Blog

Most of the peach tree leaves have fallen straight down without changing color.

Hiding in the leaves

 The temperature fell to 17 overnight. The rhododendon is a good weather gauge - it really shrivels in the cold.

The first snow has fallen. As usual, I'm in the middle of an indigo dyeing project. The cold complicates this a little - mostly it's just less pleasant to work outdoors.

There are still dozens of daffodil bulbs to plant. Winter is beautiful, but I'm just not ready yet.

The first snowflakes arrived this morning. The Japanese indigo is finished growing.

Dogwood bush 

Redbud leaves and bits of snow

Frozen indigo dyed linen on the clothesline

Cold feet!

It was quite cold this morning, with beautiful yellow sunlight.

Sparrows warming themselves on the windowsill and mock-orange branches.

Maple tree in the neighbors' backyard

Late rosebuds

 Almost ripe

 The annual bringing in of  ihe houseplants has begun. The nighttime temperatures have been in the 30's.

Old blankets help, but it can;t go on for long. Carrying them in is a heavy and tiring job. Figuring out where to place them is too.

  Most of them are great-grand-children- plants from Mom and Granny. They are living heirlooms and connections.

This picture shows about a third of the houseplants settled into their winter headquarters, Now for at least 6 months of plants indoors.

Every summer for many years, I've collected a supply of black walnuts for dyeing  from a huge tree in the neighborhood.

The fruits of this tree usually ripen and fall to the ground around middle of August. This year each time I visited the tree I found barely any walnuts. The ones I did see were tiny. They gave very little color. I resigned myself to waiting another year for the beautiful browns and creams of walnut hull dye.

There's something about the light in October. that makes the world almost too beautiful. Even on a cloudy morning there's extra richness in the colors.

Flying saucer morning glories

Red nightshade berries and yellow Virginia creeper leaf

Silk dyed with indigo

Virginia creeper

Perennial sunflowers

Virginia creeper

There is an old elm tree growing between our house and the neighbor's house.

This tree is beautiful. It's branches are like an umbrella, giving deep shade on summer days and even some cover from the rain. Ive seen so many birds in the branches - woodpeckers, thrushes, nuthatches, robins, cardinals, blackbirds, finches,warblers,and of course, the sparrows. The squirrels race up  and down and use it as a  pathway to their home in the hole they've made under the gutter. One day I saw a racoon sleeping on the edge of the roof.

Moms'  Birthday

Goldenrod  (Solidago)

My Mother was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 29 1930

I miss her every day.
 

In some ways, August feels hectic and difficult. School is about to start. When my children were younger, it included the stress and expense of shopping for school supplies, bookbags, uniforms, and shoes. With 10 children, this was a big deal!

Annoying, insects, (fleas, pantry moths, yellow jackets, fruit flies and mosquitoes), seem to increase, multiply and  thrive in August. Maybe they know their time is growing short.

Basket of Japanese indigo leaves

One of the nicest things about growing indigo is dyeing with the fresh leaves. It's a quick summertime treat. The colors are different from vatted indigo. The shades are greener, like robin eggs, turquoise, or mossy water.

Strained dye

Dyebath, rinse water, and leftover leaves

Little particles of indigo leaves in the rinse water

Silk embroidery threads

Organza silk before the final rinse

After washing and rinsing