(t)here and back again

 i received two men's robes

both cotton indigo that my friend found in japan

 i promptly washed them.

the lined one had accumulated years of dirt and dust which 

i washed once 

and rinsed at least a dozen times.

 both pieces dried on a very  hot day in a very 

short time.

are scented now with north country summer

not dust.

 the ikat patterning on the lined piece

 and the lining

 nearby

 the chimney brick with the lichen patterning sits in the sun

it has become the perch of some bird--lots of what we as kids used to call bird-do 

but still color that inspires me.

 i have been making some contact prints with the square flax sheets

and cloth, this is old cotton 

 here you can see a flax square

and the red daylily spent blossoms.

  the flax square still wet

 concrete steps are the perfect background, if narrow.

 and i made some more linen paper.

justaposition:

a.  plain raw flax paper                                           b. linen fabric, my sister's pants by Flax

c.  two sheets of the above with fabric inclusion    d. linen paper (made solely from above 

                                cloth 

 i decided to travel to maine

and then i undecided

 and took a happy walk yesterday evening

 overlooked by luna

 below that sky was the july harvest baled for the neighbor's cattle.

first time i ever remember it being cut almost on time.

evening shadows.

 two pair of little ruby throated hummingbirds played at the feeders 

this morning. 

 i'm wearing cotton socks on my feet today, 

celebrating happy respite from the humid heat.

over on fb i found a photo of two of my favorite australians

that i just had to share.

colleen and brian

collen of the astonishing hair, brian enwrapped in a hat and scarf,

probably needled by colleen.

and the title above? 

i was going to maine today.

but i decided not to. i love my maine family

i wanted to see them and 

see the ocean and

visit the arctic museum

but

i wanted to stay home, 

with the round bales and the hummingbirds

and the cresent moon

and the blessed cool weather, more.

i am off to make more prints and paper

and hang out my laundry and go to town

to resume mail delivery.

i'm home for a while.

thanking porcupine

a large flat package came with the instructions

don't open till the 25th, or sooner if you wish.

 i waited

ian made us a drawing of home.

home in the woods

(these woods are actually overgrown farmland, marginal at best, 

 logged before once or twice, and before that, woods)

the front of the house faces a meadow and the ridges that form the land.

 the back, where the back door, bridge, and side door live

is the side where the work happens.

 i see some odd beasts in the snowy woods

 the sun came out after the big snow.

that's when it gets cold.

  walks this week have been painfully cold

so much so that i barely go out.

(don't listen to my complaints about car troubles, over 2K worth,

and the fact that these old knees don't like the cold any more,

and the fact i'm housebound)

 this is when the snow set in.

 the stream that winds through and out and away

 i think this is wool grass

 gin might know

 when it gets this cold,

so cold that a face mask is essential.

i need to stay at my place to keep an eye on things

the new place also has to be kept warm, a different task.

 hauling wood and feeding the stove is straightforward hard work, 

here it's a furnace and potentially freezing pipes. 

 the new place is warmer and tighter with 14 in. outside walls.

i become grumpy when i have to drive 5 hours for a post op check.

i spotted this small fierce one yesterday, finally,

and went out later when s/he returned to the woods.

i'd seen evidence of eating activity in the arbor vitae

deer and porcupine already.

here s/he is.

 porcupine has begun feeding the cedar (arbor vitae) by my diveway

 s/he was not happy about me speaking and photographing,

and tried for a bit to enter my garage.

 i found that porcupine did not like having snow tossed at it

s/he turned away and was off.

 i was presented with the armor side, 

and if i got closer that tail would have tried to bop me one.

they can move surprisingly quickly.

when i first moved to the north country i lived in star lake in the adirondacks.

i found dead porcupines, and harvested some quills, with thanks.

they became part of a coil basket, and some were umbilicaria lichen dyed

and given to silversmith friends.

which were given back to me as earrings!

anyway, my neighbors stopped once,

asking me if i need help.

i was taking some quills from a roadkilled one. they thought i'd had an accident. 

needed help.

i thought they were worried i wouldn't take care of (relocate) the body.

a lesson in perspective and gratitude.

it's hard to maintain both practices isn't it?