforts are largely his these days since some neighboring cats have made, um, a litter box out of a good portion of our gardening area. We've tried shooing them away, chasing them while waving a broom (my personal favorite), fencing them out and now Mike has resorted to spraying them with the hose. Times are strange around the Blackberry Bungalow, and here's the proof. . .

Maximum security beets.

Our next mission, replant the cucumbers and cover the area with bird netting. Grrrr.

Make Gardens Not War :: Agrarian Linkies

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:56:38 GMT

I've been accumulating bookmarks for awhile now. Time to clean my internetten haus (and make up German phrases!). Here's a few from that I found to be of interest to you Farm Types and a shot of Mike and me linking our urban farmer arms last year:

Farmers Hitching Up the Old Mules and saving on gas!
Strawberry Fields Forever (pregnancy craving, sorry) ;-)
and for Fiber Lovers, The Ideal Morning Meal

The Material Parent

Thu, 05 Jun 2008 20:47:45 GMT

I mentioned to Susan awhile back that I was thinking a lot about materialism and its manifestations in parenting. I've been thinking and procrastinating for some time now. It's hard for me to get into discussions about parenting or childbirth with my current parent status, but I can still think. ;-)

One of my biggest fears all along hasn't been childbirth or being in charge of a helpless baby or miscarriage. Nope, it's been accumulating too much stuff. You can see where my priorities are. Just kidding. :-P

I know a lot of generous people. They gave us a lifetime supply of bath towels when we were married and now they're poised to shop 'till they drop for our baby. Am I ready for the onslaught of stuff? I didn't have everything when I was little and now I am so glad--things just don't mean anything.

Now that we've found out that there's a little girl pumpkin in there, folks are even more anxious to scour their attics for baby goodies and pound the parking lot into the mall. I've been struggling with a polite way to handle all of this. Mom and I went through all of my old stuff a couple of months ago and did an inventory of what I'll really need when the time comes. I made a list and plan to use this when well-meaning people ask what I can use for the baby. It's all I can think to do. Well, that, and assign sizes to people to ensure I get variety. It's all a blessing, really, to be surrounded by people who want to take care of us. I'm still petrified of receiving a thousand pink sleepers in 0-3 month size.

I've put this off for so long simply because I just don't know what else to say. I've got a tiny house with three closets and an inaccessible attic. I do, however, have the World's Driest Basement. So far. Ladies and gentlemen, keep your receipts.

Here are some links for the curious among you. They show intriguing patterns in materialism for children and proof of what really matters at the end of the day.

Berlin's Whimsy on The Stuff of Parents
Parenting Inc. on NPR's Featured Books
Jenni at Just Chicken Feed: This Stuff Matters

A Little Shop Update

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:02:27 GMT

I've added a few dozen more napkins to the Fiber Frolic: Blue Skies Daisy Napkins (shown above) and a couple other retro prints. It's such a blessing to have so many people loving my napkins--I can hardly keep up! :-)

Happy Tuesday from me and the little girl pumpkin! :-D

The Big Reveal. . .

Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:12:23 GMT

Yesterday's doctor visit went well. I've gained a whole six pounds at the half-way mark. And. . . we're having a girl! mikecnichols has the ultrasound photos over at his blog, here. I had a feeling, and I guess I was right. ;-)

Make Gardens Not War :: May No More!

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 12:11:48 GMT

June, she'll change her tune,
In restless walks she'll prowl the night. . .

Simon & Garfunkel :: "April Come She Will"

It's a quiet morning here at the Blackberry Bungalow; just the little pumpkin and me are awake. Mike and I have enjoyed a few days of peaceful living after a whirlwind month. We went to see Indiana Jones at the drive-in and, as usual, I was appalled at the price of snacks (we're taking our own next time). The movie was pretty good, though, when you take out all the stressful parts.

Yesterday we went to Boone for our quarterly trip to Earth Fare and vegetarian food fix. Mike ended up eating meat (at the place which has replaced Angelica's), I had tempeh, and we came home with $18 worth of gummy candies from the Mast General Store. You've got to have priorities. Really, though, that candy will last us for months. I hope.

I'm glad it's June, but this month still holds some surprises.

Monday, we'll find out just who's wiggling around in my tummy and laying on my bladder. Yesterday, the baby got into such a position that I was nearly squirming with pain and screaming for a bathroom. Just as quickly, the baby moved and I was able to make it a whole 20 minutes without a bathroom break. Mike says I've gotten a lot bigger over the past week, and I feel it, too. Of course, I'm always sizing myself up every time I walk past something reflective. That's what happens when you have a house with no full-length mirrors. ;-)

My birthday is this month, right before the end of the fiscal year at work. I'm sure, by now, that you've figured out that they might be downsizing me. It's nothing I've done, but they blame the state budget cuts and somehow see it as okay to consider eliminating several real people instead of looking at other spending. It's a big, hilarious mess. That's all I can say. Now that the shock has worn off, it's like M*A*S*H around work. I talk about willing my office supplies to people and who gets my African violets. Humor in dark times as we wait for a verdict.

Today, I've got a couple dozen napkins for the Fiber Frolic waiting for me in the Apiary. There are also new curtains to plan for our room and Mike, as Quality Control on all my crafting, is keeping a close eye on the fabric selection. We've come home with some that's he's just obsessed with. I knew he was the one when he wore my knitting and was so concerned about, well, Quality Control. I've also got two sizable custom orders for the shop and I'm so thrilled to have them. Etsy seems to be working out well for me. :-)

Now, for some flower shots. . .

I'll start with peonies, for Emily.

I've picked the best and fullest, just for you.

This is the bouquet from the other day. See how full it's gotten? I've since restocked with more flowers as the petals drop.

Moving along to the bleeding hearts in white. . .

. . . and tiny pink. I think these are more closely related to Dutchmen's Breeches or maybe Squirrel Corn, given the leaves and flower shape.

Now, I've got to do shamelss plugs for the shop. See this columbine?

And this one, too?

Notice how I like to take pictures of my hand?

I show all of these to say that they all came from the same plants, but came out different colors! I moved these from the Old Davis Homestead our first year here. For awhile, they stayed well-behaved and were all purple and ruffly. This year, I don't know if they were carousing with other neighborhood columbines or what, but they've gone and gotten Variety. I love all the different colors and lovingly collect the seeds each year, which are available for purchase over at Brandy's Fiber Frolic.

Okay, shameless plugs aside. . .

Gorgeous Rhododendron. And at last:

Dwarf Iris. Aaaah, love.

Happy Sunday!

Sweeping Up

Wed, 28 May 2008 22:17:38 GMT

Yesterday in the cool evening air, I swept the last of the Christmas holly off the front porch. I was surprised to find it hiding behind some things I don't move very often. It felt good to get the porch cleared off--the Pro-Mix had been living out there for weeks, waiting for us to build the raised beds. Even thinking about it now, it feels good to know that our porch is clear.

Really, it means a return to normalcy after a month of being busy around the clock. There's a reason I keep my calendar clear and advocate less being more--I'm a homebody. I like working at home, taking care of our home, and making it a place of peace. I like working in the yard (when I'm not sore) and hanging clothes on Mrs. Houck's line. I like sitting down to my sewing machine or kneading bread. There is peace in repetition.

We've still got more things planned, but very little away from home for the next 4 1/2 months. There's some trail work, a trip to Atlanta and maybe a festival if I'm up to it in October. For now, we circle the year tending the garden, minding the harvest, and filling the canner. I'm making lots more napkins and hankies for the shop. I continue to find that mornings are my most productive times. I can always carve out a few minutes to hem a couple napkins or iron others for sewing.

After weeks of work and worry, tonight we rest. Mike is making supper and a soft rain is falling outside.

Make Gardens Not War :: Hobble to the Garden

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:47:54 GMT

Mike and I spent our first holiday in months out in the yard slaving over raised beds. He built, we fluffed the Pro-Mix and proceeded to get it in my nose, dress, eyes, hair, and other unmentionable places. I planted tomatoes, broccoli, and cauliflower last night. Today, soreness abounds. Tonight, we do seeds.

For Anna, who drools over such things. . .

That would be: beets, buttercrunch lettuce, lime basil, cucumbers, loofa, sugar baby watermelon, crimson watermelon. Hey, I don't want to be the only round, bulbous one here at the Blackberry Bungalow.

For Emily, as promised. . .

Tue, 27 May 2008 20:43:43 GMT

May this brighten your bedrest. :-)

The first peonies.

I've been watching and waiting.

Just for you. :-D

More to come in the following days.