Sheepish

Hello October

I have a hard time putting to words all that goes on within my head when this time of year comes around.   There is much work to be done to get both garden and home ready for the arrival of cold days.  And, as with all shifts of season it can feel like time simply will not allow for everything to be done.  

Yet.  This season is the one that comes easiest to me.  Days of making ready are lived fully in each moment - working alongside every living thing.  In tune with the rhythm of the earth.  

Hello October.  I am so glad you are here.

 

Handmade - the etsy segment of the program

Well.  The countdown is on folks.  Etsy Made in Canada - the Ottawa version is just a week away.  My days at this point are full of farmwork and woolwork......all other pursuits are put away for another time.  The small issue of meals and sleep, let's just say they aren't getting my "A" game right now. :-)

 

 But let me say this.  It's a pretty special place to be - immersed in the work of my hands, creating sweet little things for all those sweet little people out there.  And big people...they seem to get drawn in too.  A fact that never fails to make an impression on me.   So many kindred spirits out in the world.

And so folks.  This event should make your list of things to do next weekend.   It is a show full of makers all with the same feelings I do.  And a perfect opportunity to support both local and handmade at the same time.  Sister shows are going on in both  Gatineau and Kingston if that is closer to your neck of the woods.  

Happy weekending all. xo

The pursuit of Handmade

There is life.  And there are often times when it remains simply about keeping ones' head above water.  Times when the extent of "handmade" includes getting dinner on the table. Times when it has to be enough to fall into bed remembering all that has been done and not what didn't.  

In an attempt to keep things light and pretty in this space I feel that maybe sometimes this crucial piece of information gets missed.  The pursuit of handmade is a choice that comes hand in hand with my choice to try and live a life subject to what is important to me.  This step, that of taking time to think and then create allows for a thought process that helps me remain on this path.  It's not that I don't I get waylaid.  

As I mentioned in my last post, this Summer the garden has been the centre of my handmade focus.  And it started in Spring with a fence.  

I am very happy with this fence.  Of the postholes I dug.  And set posts in.  And backfilled.  Many times over.  The wood gleaned from our property...some of it from old falling down fencing, some freshly cut a stones throw away.   I am sure there will be a time in the future when the fence just is and always has been, but for now it is reminder of time spent and grounds me to this place.  The creation of gates lives on the list for next year.  

There is also now at least a small chunk of each day dedicated to LittleWool.  With the impending arrival of my busy season I am attempting to be ahead of the game....even if only for a little while.  

And here we are at Friday.  The weekend presenting an opportunity to create without the distraction of the everyday routine and the necessity of outside the home paid labour.

Wishing you a wonderful day and weekend ahead.

Karen
 

 

 

Real Time

As the sun goes down my thoughts turn and begin to process the day that was.  So much change.  Our reach as a family now stretches out over two continents.  My part-time gardening gig has joined the big leagues and morphed into a full-time challenge to my body and brain.  

I realize now with the benefit of hindsight that I wasted my time worrying about all that was coming.  And accept the reminder yet again (flawed human) that perspective is everything.

xo  

 

 

Buckwheat and my unravelling resolve

Handmade Home

 **  Incorporating handmade into my days plays a vital role in the functioning of my home.  Each Friday I will be sharing a way in which I honour the spirit of handmade alongside my friend Melanie who blogs at Our Ash Grove. **

For as long as I can remember I have allowed space for handmade in my days.   To my way of thinking the term "handmade" can be applied to anything created by hand.  And while it typically gets used to describe articles in the crafty realm, in my world it's reach extends far beyond that.  Cooking, gardening, homesteading, sewing - it's all fair game.  

Summer finds the majority of my handmade pursuits taking place either in my garden or kitchen.  At the moment it's all about the tomatoes.  Roasted (recipe found here), salsa and sauce. For the first year ever I will be using only the produce grown within my own garden fence - a fact that blows my mind and makes me crazy with thoughts of the possibilities for this spot we now call home.

It has been months of produce-centred making.  Yet, there is an undeniable current of change in the air.  The arrival of September's cool nights and shorter days sweeps me in and thoughts of warm and cozy are beginning to take hold.  

Until next time.

xo

 

  

Summer Mornings

Mist and dew sparkles have joined my morning coffee/decksit.  Also, the need of a sweater.  Only of the cotton variety, but still, a difference of note.

Thinking back over the last couple of months the majority of my mornings began in the same way - rising with the sun, coffee on the deck.  Joined by a changing cast of birds, insects and plants.  I have always been a morning person.  And while I spent much time begrudging this fact as a teenager, I have grown to love this time of day and the clean slate that it is. 

With my rational brain not quite awake enough to have a say, the dreamy side takes over.  And it all seems possible.

 

 

Left to feel small

There are days that begin and end with feeling raw.  Heavy hearted.  Small.  

Days where my thoughts wander my years. 1989.  An angry 17 year old on a midnight bus to Toronto.  Angry at being uprooted and plunked down in Ottawa of all places.  Missing the life I knew and the friends that were in it.  My physical home at odds with the home contained in my heart.  When the Weight Comes Down up loud and in my headphones.  Living those moments that become the foundation of a life.

It is fitting to have woken up to heavy rain and wind this morning.  Days like this trigger introspection for me.  Days where I am drawn into the reminders that almost thirty years have passed since those late night bus rides.  Days when I realize that I am on the cusp of a new period of my life.

And I feel small.

I, Me, Mama

I struggle with the month of August.  Partly it's just too damn hot.  And being a February baby every part of my DNA recoils with the heat and humidity that is part and parcel to this stage in the wheel of the year.

Mostly though, more than any other, this month holds much nostalgia for me as a Mama.  A generous amount of melancholy comes to roost in my head and heart when this part of the year comes around.   I miss the open-ended way our days were spent together.  I miss the lack of routines and the absence of lunch-making duty.  I miss preparing for another homeschool year.  I miss the mornings of quiet I enjoyed knowing that all were asleep under my roof.   

Our days look a whole lot different now - with two old enough to live in their own postal code and one keen on spending time home alone.  I can't seem to figure out my role in this reality.  I have always been happy with the title of  "Mama".  Happy to spend my days creating childhoods.  Happy creating a home.  These are truths that don't lend themselves to resume building.

 

Then and Now - the inside edition

With the calendar page fixed on the month of July,  I am happy to report that we have done it.  One year under our belts in this here rural existence.  While I would like to say the process has been top heavy with joy and rainbows, the truth of the matter is a little more down to earth.  There are moments of clarity when all feels right with where we're at.  Tempered with equal amounts of head-scratching and sharp intakes of breath.  

In our own ways we have made this place home.  Projects that have added strength and security to the four walls that give us shelter.  Projects that are purely cosmetic yet fill the important role of reminding us of all the goodness that surrounds us.  

Upon first visit this house spoke to Michael and I.  There was something here that drew us in and made us feel that this was our home.  Something deeper than paint colors and decorating styles.  As we bring each space in line, this framework of trusses, walls and roof feels more like home.  A process that cannot be rushed or forced.

xo

 

 

The longest day

The longest day passed without much celebration around these parts.  In fact, zero time was spent doing Solstice-y things yesterday.  I did manage to take a bit of a walk around with camera in hand.  Despite the obvious lack of rain, things are alive and in some cases growing.  

As school days (Hazel) and work days (me) days wind down I am excited about the prospect of no routine for at least a couple of months.  A whole lot of nothing lies in front, a reality that fills me with a sense of freedom like nothing else can.   

xoKaren