in a good way

it's been a busy time, but in a good way.

we started our weekend off with a visit to charlottesville's city market.




tristan has been shy the first few saturdays we stopped by the family drum circle, but this time he jumped right in.




we paid a brief visit to the midtown fair, a great street festival that will continue to grow in years to come. stores along the main street corridor are featured. there are a couple of stages featuring local music. and there are a variety of vendors selling crafts and food. i hope more crafters join in next year.






after our morning in town we motored out to the shenandoah valley where there was a party celebrating the betrothal of our friends molly and scott. it was a marvelous setting on a stunning day with a huge moon blessing us all, an auspicious affirmation for the happy couple.












we couldn't have asked for a more peaceful day on september 11, 2011. tashi and i had a date: indian buffet lunch followed by a really sweet production of the phantom tollbooth. and then in the late afternoon we took a walk in our lovely neighborhood, enjoying each other and nature's gifts.








yes, it is a busy time, but in a good way. busy celebrating. busy appreciating. busy planning. busy focusing. busy working. busy growing. and oh so busy hoping.

what are you busy with in this new season?

shiftings, blessings

another aftershock has jolted me awake so i thought i'd take advantage of this quiet time before the quaking toddler rises! at this point it seems that at least 20 aftershocks have followed last week's 5.8 temblor that shook most of the east coast all the way to michigan. i have developed a small obsession with the phenomenon, i think especially out of concern for the safety of the nuclear power plant that sits just miles from the epicenter, and just miles from us. i am, without a doubt, spooked.

aside from the earth shifting, the year has shifted into school mode and the sensations of an impending autumn.

my beautiful girl has started her eighth grade year at the charlottesville waldorf school, her last year at this school that has fueled her creativity and her intellect.



the first day started with the rose ceremony, where each eighth grader handed each first grader a rose. so lovely.





it's hard to believe that in a year tashi will be headed for high school, at the same time that we will very likely enroll tristan in preschool.



now that i am working from home even more, and tashi is no longer here to help entertain tristan, i am trying to find a new structure and rhythm. i would like to fill our each morning with activities that make tristan thrive, and prevent me from constantly wandering over to the computer to check the latest email missive or facebook update or weather report or aftershock magnitude! i am not fantastic at keeping self imposed schedules, but perhaps we will attempt to have some daily themes that include earth activities, baking, painting and crafts. i continue to be inspired by amanda soule's blog and books, her latest being the rhythm of family which landed in my hands on my birthday.



and what a fine birthday it was. it included tristan's very first paintings:




some cherished handmade gifts from tashi:




and so much thoughtfulness from dan, who treated me to a ben chasny concert, a bloody mary brunch, some fine dining, a fabulous cake and several special gifts.




i am truly blessed!

transitions

the approach of autumn is all around us. leaves are beginning to fall on the deck. the days and especially the nights are so much cooler. there is a sensation that hangs in the air, both heavy and electric, dark and starlit, moist and crisp. it is an autumnal feeling, the feeling of change, death, possibility, limitation, grounding and flying.

cool enough to curl up in a blanket and read.



cool enough for morning coffee on the deck.

after the rain

a short stroll through the woods is a creek. during the summer months it is usually bone dry, but after a recent rainfall there were some nice pools to explore. it's a pretty little stream with trees & ferns crowding its banks. we like to go there to throw rocks, collect nuts that have fallen from above and play in the water. yesterday was the perfect day for a creek visit. we carried a walking stick with a bell attached, you know, so the bear would hear us and stay away. but most importantly, our behemoth ginger striped tabby, loki, guarded us the entire time.

the other day

every once in a while, when tristan is refusing to nap, i load him into the car and take a drive. i love all the dirt roads and barns and pastures and elegant homes and small bungalows and plants and the ever changing face of the blue ridge mountains.

and every once in a while a big storm rolls in and that is wonderful too.

the other day a black bear lumbered through our yard. he walked right by me, standing on the deck, gazed up at me without a care. i am still amazed.

our little friend hudson was over the other day with his sister and mama. tristan so very badly wanted to hold him and sit next to him and breath in his special baby scent. it was bittersweet seeing my baby want to be the big guy. tashi started asking for a sibling when she was four. seven years and five miscarriages later her baby brother finally arrived. seeing tristan want to be so close to hudson made me wonder when he might start asking for a little sibling. i felt some sadness knowing that he is the last little in our family.

i've been wanting to try my hand at refashioning and/or embellishing old clothing. i was going through some old fabric scraps the other day and came across a torn but pretty scarf. i used it to add sleeves to a dark linen shirt that i never wear, and lined the collar with it. it's a little goofy. maybe a lot goofy. i should have removed the dark short sleeves from the shirt, but i was a lazy and in a hurry. i'm glad i finally gave it a try though. it opened the door to what i expect will be a long line of experimenting with fabric scraps and old clothes.

tucked in the seam

a circle of elves.

they inhabit trees and gaze at flowers.

one may tower over a hunched human, emanating -- like an angel -- a ring of light.

splash upon earth tones, the green leaf.

a feather pierces time and brings tiny ripples ashore.



strength.

containment.

finding oneself called up a mysterious passage in the midnight sky.



wondering who



to be ferried.

to truss with cotton or iron.

dropped in the shadows, glinting shard.

and away we go into august

i can't believe it's been a month since my last blog entry. apparently it was a full month. a trip to the midwest, friends visiting from afar, a visit from my mother, and a long weekend at a wonderful virginia music festival are a few of the events we squeezed into july.

we've been wanting to go to floydfest since our first summer in virginia and we finally made it happen. once we got over the initial challenge of finding camping space and setting up camp (on a day with temps in the high 90's), we had a blissful time! we ended up camping with some friends that had the sweetest set up you can imagine, tarps artfully arranged for maximum shade, a kitchen area and even a shower surrounded by a dressing room. it was not easy sleeping on a slope every night, or avoiding the poison ivy that crept all about the camping area, but the music, the parades, the creative vendors, the delicious food, the drum circles, the camaraderie and the happy memories made it all worthwhile. we think this will probably become a summer tradition.