So Many Questions

Paul found the most unusual....and creepy object ever. He was on his bike when he got a glimpse of the hair.....and he had to stop to see what it was. And whatever it was....was stuffed into a little pink plastic backpack....with broken straps. It all looked a little suspicious.

What was inside was strange and creepy....but also made Paul laugh for hours.

I have soooo many question.

And just because it's Halloween week...I will allow this creepy found object to join the gang at the puzzle table. I moved tiny Jesus close by to keep an eye on her. But after Halloween...I know exactly where she will find a new home. I'll fill you in when the time is right.

And on a more positive note....look what I dropped off at Maine Needs today. They put out a call for feminine hygiene products last week...so that's where I spent the money I made from my cyanotype cards sold at Winslow Farm this summer. I'm thinking of Margie as I work on this puzzle...and I thought about her as I made my donation today. I had a powerful experience last year donating tampons.....you can read that story here: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2025/03/margies-bookshelf.html

If You See Something....

...Say Something!

I was photographing and admiring one of my favorite gardens on my morning walk. It was very wabi-sabi at this point...but it was interesting and beautiful. I happen to see a woman puttering up by the garage so I told her how much I enjoyed her garden all summer....and even at this end of the season stage. She was so tickled.

Rachel and I chatted for a while and I was admiring the little pink globe amaranth plants I've written about before....and she immediately asked me if I wanted some. Of course I did! 

Rachel just kept cutting....until I had a whole bouquet. 

If you see something...say something. It just feels good....and it almost always bounces back at you with a little joy. 

Some of Rachel's garden moments that caught my eye.

This was Rachels yard today.....

....this was mid August. More photos in the link above.

The dahlias are bulbs....but Rachel grows everything else from seed!

Me and my bouquet on my way home.

Clean and Simple

It is better to do something than to do nothing while waiting to do everything. Winston Churchill

That's how I feel sometimes this time of year as I anticipate a quiet winter and everything I want to do in the studio. But had a couple nice walks and did more garden cleanup today and most of the screens are washed. So that's something! 

I'm not sure if I shared this print before...I painted it several weeks ago and just turned it into a card to get in the mail....and that's something too. 

I love the simple layers of leaves...and just a touch of soft green watercolor. I tucked the print into a Michaels pre-made frame card and stitched around edge. It's clean and simple and in the mail as a thank you note to Bill and Kaki.

I don't know what I love more about this moment on my morning walk....the frosty edge of the vivid red leaf...or the shadows. Clean and simple joy!

First Frosts

These first frosts always capture my attention...and my heart. Once I tune into them...I can't stop looking.

It doesn't come across in the photo...but the little blue and green lawnmower was covered in a layer of shimmering frost. It made me smile.  

I love these ordinary moments...when a walk turns into a journey of noticing. When something as simple as glistening frost on a child's toy seems extra special. 

May it always be so. 

Pin Oak 101

Dotty commented on yesterday's post that she didn't know the difference between a pin oak and other oaks. I only know a little bit....so I looked it up. 

This is the pin oak in our front yard.....and I stand corrected because it actually has rich shades of yellow and orangey/red. Not bright like the maples...but still beautiful in an understated kind of way. 

Pin oaks are medium sized deciduous trees. The top branches point up...the middle branches point outward....and the lower branches point downward. Their leaves are smaller and deeply cut with sharp points....and they can be a little wonky. Which I love.

I found this online...and thought it was very helpful! 

We have a lot of Northern Red Oak in the woods....and they turn a bit yellow then straight to brown and the leaves are large and chunky.

For the second year in a row....we have virtually no acorns in woods and the backyard. Most years I rake and shovel them up by the bucket.

The acorns provide food for the squirrels and deer in the winter....so we're a bit concerned. But a few years ago we had a HUGE crop of acorns...it's called a Mast Year. I read that sometimes it takes a year or two for the trees to rest and recover from a Mast Year!

I have a great amount of respect for that....and so glad the tree knows to rest.

I did this watercolor in a bit of a hurry....so I'm not sure I love it. But I had to get it out of my head. I like the concept....but I know I can do better. 

Once it's good a dry...I may work the green leaves a bit more....maybe add red dots....or maybe they need a little white. 

This is cheap watercolor paper...so if I work it too much when it's wet...the top layer scrapes off. The paper is great for once and done....so I have to get it right enough the first time. And the price is right for my mass cyanotype printing sessions.

The boys are coming for dinner....so I'm a bit preoccupied! There is always joy in the house then the boys are here.

I wasn't very patient...and did a quick sketchy solution late this afternoon.

It's better....but I think I can still do better. More pin oak prints to come.

Artistic License

I needed a few cards to send....so I had a cyanotype session yesterday. My main goal was to play around with some small pin oak leaves from our front yard in honor of the season. Ironically enough...pin oaks generally go from green straight to brown...but I took some artistic license and gave them more color. 

As I look at these photos...I realize they are different prints. I did several...so I have more to paint And aren't the blues are so much prettier in natural light.

Everything changed when I splattered the gold.....it seemed to bring the print it to life! 

One card ready to go!

  

Tucked In

As I was driving into the Maine Audubon to get bird seed...I was stopped in my tracks by this lollipop shaped tree. I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers! 

There was a light frost here in Portland while we were away...almost all of the tender plants were nipped. So I've spent some time over the past couple of days cutting things back and doing some other fall chores. 

 

I love everything about this time of year...the colors...the dying and cutting back...getting the plants tucked in for the winter season. 

I look forward to the nesting inside season....especially because that means more time for art!

Paul and I enjoy being out on the patio under out blankets for as long as we can. We love the way the late afternoon sun plays with the colors in the woods as it turns more and more yellow...on its way to brown. Pretty soon the woods will be all tucked in too! I love this time of year!

Makes Perfect Sense

As I settle back into my groove here at home...I thought I'd share a few more moments from our Nashville trip. 

I picked up this prickly Chestnut pod on one of our walks in Nashville....and it's a nice addition to my bowl of fall findings. 

Bill and Kaki love doing dishes by hand so use their dishwasher as a drying rack. It makes perfect sense keeping the drying dishes off the counter.

It made me smile one evening watching Kaki scrub potatoes in the sink....then putting them in the dishwasher to dry. It makes perfect sense!

A stunningly beautiful mosaic wall in the Nashville airport.

I made a couple montages for Alyson while I waited for our flight....just for fun. We still share photos every day. All the images were found at the Nashville airport while I was walking.

Home

No matter how wonderful a trip is...and this was a good one....there's no place home. And this is what home looked like this afternoon.

Speaking of home.....one afternoon while Paul, Bob and I were out and about we drove into our old neighborhood. Paul and I lived in the servants quarters of a large home in Belle Meade....a wealthy and somewhat ostentatious suburb of Nashville. We had no reference point for where this apartment was located until the day we arrived.

Mary and Martha...the two elderly sisters who lived in the home were progressive and down to earth women committed to renting their small apartment to divinity students. We paid $150 a month for a fully furnished apartment accessed by the small spiral staircase off the kitchen. 

I still remember driving up this driveway seeing for the first time where we would call home for the next six years. Paul and I were in our little Dodge Colt...and my mom and brother were behind us in the farm pick-up truck with all our belongings strapped in. Home is where the heart is....and for a little while this stately Bell Meade house was our home.

Southern Festival of Books

What a treat to have had this time with these four friends....and spouses. The eight of us gathered this morning for a traditional family style southern breakfast at Monell's...just a few blocks from Bill and Kaki's condo. Almost everything we've done has been within walking distance....one of the advantages of urban living.

Nancy, Bob, MaryAnn, Paul, Bill, Kaki, Bill and Vicki

Today was the Southern Festival of Books where Paul and Bill participated in a panel discussion about their book, The Wilderness of Friendship, along with Jordon Ritter Conn and his book of a similar theme called American Men. It was a picture perfect day in Nashville!

Book Signing

There was a picturesque view of downtown and the capital building sitting high on the hill in the park where the festival was located. Tennessee has a challenging and oppressive political climate...and Bill and Kaki are dedicated to almost daily social justice work of holding elected officials and ICE accountable. They are also fabulous hosts....we head back to Maine tomorrow.

Werthan Bag Factory

Our dear friends and hosts Bill and Kaki live in a fabulous three level industrial loft condo in downtown Nashville.....the three windows at the back overlook the city skyline. Their building is part of a huge complex of buildings that was once the historic Werthan Bag Factory. 

The factory started as a rag and repurposing used burlap business and evolved into printing bags for flour....feed and other goods.

Bill and Kaki have an collection of actual printing plates that were used for printing bags....and I was tasked with helping them figure out where and how to hang them. 

Paul and I had a couple hours in the condo on our own this morning so I came up with a tentative plan using paper templates and puzzling them up the stairs. Paul was happy on the couch reading his book giving me tips as I needed them. We all have our gifts.

After a few hours out and about...we got to work.

We moved the dining room table closer to the window creating an opportunity for a music listening area near Bill's expansive record collection. 

After a bit of tweaking...we are all pretty pleased with the result....loving the way the frames compliment the wooden beams in this historic Werthan Bag Factory loft.