Teacher bags

We got to know some wonderful teachers this year. These are fairly awful pictures of the bags that I made for them at the end of the school year.

I started with this Simplicity pattern. I adjusted it so that the bags would be fully reversible. These are very easy to make! Much easier than patiently teaching little boys. Thanks Ladies! - Polly

Weekend in Review

We took a family walk to an old mill pond, and met a fish there. One of us successfully dodged the raindrops on the way back. -Polly

Mid June Plants Before the Rain.

These are some of the plants that showed their stuff last week.

Foxglove

Catmint

Rose

Bleeding Heart

Mock Orange

Chives

Squawroot

Puppy!

There is a puppy in the house. He traveled. He arrived. We just love him.

-Polly

The Esthetics of Frugality

So, we are trying hard to be frugal because we believe it is the right way to live. We are intentionally seeking to consume less, and lead a simpler life. Sometimes this looks nice, and sometimes it does not. Our kitchen shows an example of each case. This sad looking pile of parts was recently a very nice looking faucet. When a youngster in the family attempted to use it as gymnastics equipment, it's useful life was ended. Fortunately, an old salvaged from who knows where faucet was waiting in the garage. Because I am brave and committed to consuming less, I did not complain excessively as the replacement was installed. As it turns out, this new to us fixture is so much easier to use that I have come to like it quite well.

The other example that I would mention here is our new old stove. We have had success heating our house with wood for a number of winters, and have been on the lookout for a cook stove. This coal / wood cook stove turned up at the right price. To me it is just beautiful.

The best part is that this lovely stove will replace a clothes dryer that has not worked for two years. When the dryer stopped working, I already knew that I could get our clothing dry without electricity for most of the year. We debated about tossing the machine right away. Mr. Moss said that if I chose not to fix the machine, a new one would not be an option in the future. What I learned is that if we have a wood stove going in the winter, I can easily dry all our clothing all year long. If we have two stoves working, I see no reason to keep the dryer. See, there is a connection here! In this case, the stove is much nicer to look at. -Polly

Bright green hosta in the house

Still here, just busy in the spring. One and a half weeks until summer vacation. -Polly

Feeling anxious? Fretful? Try digging up a lawn!

-Polly

Spring Diversions

This turns out to be a very green post today. We are having some typical New England spring weather. There are good edible green things growing from the ground, but the air is cold and damp. I was cutting arugula for dinner when I looked up and saw our woodsmoke rising behind some rosebuds. Take a look at the green leaves below. Can you tell what they are?

These are the most giant rhubarb leaves that have ever grown here. Those are my adult size toes for scale. Having the bun lads residing nearby seems to be a factor.

And now finally a little bit of weaving news. I now have a Mannequin to keep Ruth Ann company. Handsome man scarves are being planned presently. -Polly

Metal Parts

Enough suspense already! Here is my mother's day present. A ring! I found this large metal ring in an old cellar hole. Part of it was buried in the ground, and held down by a tree root that had grown over it. We think it is a barrel stay. The inside is flat, the outside is somewhat rounded, and there are no holes in it. After it was rolled out of the deep woods for me, I set it up in a shady part of my garden. I am so pleased with it.

After the ring followed me home, but before it was installed, I found even more rusty metal parts. These leaf springs were under our garage for some time. Only when my mind was happily musing on the aesthetic qualities of discarded metal did they jump out at me as a perfect addition to a sunnier garden. -Polly

A Long Weekend in the Woods

For mother's day weekend, we went away into the woods. The weather was lovely. The flying insects were plentiful. A porcupine quill was discovered by a foot. I found a few more by looking at the ground under trees that had bare spots in their bark. Our dog discovered something he was excited about.

We did not let him keep his treasure because we knew it would aggravate his food allergy. He was disappointed, but in time, he came to see our point.

This pile of rocks was added to.

We studied this beaver dam for a while, but never saw the builders.

Turkeys were seen leisurely crossing a field. In season, but after noon.

The boys were drawn by the allure of a cold running stream.

We had a wonderful time. I brought home a surprise mother's day gift also! I do not yet have a nice picture to show it off. For now, I can say that it is round, and quite old. Part of it was in the ground for a very long time, and it took my good husband considerable toil to acquire it for me. I will show you later. -Polly

RISD Alumni Spring Art Sale

I spent this past Saturday at the RISD Alumni Spring Art Sale. The weather cooperated for the most part. The crowd under the tent was lively and friendly. It was a great day. .

This was the view from my post behind my table.

I was reminded of how nice a successful art sale can be. I have to try to remember this in the future. Signing up for art or craft sales that include mud pits or tractor pulls has not worked well for me. Sure, I will attend as a spectator. I always enjoy a good tractor pull, but I usually don't plan to buy a fine scarf at the same time. Lesson learned. If you visited me on Saturday, Thanks! I really enjoyed seeing familiar faces again and meeting so many nice folks. - Polly

Little Projects

I have some small projects going that appeal to my thrifty nature. I cannot stand to get rid of even the tiniest bits of interesting cloth. Making these little buttons helps to reduce my scrap pile. I really like the way that the shape of the button crops the fabric into a little image. Because I did not want to buy plastic or peat trays and pots for starting seeds, I tried using the eggshells that I had. I figured that if eggshells are good for compost, maybe they will break down nicely if I plant them right into the garden. I do not know if this is an accepted gardening practice, but it has worked well for me. I crush the eggshells as I plant the seedlings outside.

-Polly

Spring is here, and so are the Lily Beetles

I am discouraged to be finding so many Lily Beetles in my garden this year. These little red friends have been eating my lilies tirelessly for several years. They are not native to my area, but I suspect they are here to stay. One solution that works for us is to feed them to our pet toad. Collect them in a jar or bottle and then hold it up to your ear. The beetles make an unpleasant sound when they are captured.

-Polly

Spring Color

A new batch of dyed silk scarves dried and danced on the line yesterday.A most lovely blue hyacinth enjoyed the sun as well.

-Polly

Spring Vacation

Today is the last day of school before spring vacation. Perhaps I will get some weaving done this week. As you can see, this loom is currently in use.

-Polly