past stones

I've been so busy with putting in the garden, gathering dye stuffs, tending the gobs of chicks in the brooder, and normal everyday life stuff that I haven't stitched or felted in days.  It goes like this, the ebb and flow of life.  I'll find time soon to feed my muse but in the meantime I thought I'd share some stones I've done recently.  If you follow me on facebook you might have seen some of these already, but if not...

I occasionally offer custom order stones.  Recently I had two people request daffodils, a flower I had never attempted before, and this is what I came up with.

Bending bloom times a bit... daffodils with violets at their feet.

These stones were to compliment each other.

This one has Spring Beauties on it, another new-to-me flower.  This pale green wool was dyed using tansy and beans.

The beach stone was a totally new request and I wasn't sure how to approach it at first.  In the end I went with seaweed, sand, and shells on an ocean colored stone.  Though I hope to use only natural dyes in my work one day I have to say that I love the colors of this stone.  It's a mix of colors I dyed a while ago using procion dyes.

I don't often offer custom work because typically my busy schedule doesn't allow for it, but I love the ideas that were presented to me in this batch.

The garden beckons.  Happy Thursday!

wordless Wednesday

extraordinary - ordinary

There were some extraordinary moments in my ordinary day today.

Spreading straw in the garden, watching the chaff glint in the sun as the wind took hold of it. 

Spraying rainbows in the sky with the hose.

Spraying ourselves with the hose to get relief from the heat, and because that's how flowers grow.

Roasting arfpillows (marshmallows) on a Monday afternoon just because.

And tucking a baby into its crib out beneath the poplar and pine.

Watching my creative, challenging, (grubby-handed) girl cuddle an acorn swaddled in a cup fungus.

She challenges me every single step of the way, but then there are these moments, these amazingly sweet and tender moments and they feel like water on parched skin.  Extraordinary, ordinary moments, for which I am so thankful.

dandelion fritters with cheese

The dandies have come out in full force and our yard looks like it's covered with a thousand tiny suns. (okay, maybe more than a thousand)  We've had bouquets in the house, been wishing on puffs, eating leaves, picking flowers and digging roots.  The dandelion is such a useful plant.

Dandelion "honey" is one of my kids' favorites, and they've been requesting it and dandelion bread already.  I was in the mood for something a little more savory the other night so instead I made some fritters.

The kids gathered a basket of nice, full, dandelion flowers and I cut some chives from the herb garden.  We had some leftover corn in the fridge and some cheddar cheese so they went into the mix as well.  I stirred it all into a batter and deep-fried them.  The result was a fritter that was crispy on the outside and puffy on the inside with a mildly sweet/oniony flavor.  They were really good with a little dip in ranch dressing.

dandelion fritters

2 cups dandelion petals, greens removed (I cut mine off as seen here)

1 cup finely grated cheddar

1 cup cooked corn (I bet other veg would be good too)

1/4 chopped chives

mix into batter:

1 egg

1 cup flour

3/4 cup milk with 1/2 tsp vinegar added

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

Stir until everything is good and goopy.  It shouldn't be runny, but if it is, add a bit more flour.

Drop mixture using a table spoon into medium-hot oil in a sturdy pan.  They cook quickly.  Flip when they're a deep golden tan.  Place on a wire rack or towel to drain.

****

You can wash your dandelion petals if you'd like.  If you trust the source to be free of pesticides and pet "traffic" you can skip it.  We pick from a clean area so we generally skip it.

The dandelion petals give pretty little flecks of color to not only fritters and breads, but cookies, ice cream, and more.  My husband isn't a fan of the dandelion-covered yard but I'm hoping to change his mind through food...he'll eventually see it my way.  Maybe.

Happy Weekend, everyone!

Avery and the Ovenbird

We were in the kitchen when we heard the thud against the window.  It happens at least once a year, some feathered friend knocks himself silly on the window.  My boy Avery walked outside and returned, holding the stunned bird in his hand.  We wrapped him in a towel and went outside to find a quiet spot for the bird to recover.

We set him next to a stump in the sun and Avery (the bat) watched over him.

Eventually the bird started to come around, righting himself with effort.

Avery held him gently in his hands and the little bird just sat.

We admired his beautiful olive plumage and the little patch of russet on his head, the exact shade of the dried-up oak leaves in the yard.  He had very slender legs and a speckled chest.  He was an Ovenbird, named so for the oven-like nest it builds.  It was pretty amazing to see this quiet little bird up close and Avery told me that this was "his best moment yet" and that he was proud to hold that bird and help him feel better, even though he did poop on him.

We sat there for quite a long time watching the bird, feeling the sun on our skin, and listening to the hum of the bees visiting the dandelions around us.  All that waiting makes a guy a little tired though.

In fact it can wear a guy right out.

We sat a while longer and sister got a chance to meet our friend too.

I was amazed at how gentle and calm both of the kids were.

After a while it became clear that the bird was going to need more recovery time than we were able to give him.  By then he was able to hold on to my finger so I placed him on a branch and we let him have some space.

He was still a bit woozy but eventually flew off.  Avery is certain that he'll be back to visit.  He might be right.  He also thinks the bird would love his drawing.  I know he's right about that.

My oldest son had a similar encounter with a goldfinch a few years ago and it's something he's remembered fondly.  I'm quite certain Avery will feel the same way about his little Ovenbird.

free apple brooch tutorial - appreciate those teachers

Lark is offering my tutorial for making this sweet apple brooch FREE on their site in honor of Teacher Appreciation Week.  Stop on by and download the pdf tutorial.  It's easy enough for older kids to work up with just a little help and makes a nice gift for teachers and apple farmers alike.  This is one of the projects in the book Heart-Felt: Holidays, a sweet little book I'm thrilled to have been part of.

and because this subject always makes me a little soap-boxy...

On the subject of teachers...it's my wish that someday we would appreciate and compensate our teachers in the way we do our professional athletes.  It seems so backwards to me that we pay millions of dollars, millions!!, to those undeniably talented men and women who excel at their sport, to entertain us while the people who you know, only educate our future generations... are paid modestly (in most cases).

Imagine for a moment the possibilities our world could realize if education were king and entertainment was well, entertainment.  Imagine.

Thank you, teachers for all you do!

wordless Wednesday

on chickens

I introduced a new roo to the flock yesterday.  Our old rooster, Big Boy, had been attacked by a stray dog a few weeks ago and has never been able to recover.  He seemed to be on the mend at first, the feathers were growing back in, his comb scarred over, and he limped less but he recently took a turn for the worse.  He was no longer able to walk without obvious pain and spent his day standing, tail and head tucked down, near the coop door.  He no longer foraged or serviced his ladies.  For a rooster, this is no way to live life and I could no longer allow him to suffer.

Carlos, the new roo, was introduced to the flock slowly.  A freebie from craigslist, he came from a home where dogs and ducks ran free, which worked out perfectly for us.  Still, I wanted to be cautious about how I added him to the flock.  The first night he spent in a cage near the flock so they could get used to him.  The second morning I sprinkled seed in his cage and around his cage so they could eat communally.  When they all seemed calm, I opened the cage and let him out.  As predicted, Red, who is our HCIC (head chick in charge) let him know who exactly was running this flock.

She's a sassy little redhead, this one.  What she lacks in body size, she makes up for in attitude.  If I don't deliver the feed fast enough in the morning, it's Red giving me a peck on the back of the leg to hurry me along.

The fight needed to happen but I was ready to step in should it get out of hand.  They needed to determine the (literal) pecking order, and I hoped it would be Carlos.  He asserted himself during the brief tussle but from an outsider's view, Red won that fight.  Carlos shook himself off and after a little bit of sulking, rejoined the flock, hanging at the outer edges.  He became more comfortable as the day went on, and I was pleased to see him protect the flock by growling a warning as a raven flew over head, sending the girls running for cover.  By night he was up on the roost surrounded by his ladies and life in the flock was as it should be.

Big Boy was sent to the big sleep on the same day that the eggs in the incubator were set to hatch.  Sadly, not a one has pipped and I fear the whole batch is a loss.  Given Big Boy's iffy "abilities" and an incubator that was giving me fits, we didn't start out with the greatest odds.  If Carlos manages to convince the rest of the girls that he's the man, we'll try again in a few weeks.

As romantic as it can seem, these lovely birds wandering about, scratching and pecking bugs, the reality of keeping chickens isn't always so.  They come with responsibility, and illness, and injury, and death, and lots of poop, but for me it's worth the work and occasional heartbreak. 

I guess it was a good thing I was feeling like superman yesterday, and I should really try to feel invincible every day, because you never know what life is going to throw at you.

anything

The sun is out and the trees are green.  I feel like I can do anything.

Despite the curveballs life is throwing lately.  Despite the lack of sleep.

I feel like I can do anything.

(except sing in tune or eat raisins without grimacing maybe)

This is how Mondays should start.

Hope yours is off to a good start too.

slacker

Someone was a slacker this weekend.

Even chickens like to take it easy once in a while.

Hope your weekend is relaxing too.

fluffy

I have decided that today will be a great day, so I am starting it with fluffiness.

The upside of being in charge of the feeding and cleaning duties for our new friends is that I get to hold them for a second while I'm doing it.  Yes, they kept me up with their peep-peep-peeping last night but c'mon, look how cute they are. 

I hope your day is fluffy too.

Have a great weekend.

a few minutes in nature

It's been a very full week.  In need of a little peace, I wandered out for a few minutes to see what I could see.

I saw leaves unfurling

and bark curling.

Mushrooms with brains

and mushrooms with mold.

Perfect miniature maple leaves

and blossoms abandoned by their petals.

Curls and lichens

and lichens and ruffles.

And that vine with the strange leaves that gets little orange-ish berries in the center.  (Does anyone know what this plant is?)

The rest of the week (month perhaps) will be as full but I always feel restored after a little wander in nature.  You?