Web of Interconnectedness

I'm not sure that my heartfelt joy about this post about interconnectedness will come through...but I'm going to try. Please bear with me. 

And for those of you who might not have the patience for my rambling stories...here's a photo of the stewartia tree that is right outside of my kitchen window. The speckled peach and yellow colors of the leaves that were once bright green make my heart sing. 

Under the header of my blog is this quote by Charles de Lint:

I do believe in an everyday sort of magic...the inexplicable connectedness we sometimes experience with places, people, works of art and the like; the eerie appropriateness of moments of synchronicity; the whispered voice, the hidden presence, when we think we're alone. 

Ann B. sent me a copy of an essay from the New York Times yesterday....and I didn't read it until this morning. It was titled Personal History by Melissa Kirsch. The opening line was: The good things in our lives are the result of fantastic webs of interconnected prerequisites. 

Sounds a little like that everyday magic Charles de Lint talked about doesn't it! 

In her essay...Melissa encourages the reader to think of something you are grateful for...it doesn't matter if it's big or small. Then trace the present-day gratitude back through all the causes and conditions that gave rise to it. Thinking through this circuit of prerequisites amplifies the gratitude, and the interdependent factors that helped bring the object into your life.

Yesterday I celebrated this simple little faith card. It's printed on heavyweight paper and its bold red color and classic lowercase font makes it visually appealing. I've hung onto it and displayed it for years on my bulletin board.

I had a feeling it came from Melodee W. from Lexington...and sure enough it did. Melodee emailed me early this morning reminding me of the story of its origin. After I got Melodee's email...I read the article...and there was no stopping where my mind went next.

Here's my web of interconnectedness as I traced my gratitude for this simple faith card back through the events that made it land in my hands again...and find its way into in my joy journal.

• Melodee and her husband purchased a gourmet home cooked meal for 6 or 8 from the Hancock Church Youth Group auction many many years ago. Melodee made word cards for the dinner that I believe were at our place settings that were inspirations for conversation and laughter. It was a fabulous evening with church friends...and oh my...what marbelous meal we had. 
• Melodee would not have had the occasion to make the card if Al and Carol Bukeys...beloved supporters of Hancock Church....had not offered their gourmet dinner for the auction. 
• Before Paul and I bought the condo...we had a little vacation home in South Portland and we offered it up for bid at many Youth Group Auctions over the years. Melodee won the bid on at least a couple of occasions for her knitting group to gather...knit...and explore Portland. Why did she choose us to be part of the dinner? Maybe it was because Paul was the minister...or maybe it's because she felt connected to us because she and her friends enjoyed the opportunity to stay in our home because of the Youth Group Auctions.
• Ann....who sent me the article.....was chair of the search committee that called Paul to be the pastor at Hancock Church. She and Narriman were instrumental in helping us feel welcome and at home in Lexington and the church. If that search committee hadn't taken an interest in Paul (We were in Madison at the time)....we would have never found our way to the church...and that wonderful gourmet dinner.
• Ann happened to send me the Chain of Gratitude article on the very same day that I shared the faith card in my post.
• And because I had been playing with scraps and snippets and glued that snippet belly band into my journal I looked around my studio for something to insert into the little pocket. 
• And there was the faith card on my bulletin board...the perfect size to fit under the band.
  
• And only because Melodee follows the blog did she see the card in yesterday's post and knew immediately that yes...it in fact came from her.  And...she took the time to remind me of where it came from.

Oh what amplified gratitude I feel today because of this wonderful web of interconnectedness.

Thank you Ann...and thank you Melodee. 

And thank you to the faithful Hancock Community...who embraced Paul and me all those years. 

Big...But Satisfying Job

This foxtail fern and I go way back. I've blogged about my journey with it over and over....and you know I'm tempted to revisit all that again. But I'll spare you the ancient history...and just share the recent history. I'm pretty tickled with the plant...and the big job I took on today. 

Read on only if you're interested. I like telling stories...but this one is probably a little confusing and ridiculous. Maybe that's why I like it.

Last year I planted the fern in a moss basket that I placed in this fabulous antique red metal laundry cart that Patty gave me. I thought I could bring the whole thing inside for the winter and water as usual with just a drip pan underneath. Wrong!

The water went everywhere which didn't matter when it was outside...but not in the dining room. So I repotted it in the biggest pot I had for the winter. I had to squeezed all the roots in...but it did just fine. 

As a matter of fact it looked so good this spring that I didn't want to repot it. But the pot was ugly...and I wanted it up off the ground at my front door. The big plastic pot was too big to fit inside the tall blue ceramic that I wanted to use. 

So I came up with a solution that I thought was brilliant. I painted the rim of the plastic pot to match the ceramic pot so it could sit right on top. It worked perfectly!

I remember cramming all those roots into this pot....so I knew it needed to be split and repotted. And I wanted it to have the winter to recover from that. THAT'S what I did today....and it was a big...but satisfying job.

This is what the pot looked like.

It took a bit of work to wrestle it out of the pot...but my favorite soil knife helped.

I use this soil knife for everything. It's my absolute favorite tool. I use it for planting...weeding...and wrestling plants out of pots. 

The serrated edge is perfect for dividing plants.

One looks pretty good....and one looks pretty sad. The good one will winter in the dining room and fit nicely inside the tall blue ceramic pot next spring. The sad one will live under my table in front of my studio window....that's my sad little plant nursery. I may cut the branches off let it start over. I know from my history with this fern...that sad can eventually lead to fabulous....and there are plenty of good roots in that pot wo work with.

(Here's a little of the ancient history with some old sad to fabulous photos.)

One last photo from this year! I wanted a better view of the laundry cart...which held begonias this year. Phew! Thanks for hanging in there!

Margie's Bookshelf

Subtitle: Darker Seasons

It's hard to know what to think and feel these days when there are so many distressing things happening in our country. But one thing I do know is that I feel a bit better when I do a little something that benefits someone else. 

Part One:

When Margie, my mother-in-law, moved to Maine she did an amazing job of pairing down a lifetime of accumulated stuff. The only thing she ever regretted not keeping was more of was books. She loved her books.

When it became clear that she was not going to go back to her apartment after her fall, we donated most of her furniture. 

We kept a few pieces she might have needed if she ended up in a smaller nursing room and of course all of her books and other personal treasures. One of the pieces of furniture that landed in our garage was her small bookshelf. 

It was the focal point in her living room along with her peace wall. She was proud of the depth and breadth of her small library and wanted it center stage....and she was always adding to it.

I would arrange the top of the bookshelf with seasonal decorations and during those in between seasons it held precious gifts from around the world given to her by people she loved. She especially enjoyed tiny lights on the top of the bookshelf on a timer that would come on in the evening during the darker seasons.

After her death, and once it was clear that no one we knew needed the bookshelf, Paul and I took it to a local consignment store. Just yesterday, I picked up a modest check for $65 and I think Margie would be tickled with what I did with the money.

Part Two:

On Thursday I did a volunteer shift at Maine Needs. Several of the clients I shopped for needed cleaning supplies and personal hygiene products...and Maine Needs generally has a pretty decent supply of those things. Two of the women specifically asked for tampons and/or pads....and the bin was completely empty. It made me so sad. Most of us take for granted having enough of these very personal items.

Margie was VERY picky and passionate about her personal care and hygiene products whether is was toothpaste or bar soap. And there was only ONE kind of pad she liked...and I was the only one allowed to shop for them. (Sorry to get so personal...but she wouldn't mind. She loved being mentioned on the blog....especially for a good cause.)

So when I left left the consignment store with the $65 check...the first thing I thought of was to buy as many tampons and pads I could with it to make a dent in the empty bin. I dropped them off at Maine Needs on my way home...and shed a few tears of joy for having had Margie...and her bookshelf in my life.

And I'm smiling this evening as I write this thinking about someone else's books on her shelf...and maybe a little set of lights on top during the darker seasons.

Other End

Subtitle: Part Three

Did any of you notice that the tulip photo I posted yesterday was from the other end of the bed? Here's part three of the tulip story....hang in there!

All of my photos that first day were from the orange end....but this one is from the pink end...and I think it's my favorite photo!

I couldn't stop thinking about the tulip house....and who planted these beautiful bulbs. So yesterday afternoon I drove down Washington Ave. again and rang the doorbell at the happy yellow house with the crazy cool barn.  

No answer. Bummer! 

But when I got in the car ready to head home...I remembered seeing a business card taped to the front door window.  Ferdinand!  

I was familiar with Ferdinand...It's a fun store in Portland...I've been in several times. 

That's where I bought these fabulous yarn spools I have displayed in my studio! 

Ferdinand's has an eclectic mix of handmade things...found things...and vintage things. It's a colorful and joyful place....just like the tulip house.  

Could the owner of the tulip garden be the owner of the store?  Only one way to find out. 

So I headed to one of my favorite little sections on Congress street....on a mission.

The store was busy...but when it was quiet...I had the best conversation with Diane! Sure enough...she WAS the tulip lady...and she's was fun as her garden.  

I told her my story of finding the tulips then sharing them with Margie who in turn sang me her song. She was as excited to hear it as I was to tell it.  

The tulip circle was complete. 

Of course there were tulips on the counter....and yes they were from Diane's garden.

She even took me in the back room to share some of her joy story....and I just soaked it all in!

   

And as a little bonus....Diane gave me permission to stop back on my way home and poke all around her yard. I took photos of the pink end and poked around her back yard. I was in tulip and garden heaven! You can't make this stuff up.

This whole experience has reminded me of a couple of important lessons. 

Pay attention and make the time to take a closer look. 

And if that's means turning around and going back....then do it.   

 

And...when you see something that moves you....say something. Tell your story and you might get a song. Seek out the full story and say thank you...and you might make a connection AND get to see the other end of the garden. 

Sometimes it ends up being big and splashy like this was for me. But most of the time it's just a little joy nugget that you can tuck away for a rainy day.

And it's always worth it.

Additional Ounce

I've been thinking about this post for several days.  But like yesterday's post...it required some time and thought because it comes with a few several side stories.  

So bear with me...or at least humor me as I layer up the stories....which all lead to these fabulous school bus stamps. 

Part One
Yellow School Bus Stories:

I grew up on a farm in the country....so spent all of my school years riding a yellow school bus.  

We lived at the bottom of a big hill...and one of us would watch out the bathroom window and call out when the bus was at the top of the hill. It gave us just enough time to get our coats, bags, and lunches and scramble out to the end of the driveway in time to catch the bus.  

Our boys...Nate and Sam used to ride a yellow school bus when we lived in the suburbs of Cumberland, Maine....and they didn't love it.  When we moved into Portland when Nate was in 8th grade and Sam was in 5th....we lived close enough where they could walk to school. One of the best lines ever was when Sam said "being able to walk to school is better than Christmas."

One of the times I was helping my sister Angie during her declining years I bonded with a yellow school bus.  Angie lived in rural Missouri with long country roads lined with cornfields. Our two weeks together were busy and focused so I would take early morning walks while she was still asleep. 

And every week day I met this school bus coming down the hill....and I always paused and watched it come and go until I couldn't see it anymore.  It was comforting.

Part Two

Stamp Stories:

I thoroughly enjoyed my Ounce of Joy giveaway project and putting together envelopes for my Art Hearts and Fusing Fun sales. Sending bits of this and that would require only one stamp was a fun way to approach it. I weighed every envelope....and made sure it didn't go over the ounce. 

My friend Dotty ordered an ounce of fused fabric and I had a little trouble keeping her particular envelope an ounce or under so I just added an extra stamp...and then threw in more fabric.  At the very same time she was mailing me her payment in an oversized card that needed extra postage....so we chuckled as we compared extra stamp stories.  

Part Three (A bit of a digression...but then again...maybe not.)
Fusing Follow-up:

Dotty just recently posted this project on her blog where she used a tiny piece fused fabric (from the extra stamp envelope) for this plant pot.  

It seems just perfect and had me smiling from ear to ear. I love how she dabbled the paint on top of the fabric making is all so cohesive.

https://dottyseiter.com/2024/03/22/in-the-middles/

And here....Dotty used a tiny fused tree as a moment in this fabulous multi layered piece.

https://dottyseiter.com/2024/03/14/nicholas-wilton-free-workshop-post-6/

Part Four

Pulling it all together:

OK....back to the yellow school bus stamps.  

Both Margie and I needed stamps...so I put an order in online at the USPS store and they arrived on Wednesday. But I got two envelopes of stamps from the post office on the very same day....the ones I ordered and the school bus stamps in another envelope.  I was confused...but thrilled.  I didn't see the bus stamps in my forever stamp search...but I LOVED them.  I thought it was a mistake...or maybe a gift from the post office...but I set them aside to investigate later.

Dotty texted me a while later and asked me if I got an unexpected package.  I said no...not even thinking of the stamps that had come earlier.  I was baffled....but on closer look I realized that the bus stamps were a gift from her....and they were ADDITIONAL OUNCE stamps.  

Who knew there was such a thing as an "additional ounce" stamp!  I didn't.  For just 24 cents more, you can mail up to 2 ounces in one envelope as long as it fits the other size specifications. Wow!  Of course you have to have a regular Forever Stamp on the envelope too.

SO....in the spirit of paying it forward....at some point I'm going to offer another give-a-way that I'm going to call An Additional Ounce of Joy!  I'm not quite sure when or what it's going to be....right now I'm just exhausted from telling this whole story.  But I'll figure something out sometime this spring and let you know.  And whatever I do....I can add envelope liners again....and insert heavier things and not worry about keeping it an ounce or under because Dotty has the additional ounce covered!  How fun is that!  

Stay tuned....but be patient.  And congratulations if you made it to the end! 🚌   

Making It Work

Jim the handyman was back today to do a few more things...and I enjoyed hanging around watching him work.  One more visit and our current todo list will be caught up.  

Making our condo feel like a home is pretty important to me....and I spend a lot of time and creative energy on things like arranging shelves and hanging balls. It's all part of my joyful puttering...so I can't help but share it here. So today you're going to get some house stuff.....carry on if it's not your thing!

Paul and I have been pretty lucky finding things for free along the roadside....and then making them work. There are lots of stories of our finds....one of my favorites is about our coffee table.  Consider yourself warned if you link....it's a LONG story: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2021/04/no-1123-12-d.html

We've had one bookshelf in the living room that we picked up for free. It's not very deep so not all that stable...but we've made it work for years.  At the time I just spruced it up with some white paint and it's been just fine....but I always thought it could be improved.  It was just a white box.

So one of the things I had Jim do was cut a top for it...and make a bit of a base so it would be up off the floor...and a little more stable.   

The bookshelf is found...and the boards are old and repurposed and full of character....and it's so much better than building or buying something new.  

 

I love it when there is someone in the condo helping us with house stuff....and making it work!

Jim is also going to help us shore up up our dining table....which is repurposed from an old pew from Paul's first church here in Falmouth.  It's sentimental story and I've written about it many times.  

But if you want to read the story and see why my name is carved in the corner you can read this post: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2017/01/a-pew-story.html

We have these fabulous hickory chairs from Paul's grandparents and we absolutely love them. Not using them is not an option. Trouble is the arms wouldn't fit under the table because of the skirt so we've had the table up on blocks since we moved in 3 years ago.  Not using the table is not an option either.

We got a few estimates for having a new base built....but in the end decided to just make it work.

I found these little wooden pumpkin boxes (they came with little lids) in an online wood store. 

I painted them to match the table base and Jim installed them (upside down) today.  

And other than the table being a bit higher than is ideal....

I think it looks pretty darn good. No more blocks....and it only took three years!  

 

Jim assessed the underside of the table to see how he can make it more sturdy. It was so interesting to see all the different versions of the wood reminding us how much work Paul had to do to get the top stripped and looking good.  

Paul took the pew apart and built it himself over 20 years ago....but he's glad we've got a professional helping now to shore it up.  

It's made from three wide pine boards that were the three parts of the pew: the seat, back, and kickboard. Just the boards on the underside of the seat were raw...the rest had been painted many many times over the years.  The pews were original to the church which was built in 1811....so we estimate that the tree originated at least 300 years ago.

And we're making it work today!

Sentimental Supplies

Subtitle: The Joy of Letting Go!

Look what I found on my foxtail fern today!

I am enjoying the email conversations I'm having with those who have reached out for Art Hearts and painted papers and supplies. Some of you are even want more snippets!  Connecting with others and inspiring creativity is a huge source joy for me. My heart is full. 💗

Speaking of a full heart....I have a story to tell.  If you know me...you know that I like a good story.... and I usually need to tell the whole story.  This one has several parts....so settle in if you're interested. And don't feel obligated if you don't have time or have better things to do....I'm good with that.

My dear friend Marita is an English teacher at Yarmouth High School.  I've known her for at least 30 years....and just recently we have reconnected and are trying to get together once a month. She teaches a poetry class and Friday's activity was to decorate their poetry notebooks...and she needed some supplies.  She knows me well....but I only had a day or two to figure it out.

I thought long and hard on what I could share with her.  These were high school students.....so the stuff had to be somewhat cool.  And it was also a poetry class...so  I thought words were important.  

I was a high school special education teacher for 23 years.  For a few of those years I had my dream job working girls who were in transition. We had six girls at a time and they came and went quickly. Some of them were in crisis, others were coming out of correctional facilities...and some were between foster families. With the help of a couple of amazing assistants we created a caring and nurturing classroom environment with the perfect balance of academics, daily life skills, and arts and crafts.  We worked on jigsaw puzzles together and every girl sewed a homemade book bag.  I loved that job.

During that time I acquired a pile of  Stock Image books from an advertising agency.  The books were filled with beautiful photographs of people and nature...and  colorful and bold graphic designs.  They were amazing....and the girls in the program used them for all kinds of art and collage.  The books were well used...but still had a lot of life left in them.

I had cut a few things here and there over the years since...but mostly I've been storing them and moving them from house to house. I just couldn't let them go.  But now I had the opportunity to return these sentimtal supplies back to a classroom where they belonged. They were perfect for Marita's class project.

Now I needed words....and I had those too. I've talked about my sister Angie over and over here on the blog.  Angie loved words and phrases and spent a good chunk of time cutting them out of magazines.  I wrote a post about her word snippets when I was helping when she first entered Hospice Care back in 2020: https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2020/10/words-and-phrases.html

I've been hanging onto a bag of Angie's words since then....and I was given the opportunity to share another sentimental supply with a poetry class.  Angie would have been pleased that I gave Marita the whole bag.

Lastly I pulled some not so sentimental colorful papers from my stash 

to add to the mix and Marita was ready for her class.

To start....Marita had the students randomly pick two of Angie's word snippets.  

The prompt was to write a poem using some or all of the words and include a color and an emotion.  They got a start on Friday...and their assignment was to work on their poem over the weekend.  She is going to share the finished poems with me next week.....and I can't wait to read them! 

My heart is full.

Then it was time to decorate the notebook covers.

Marita sent me about 30 photos from the class...and it was hard to pick and choose.  But here are a few of the finished poetry book covers.  My heart is full.

 

  

One student crossed out the word "Kentucky" on a phrase and added the word "poetry"...and it worked beautifully.  

"In poetry you can set your own pace. 

But you may still find yourself breathless."  

 

Marita said this was one of the loveliest clases she's had in a long time....and I can't think of a better way to to use some of my sentimental supplies.  Just like my painted papers....there is joy in letting things go. 

Marita is actually a poet herself....and you can read about her in this post called Beyond Words: 

https://joyfulputtering.blogspot.com/2022/10/beyond-words.html