Stay or Go?

I forgot that yesterday was the solstice....but it certainly feels like summer now.  It always seems odd to me that the solstice marks when days start getting shorter....just when summer is getting going.

At this point in my life when I'm trying to downsize and sort I'm asking myself does it stay or go?  Today I asked that question in the garden.

Like the end of my garden behind the garage I wrote about a few weeks ago...the way back part of my yard against the fence has turned into a nursery.  A place where I hold plants....where extras and cast-offs live until they have a permanent place. It gets very little attention. ...mostly I just pull out the invasive garlic mustard plant that would take over if I let it go.

But this year an unfamiliar plant/weed appeared early on and I let it go to see what it would do.  And just today I noticed it was finally blooming so checked it out. What I found were pretty little white daisy like flowers.  Is it an invasive weed?  Or is it just a pretty little daisy? Does it stay or go? 

online photo of feverfew

I did a little investigating and my plant didn't seem to have the qualities of the daisy type weeds I read about online. 

So my current conclusion is that it's feverfew....a perennial that is known to have some medicinal qualities.  So unless someone gives me new information it most certainly is staying....and I wouldn't mind if it just took over.  

And the real mystery is....where did it come from?

Look Closely

Before I left Maine I picked a spent blossom....or maybe now it's a seed pod from a sarsaparilla plant in the woods.....I'm curious whether it will dry just like this.  There are hundreds of them....and because they're hidden under a large canopy of leaves you might miss them if you don't look closely. Aren't they awesome!

Most of the last couple of days in Lexington has been filled with gardening and watering.....we need rain!  

I also had some wonderful long overdue safe visits with friends.....giving me a much needed boost.  

Anita and her daughter Becky helped me with a little project in the back yard.  Yup...the cathedral window wall hanging is done!  I'm apologizing ahead of time because I'm going to reflect on this a bit more once I hang it in the studio....but I thought it would be a nice pop of color at the end of this post.  

One of the reasons I wanted them to hold it was so I could photograph it in the light....they were good sports!  Thanks Becky and Anita!

It's Comforting

My friend Becky and I were just talking about the fact that Juneteenth was not something we learned about in the school system we grew up in.  This....and a whole lot of other things. There's so much I don't know. My journey may be a little late in the game...and a little slow....but I've started.

Two blooms from my garden in Lexington just starting their journeys.

Spirea

Hydrangea

I've been so taken with the world wide reach of the pandemic.....however awful that might be.  Everyone....all over the world has been going through the same thing...at the very the same time.  That over used phrase "we're all in this together" couldn't be more true.  It comes through in beautiful artwork and wise words and reflections on social media by artists I follow....and it's been comforting.

And now...I'm I am once again moved by my artist friends all over the world (most are white...working on that) who are standing together acknowledging and coming to terms with white privilege and the journey we all must begin to not just be anti-racist....but anti-racism.

Today I was quite taken with an Instagram post by my friend and teacher Philippa Stanton better known as 5ftinf from Brighton, England.  She used her beautiful table to feature her love for tea.  I've had tea at that table....and I love the beautiful stories she creates there.  But today she wrote about learning for the first time what Juneteenth was all about....and also spent time reading a bit about the real history of tea.

"I realized today the importance of acknowledging the real history behind the drink we think of as our heritage...it is stolen heritage, a racist heritage and a heritage steeped in oppression and appropriation of people and their countries for our own economic gain, whilst telling us that these people are not as good as us."

I highly recommend reading her whole thoughtful post and scrolling through the other images in it: https://www.instagram.com/p/CBoD2KaA3Tu/

We are all in this journey together too... and it's comforting.

I put together a Steller Story about my trip to the UK a little over a year ago....and having tea at "The Table" with #5ftinf.

You can view it here: https://steller.co/s/tea-at-the-9G3aZ5BLU3r/p/1  

Once you're there....click the arrows to scroll through the photos.

All my Steller Stories from my England trip and many others including the class lessons from the Consciously Creative class with Phillippa are here:  https://steller.co/joyfulputtering/

  

That class changed my life.

Back Yard Tour

I was sitting on my back patio yesterday thinking how lucky I am to have such a beautiful spot to put my feet up.  Paul and I love our little corner condo lot...and our back yard and patio have become a sort of sacred space to pause...and connect.  My photos are generally pretty cropped....so I thought I would give you some wider views and a backyard tour....things always look so good in June.   

This is the garden I put in just a few years ago.  There was nothing here...except one scruffy shrub back by the fence I share with my awesome neighbor Anna.

My gardener friend Aaron has helped along the way...including planting this seven son flower tree to help us with the afternoon shade.  Finally this year it's filling in a little more and Aaron showed me I could train some of the branches by staking them for a season.  There are incredible blooms on new growth in the fall....so I'm hoping for a good show this year. Last year I only had a few at the very top. I think it has finally settled in.

I had to insert this before photo....pretty much a blank gray slate!

This is the view from the garden side. We live along the main drive in the condo association...but there are only three condos beyond us and it's a dead end so no through traffic....just walkers and bikers which I like.  Right across the street is the pool...which, with restrictions, will be opening up soon.  I'm pretty excited.  No one is there at 8:00 when Paul and I usually go.  

I have discovered that I can use my beach umbrella tucked into a chair during the day when the sun is overhead....and under that umbrella is where I started this post.  The woodland garden I posted about a few days ago is at the end of the rock wall.

I am in love with this coral bell....the beautiful leaves and sweet flowers are just enough color. And what's not to love about that rock that is a nod to my mom....that story is here. And the curly cork screw hosta is thriving!

If you followed the blog last year you know I'm in love with my meadow rue plant.  

I moved if from the end to this spot so I could see it better against the fence.  I know what's coming....and I'm so excited.

Meadow Rue blooms from last year....7 feet in the air.

I love interesting textures and a variety of greens as much as I love blooms.

I have a little rain lily nursery going on with one bloom in the smallest pot.  I repotted some of them this spring and have already given one away...and the other three will also be given away.

My friend Anne just sent me this photo of her first bloom.

These are the three I will keep....two pink originally from my sister LaVonn and one white from my friend Becky.  I didn't get any white blooms last fall....but I remain hopeful. You get a glimpse of the Bowman's Root and just behind the large rain lily you can barely see another special plant I moved last fall.

This tiny yellow day lily has come full circle. I'm not a super huge day lily fan....but this one is small and sweet and is a pretty shade of buttery yellow. I bought it years ago when I lived in Maine the first time...moved it to Wisconsin....then to Massachusetts....and now it's back home in Maine.  It may take a while to settle in....don't we all.  When I moved it I separated it into three pieces....and one of them is ready to bloom.

The photo on the left was yesterday....and this morning one bloom opened just in time.  I drove to Lexington this afternoon so I got to celebrate the first day lily bloom since it's been back home in Maine.

  

There are 4 more buds....so maybe...just maybe I'll catch a few more when I go back.

The real focal point of the back yard is the woods.  I've  been introducing a few new woodland plants.....and have a few other "nature" things in mind.  

If you made it to the end of this post...congratulations. Thanks for taking my tour.

It's Not That Simple

"Imagine a world where we listen to each other's stories and learn we are all not as different as we are the same." Story People 

I made this simple card yesterday using Washi tape.  Afterward the quote got me thinking....is that even true? What I've come to understand just recently is that my white privilege allows me to think it's just this simple....that down deep we're all the same. It's not that simple.

I love telling my stories and I'm appreciative of those who are willing to listen....mostly people just like me. And....I love hearing other people's stories too...but for the most part I only hear stories from people who are also pretty much just like me. I'm finally waking up to that fact our stories are often vastly different just because of the color of our skin. I also believe that our stories make up who we are....so we are all both the same and very much different. 

I'm trying to make a concerted effort to seek out stories I might not normally hear....even if they're difficult.  And I still hope and imagine for this kind of world.....but I/we have a lot of work to do.

I started this card with some Washi tape on my cutting mat.....

I didn't want to use straight pieces.

Using my rotary cutter I cut the tape with wavy lines and easily peeled off the pieces for the card.

I taped them to a pice of white card stock.  I trimmed the edges but realized that I could have easily wrapped them to the back.

I added paint dots in between the straight edges of the rows....but wish I hadn't. 

I've learned the hard way to do my lettering ahead with pencil because I often either misspell or even leave whole words out. And I still need a lot of work on my lettering skills.

Next I went over it with a permanent marker.....

...and erased my pencil lines with a good eraser.

Even at this point....I often find a mistake. I'm a terrible editor!

I think this one is OK.

I mounted it....and sent it on its way.

A simple little card....for someone special.

She'll understand and appreciate my journey with the quote.

As I was cleaning my table today...look what I found!  A whole stack of super skinny Washi tape.  

So of course the cleaning stopped....and I played.

Now what!  Another simple little card?

Washi Tape

I continue to fall in love with my new Bowman's Root plant from my sister. 

The blooms are so special and such a nice compliment to the larger rain lilies right next door.  It's an absolute delight.  

The rain lilies, by the way, are coming at a steady pace....one or two at a time. 

I'm guessing almost every crafter has at least a few rolls of Washi tape in their stash....and I'm no exception. Washi tape is similar to masking tape...but way better. "Wa" means Japanese and "shi" means paper...and Japan is where it originated and is made from natural fibers like bamboo or hemp. It comes in wonderful textures and patterns and has all kinds of uses in arts and crafts.  

So when I saw this puzzle in a store window in down town Lexington....it drew me right in.  The store was closed because of the pandemic...but the owner was inside and peeked out to see if he could help and I safely made my purchase right there on the sidewalk.

This puzzle could have been done in one sitting but I stretched it out over several days....and I loved every minute.  I loaned it to Margie first....and she loved it too.  

I used Washi tape along the back edges of this accordion rainbow book I made for Connie a while back. If you're interested you can read about that here.  All the posts I've written about projects I've done with Washi tape can be found here.....and I've just scratched the surface of how it can be used.

And today I worked on a little card project that started like this.....

but I'll write about that tomorrow....this post is already long enough.

Today I read the next article in The New York Times 1619 Project called "Traffic" by Keven M. Kruse.  Once again....I'm blown away....I've just never thought about some of this stuff.  

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/traffic-atlanta-segregation.html

"While Interstates were regularly used to destroy black neighborhoods, they were also used to keep black and white neighborhoods apart.  Today major roads and highways serve as stark dividing lines between black and white sections in cities.  In cities like Atlanta, daily congestion is a direct consequence of a century-long effort to segregate the races."  Fifty years later "the city is still stalled in the past."

Skinny Stripe

Another Improv stripe experiment.  Same solids....different striped fabric and a little different approach.  LOVE that really skinny wonky stripe.

I'm going to make a variety of swatches and blocks before I figure out what I'm going to do with them....but I do like how this looks in a square frame.  Creative daily practice....that's what I'm doing.

"No matter what obstacles we face, the season we are in will eventually unfold into new ones, and year after year we bloom.  We become something new." 

Wise words from a blog post by Morgan Harper Nichols: Reflecting on a Conversation With Olivia Lin.  "In order to plant something new, perhaps what truly matters is that we learn to cultivate joy in the process.  We learn to embrace that through all the unknowns that come along with newness, there is room to practice. There is room to cycle our way through the process of trying and creating.  We don't have to figure it all at once and we are free to find joy on the journey while practicing."  

In this blog post Morgan used the flowers of May to reflect on things like confidence, success, and authenticity...and of course JOY.  It was a beautiful post and I highly recommend it.  

https://morganharpernichols.com/blog/a-practice-in-joy

"Make new things as an act of hope....as a practice in joy." 

MHN

"Keep planting and sowing, living and knowing...beautiful things take time, and that is okay."  

MHN

I spent a good chunk of the day in the gardens.  Weeding, edging, and mulching in my own...and helping my neighbor Sandy get hers all weeded and tweaked.  Almost all of these plants came from my garden in Lexington a few years ago....and they're thriving.  Hosta and other perennials just keep giving. Sandy adds a few annuals along the edge for color every year....she loves her garden!

I don't show this garden very often....it's not one that got attention today.  Not that long ago it was a scruffy mess at the end of the rock wall and now it's staring to look like something....still a little wild...but much more interesting than it was.  I love this little cluster of skinny trees....and the driftwood slab that Jolee found on the beach is the perfect accent.  

Teeny Tiny

I'm not sure I could be more excited about a teeny tiny bloom...it's like a little pink fairy.

Last fall my sister Nancy sent me some perennial splits from her garden...most of which I enjoyed earlier this spring. This particular plant she called her mystery plant because it originally came to her tucked in with something else and she didn't know what it was at first.  Turns out it's Bowman's Root....and has become one of her favorites and I think it's going to be one of my favorites too. The foliage is dainty and pretty and the stems are red.  And...as I understand the plant has spectacular fall color....it's what we call a "handsome plant." 

I've been watching the tiny pink buds for weeks....and Paul watched them for me while I was in Lexington reporting in with photos every day.  I didn't want to miss the first blooms.  But today was the day...and it did not disappoint.  

There was just this one bloom all day long......

...then this evening another one opened in another spot.  Look at all those buds....lots of teeny tiny moments of joy ahead for me!  

Thanks Nancy!  

I'm way further along than this....but this puzzle with 

the not-so teeny tiny pieces is awesome and deserves its own post.

Continuing my anti-racism journey today I read another article in the 1619 project: "A Broken Health Care System" by Jeneen Interlandi.  It is difficult to comprehend the justification for injustice by our lawmakers of the past...and it horrifies me even more knowing full well it still exists today.

A few excerpts from the article:

"White legislators argued that free assistance of any kind would breed dependence and that when it came to black infirmity, hard labor was a better salve than white medicine." 

"No charitable black scheme could wash out the color of the Negro, change his inferior nature or save him from his inevitable fate."