all the things

this morning:
four snapping turtles
one walking, two laying eggs, and one road killed
two whitetail yearling does
one kingfisher
one mourning dove
two crows
on the way to my house from Home.
at my house i have a big trip to get ready for:
Victoria, British Columbia: Seattle and Tacoma Washington.
books to sew
paper and supplies to wrap.
organization to attempt.
here's one of a pair of osprey we spotted on vacation

sublime pie in machias
and terrific haddock and clams
 a road killed subject for the sketchbook

 at pbi i met so many remarkable people.
 two young book artists 
had work that moved me deeply
 this is michelle's book 
PARTICULAR
she made the paper and printed it letterpress
it starts quietly and builds
 and builds
 the index
and woody's book 
Words and Vegetables
 this one tickles me
type plays with story and with space
 and this book
parsley
 more typographic play with story integral to that play.
 and I have been reading 
 this book is a long essay about aboriginal ways of living 
how different their relationship to land is compared to the conquerors
a story familiar, like the one here.
only that land is so much more fragile than north america. 
Nourishing Terrains and Braiding Sweetgrass are rich resources 
for my pondering.
 and here is, again, a turtle,
from nourishing terrains in australia
but seen, 
this time of year
 hereabouts on sandy roadsides, 
diligently laying eggs.



being here

what a day.
this morning i posted on the facebook shifu group page 
a notice about this
and within a little while i had eight new orders
plus one not yet verified.
holy cow.
anyway, susan byrd*
who moderates over there
said of course you should post about it. 
i went to the post office after the rains.
 (there were major downpours)
but not until after i got in a good walk.
 hence all the morning photos.
 i'm fascinated by the structures farmers build.
 even this one looks good
with round bales in the sunshine
 staghorn sumac is *almost*
 and here is the stag
 so curious that i'm out 
walking 
at 6 am
see his "horns"? 
 and now he's off.
 i've been gathering up the done blossoms
into the freezer they go
for fall printing.
please, if you have a button related story
go over to this site and think about yours
and submit! 
this is perfect for the stitchers amongst us.
and who hasn't a button story?
  last night
for something different
i peeled up some slippery elm bark
and twined a yard or two
 which made my hands very happy
 i've been thinking about 
and
trying to process bark in different ways.
i prepped up a half dozen more
Poor (Wo)man's Asparagus.
 and this:
this is a new road into the woods.
as the crow flies it's about 1/2 mile away, 2 miles by road.
i tried to buy this property several years ago.
a new family purchased an old dairy farm and wanted to sell a bit of it.
i walked the land and loved the high rocky ridges.
but went to the owner with questions:
is that dump yours? what will be done with it?
for there was a dump on the land,
plastic toys and garbage and JUNK.
he was annoyed by the question.
and suddenly he could no longer quote me a price for the land.
the next year he sold that portion
and a hideous trophy house was built,
and then another,
and now, another road into the woods.
we would have been good neighbors, 
instead, mr. organic back to the land farmer,
has mc mansions for neighbors.
serves him right.
and i know about his dump.
so do you.
ha! 
* author of A Song of Praise For Shifu