Blog entry

 Yesterday evening's moon, rising softly in the east.

 A little later there was a ring around it with snow clouds moving in.

This morning the clematis is furred with flakes.

 The geese are visiting the schoolyard.

 Overdyeing some marigold yellow threads with indigo.

 The Japanese indigo is flowering.

 I've been experimenting with the Japanese indigo in a few ways. I love the beautiful teals of an ice water blender bath, but a few days ago, decided to extract some pigment for later use, before the indigo content of the leaves decreases too much.

The temperature has been around 90. This is after 1 day.

After 2 days, here is the beautiful metallic sheen!

After beating and adding some lime.

Now to wait for the indigo the settle down to the bottom...

 The outside world is very strange and it's not so dependable right now. Routines have been obliterated, and the ordinary has been lost. In our city of Chicago, each day contains unwelcome surprises.

The backyard world of the garden is true and dependable. There are always changes, mostly gradual and sensible. Every year the garden is a little different, but always a delight.

These Japanese morning glories have just begun blooming. Since the days have been so hot here, the flowers don't last very long. They sort of melt in the hot morning sunshine.

 Chinese lantern

The plants had to come in early this year. They don't love being indoors, but at least they're alive.

Mikweed pods have burst open.

A little indigo