How full is the moon?

...here comes August...how did this happen so fast? June seemed slow and July flew by.  Tomorrow I'll start working on my grandson's quilt again because he and his family are coming to visit soon.  But meanwhile...

My apple tree has been Very Productive.  It's hard to keep up...so far one apple pie and several containers of apple sauce.  Here are apples on the tree:

And here they are on the ground:

This year I've been taking the windfalls to the Community Swap...trading apples for plums and lemons and cucumbers and exchanging kale for collard greens and beans.  I'm trying to make use of the limited space in my yard, and I have a LOT to learn about it all.  Here's a photo of one of the Swap tables...things don't stay on them very long...it only lasts one half hour...people keep arriving with new offerings...I really like meeting my fellow town-dwellers this way.

Also I wanted to show you how the Edgar Memorial Portrait is coming:

And here is his mom, Molly, in real life...she has started to sing again, and participate in games with Gilly.  More on that at another time.

I added some unintelligible grief markings to this one, which has to do with my experiences of wishing things had turned out differently regarding Edgar's lifespan, but finally accepting that it was what it was and I'm so very glad to have known him:

And here is the start of my first portrait of dear rambunctious Gilly, who right now is having a little time-out.  She gets a little crazy at night, ( I think the full moon is making a contribution), but often settles down in the crate.  We're learning together about harmonious living.

This is the news from here...sending you love and wishing all of us the beginning of a good August and the fullness of your heart and times this full Moon.

Sigh...

Hello everyone,

I'm sad to say that my dear little dove Edgar didn't regain his health and died, which is probably a blessing because he was quite miserable.  I was a very awkward nurse for him, but he seemed to appreciate my clumsy efforts to help. He was such a beautiful bird and a glorious singer...here's a picture of him as a very young fellow with his mother, Molly...well, perhaps it's his father, Earnest.  I could never tell them apart:

So it's quieter here.

I've started work on my boro jacket, from Jude's Contemporary Boro 2 class.  I'm just copying her plan, because it seems a good one.  I really love handling the fabric strips that I'm placing on the backing, which is Batiste.  I decided that all the cloth of this top layer would be pieces I dyed in my indigo fermentation vat, that I learned about in Glennis' class.  My vat still has problems because there is some rust in it, but the very silvery blue of some of the pieces seems magical.  I'm going to start over with a new stainless steel vat in a while but this one is fine for now.  This is the basic design on me; below is the first strip pinned on.  I LOVE this process...

Finally, Gilly has recently been barking at her night-time reflection in the window...I decided to try to demonstrate how it's just a reflection and carried her outside...she immediately looked at the back of the glass, saw there was no doggy there and then buried her head in my neck as if she was embarrassed to have thought such a thing!

That's all for now...good health to you all and Happy early July...xoxo, S.

This has been...

quite a month!  The washer/dryer (one unit) died.  Because space is very limited here, all sorts of adjustments have to be made for something that will work better.  Slowly the project comes together, needing only some more electricity (Tues.) and then INSTALLATION! I will be very happy to not have to go to the Laudromat.  Then the computer died, but that project is  almost completely fixed.  And then poor Edgar, my beautiful white dove, became very sick.  He might not make it, but in hopes that he will I've started a felt cloth:

Then here's "Nursing the bird with a broken wing" (he doesn't have a broken wing, but he's quite lame and can't walk, let alone fly...)

This one's name is "I wish I hadn't said that":

And lastly,  "Connection with a will-o-the-wisp"

They're all projects I've started...apologies for the crummy photos but improving them is for the future.

This year I've been growing kale and a wonderful North Carolina squash...my dear friend Catharine sent me 2 seeds and look! They're growing in something called an Earth Box, a gift from my son and his family last year.

Also some lettuce:

and here is dear Gilly, on her 6 month birthday! (today)  We are both learning so much in Manners Class.  We go over and over the basic concepts...building trust and staying in harmony/love with each other. 

Well, that's sort of a catch up.  Love to you all and best wishes over Independence Day.