"artists of the everyday"

"Women are artists of the everyday... the woman who works with her hands only is a laborer; the woman who works with her hands and her head is a craftswoman; the woman who works with her hands, her head and her heart is an artist."

                                               -  from Simple Abundance, by Sarah Ban Breathnach

knitting in August

I never want to knit in July or August - I don't enjoy touching yarn with my sweaty hands. But this year August is hardly recognizable! And a small project (color block hand warmers) isn't so bad while sitting in front of a fan.

just add water

I saw this vase at Salvation Army at least twenty years ago; it's graceful shape caught my eye. The glass is very thick, though, and it has an obvious seam along either side. 

It took me a little while to figure out it must be a Good Seasons cruet. (For those who don't know, Good Seasons is a brand of salad dressing which comes with a packet of seasonings and glass cruet; you add the oil and vinegar.)

It also took me a little while to notice that when water is added, the "vase" is transformed and looks so beautiful.

Especially with roses.

how lovely

Oh, how lovely everything was! Gossamer clouds of pale gold floated over the Hill of the Mist. The wind had fallen asleep among the silver birches. The tall firs among them quivered with some kind of dark laughter. The fields were all around her like great gracious arms. The popples, as Judy called them, were whispering around the granary. The world was just a big, smiling greenness, with a vast, alluring blueness seawards. There was a clear, pale, silvery sky over her and everything in the garden seemed to have burst into bloom overnight. Judy's big clump of bleeding-heart by the kitchen door was hung with ruby jewels. The country was sprinkled with white houses in the sunrise. A stealthy kitten crept through the orchard. 

                                  -  L.M. Montgomery,   Pat of Silver Bush

warm, breezy and relaxing

In an August which has been amazingly comfortable, we've come back to hot and humid summer for a few days.  And Eileen and Nancy came over.

We had the cheesy olive bread, tuna rye wraps, refrigerator pickles, peach sweet tea and chocolate frozen yogurt*. Under a shady tree we sat and lunched the whole afternoon. And after a morning with no air stirring, an accomodating breeze kept things pleasant almost the whole time. Ahhh, this is what summer is for!


*(I used Rose's recipe here, with a few alterations.)

the secret lives of lawn chairs

To continue our thought from this morning,

surely these vintage webbed chairs have secrets. Don't they look like they're just waiting for you to turn your back?

the secret lives of furniture

"Pat had a firm belief that if you could only open the door of any shut room quickly enough you could catch all the furniture in strange situations. ... But then you never could. Some sound always warned them and they were back in their places as demure as you please."

                             - L.M. Montgomery,  Pat of Silver Bush

                                     

our dear girl

Thankful that the vet came up with a medication which seems to agree with our Dolly. Her swollen paw is all better and her allergies may even improve for a little while.

cucumber vines in the window

The window over the kitchen sink, because I didn't get around to planting them outside. Yet.

I still may.

together again

Today we celebrate the assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven, reuniting her with her dear Jesus.

( by Joachim Patinir)

"Blessed are you, O God, in the Virgin Mary. Through her, your Son came into the world. Through him, she entered into the new world of your glory."

a good view

from atop the refrigerator, and a perfect spot for lounging.

"blessed be your kneading bowl"

"When you hearken to the voice of the Lord, your God, all these blessings will come upon you and overwhelm you:

  May you be blessed in the city, and blessed in the country!

  Blessed be the fruit of your womb, the produce of your soil and the offspring of your livestock,  the issue of your herds and the young of your flocks!

  Blessed be your grain bin and your kneading bowl!

  May you be blessed in your coming in, and blessed in your going out!"

                                          Deuteronomy 28: 2-6

little flowers

When I got the strawberry plants and strawberry pot, I got the idea to sprinkle some seeds on top from an old seed packet called "Cottage Garden".  So now I have a little bloom, but I don't know what it is.  I hope more flowers will come along.

first red one

from a plant someone gave us.

it pays to talk

Well, she talked about how good it felt to give them away, so I hinted. And she brought some to work today.

So pretty!  A lovely treat.

Somebody else thinks so, too.