autumn love

Oh how I love autumn.

Just overnight the leaves got their cue to turn and my woods are a subtle wash of golds, rusty oranges, and mossy greens. In a few days they'll brighten and then they'll fade again, leaving the brown oaks with their lichen-encrusted trunks to be the focus.

I love the golden light, the smell, the crinkly leaves, the jeans with flannels, all of it. I don't even mind that fall is the precursor to winter, which seems to be the longest season of all here in Minnesota. Hey, winter is alright, it just overstays its welcome, that's all.

The next few weeks are going to be busy at work with fundraisers, kids events, and upcoming shows, but I aim to make time to do some stitching, do some baking, and get out in the rustling leaves.

In the meantime, I've made the last of this season's acorns, just two sets. They're in the shop today.

Have a glorious day, all.

rainbows after rain

We had a heck of a storm blow through this morning.

I stopped counting at 19 trees down in our yard.

My little ones made it safely to school and though we're all a little shaken up, all is well.

After that I needed a rainbow and since mother Nature wasn't providing it, I made one of my own.

Take care everyone, and I hope you have a great day.

acorn time is winding down

I've added some new acorns to my shop today.

My acorn-making is winding down for this year.  The oaks are nearly bare and I'm ready to tackle new projects and ideas that have been rattling around in my head.

Onward.

chasing the rainbow

The kids and I will be headed out on a trip next week, leaving the husband behind to hug the duck and mail the packages so if you order something from my shop, know it will be shipped promptly by his manly hands.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

See you soon.

Checking In On The Acorn Rainbow - October 2010

 

It has been over a year since I offered up a little acorn rainbow to mother nature.  I wanted to see how time and the elements would change my little wool creations, and over the past year they have in fact changed. 

Some have changed color, some have been chewed on, all have been displaced from their original mossy stump, and some have been hauled off altogether.

The orange seems to have been a snack of sorts for some little rodent.  I could see the scrape marks from two tiny front teeth in the wool and cap. 

The red is just a little dirty with a touch of mildew but overall, pretty much looks the same.

The blue is the only one that I've seen change color at all, and it too has tiny chew marks in it.

For being out in the Minnesota weather and laying in the dirt for over a year, I'm really surprised at how well these have held up.

To celebrate the one year mark, I decided to move them from under the leaf litter back up to the top of the mossy stump again.  I'm curious to see if they'll be hauled off again.  Maybe they'll be some squirrel's decoration for Thanksgiving...  I'll check back next spring to see what remains.

'til then, little acorns.

Checking in on the Acorn Rainbow - March 2010

The snow has finally melted and been replaced with warmer days (at least for now...) so I thought it was time to go check on the acorn rainbow.   It has been a few months since I last checked in and I wasn't sure what to expect.  As I was meandering towards my destination, a flash of purple in the leaf litter caught my eye.  It was the purple acorn, from my rainbow, some 30 feet from its stump.  How did you get here, little friend?  His cap has been broken, probably from someone's size 10s. (ahem, me, aka sasquatch)  In November, Mr. Purple was still on his stump.  Poor little guy.  I left him there, to finish out his days.

 

The blue acorn had previously been missing, but I found him north of the stump, still surprisingly blue.  In fact, all of the acorns have retained their colors remarkably well. 

The red was hidden beneath some leaves as well, south of the stump, and the orange had been incorporated into some kind of web, to the southwest.  All in all they look pretty darn good considering the elements they've been exposed to.

I'll check back in on them in a month or two when the woods are thick and green. 

Until then, little rainbow.

Checking in on the Acorn Rainbow - December 2009

It's been a month since I last checked in on my acorn rainbow project.  As anticipated, there isn't much acorn activity to be seen now that the snow has started to fall, but the soft powder that covered the stump was incredibly sparkly and beautiful today.  The kind of snow in which you can see each individual snowflake... a visual treat for sure.

Some wee woodland creature scampered right across the stump and left his mark.  Perhaps he's the little bandit that's been running off with the acorns.  I hope he has them strung up like Christmas lights in his den somewhere.

I'll check back in on the acorn rainbow in the spring, and I'm already curious to know if any remain.

 

Until then...

Checking in on the Acorn Rainbow - November 2009

It's been a month since I last checked in on my acorn rainbow.  The leaves are off the trees now and my mossy stump is clearly visible against the dying vegetation.  The moss is changing color too, offering a shocking lime green against the brown oak leaves.

Only three of the original 6 acorns are visible.  The other three have either been carried off by curious critters or are hidden beneath the leaf litter.

The purple acorn is nestled in a bed of sporophytes.

The green one is looking a little fuzzy, but I'm pleasantly surprised how well they've all held up against the elements thus far.  We've had a lot of rain and it's snowed twice already....I suppose my hair would be a bit fuzzy by now too.

The orange one had been pushed off the stump and I gingerly pulled the leaves back to find it.

In a disturbing turn of events, an offering of another type took place near my mossy stump.  Just a few feet away I found the remains of our missing hen.  She had clearly been supper for a fox, eagle, or owl.  She had gone missing about a week ago and after she disappeared the other hens spent the next few days hiding under the coop, which told us that they had seen her abduction.  When an eagle had taken our duck, the other chickens hid under my porch for almost a week.  Though sad, it's part of the reality of living in the woods.

Next month the stump will likely be covered in snow, but I'll check back in to see if I can catch a glimpse of the acorns.  

Checking in on the Acorn Rainbow - October 2009

A month ago I started my little acorn project. I made a small offering upon a moss-covered oak stump in order to watch its progress. I checked in on my little circular rainbow of wool acorns on this rainy October morning and saw more change than I had expected.

I'm not sure what has been moving the acorns, likely a squirrel or other nosy-body animal, but I'm curious how they managed to arrange the acorns in a line. I'm also curious whether they've eaten the blue and yellow acorns or if they're lining a nest somewhere. Maybe they were hauled off by a curious furry visitor who just had to show his friends what he found in the woods today. "Dude! Check this thing out."

The orange acorn appeared to have tumbled off the edge of the stump and lays partially covered by moss and leaves but the yellow and blue are nowhere to be seen.

I can't wait to see how this progresses.

See you in a month, little acorns.

Acorn Rainbow - September 2009

Several months ago I placed one of my felted wool acorns in my terrarium and have watched as it changed. It changed from brown to grey-green as a mold covered it, then back to brown when the mold mysteriously disappeared. (I like to think that the acorn defeated the mold) It's been a process that I've enjoyed, being a curious observer of life.

I remember reading earlier this year, a blog post by the amazing Margie Oomen of Resurrection Fern, in which she placed some of her fantastic crochet-covered stones in a secret location in order to watch their progression. I thought it was such an intriguing idea to go beyond the terrarium and into nature. It wasn't until this weekend though that I finally found just the right place in which to locate my little acorn rainbow.

I (literally) stumbled over a moss covered oak stump in the woods while looking for mushrooms. It's partially covered by underbrush and in a place that I (crosses fingers) think my children and chickens won't find them. I layed the acorns out in a small circle and it felt like I was leaving an offering to mother nature. I'm eager to see what she does with them.

I plan to check on them from time to time and see how they've changed. I'm wondering if they'll be moved by interfering squirrels, devoured by lichens, faded by time. There will of course be a long stretch of Minnesota winter coming soon so those pictures may just be white... I hope you'll check back to see what I see.