Hello Gentle Readers. Sunday we picked up coffee on the way home from church. About noon, a light but steady rain began to fall. I read a bit and also listened to the end of a Vera Stanhope mystery while knitting. I can't remember the last time we had a rainy day. Swallowtails and a small Monarch come to the zinnias and butterfly bush. The bees are buzzing in the cone flowers and zinnias. They think they own the oregano so I've let it go to flowers and seed. Next Spring I will significantly prune that plant as it is very overgrown. I saw the sweetest little bird house in a neighbor's new tree. I'm sure their preschool daughter made it and her Dad helped her to hang it. It's probably not practical but I love the idea that parents and maybe a child care provider are encouraging preschoolers to think about the birds. There is hope.
Today is Wednesday, the day to link with Kat and the Unravelers with posts about making and/or reading. I am knitting away on the hitchhiker. It's a fun knit, especially at the end of the day. My plan is to knit until I run out of yarn. I considered finding some stash bits to make it slightly longer but decided the yarn looks best on its own. I'm embroidering a watering can from Stitches from the Garden by Kathy Schmitz, the book in the photo. It has flowers in it and will go with the Grandmother's Flower Garden blocks I wrote about previously.
I'm reading the nonfiction work, The Pocket: A Hidden History of Women's Lives, 1660 - 1900, written by Barbara Barman and Ariane Fennetaux. The authors explore the history of the tie-on pockets worn by all classes of English women. Pockets in women's clothing have an interesting and controversial history. Although this book is somewhat scholarly, I think their textile research is fascinating. In an era when women could not hold property, they could own clothing and some textiles. Court records and newspaper advertisements for lost pockets list items women carried and tell stories about the lives of women from all classes.
I'm also rereading So Far So Good: Final Poems 2014-2018 by Ursula K. LeGuin. Although LeGuin is most known for her science fiction, she began as a poet. As you might expect, these poems reflect her thoughts on mortality at the end of her life. A note at the beginning of the small volume says LeGuin sent off her revised manuscript of these poems on January 15, 2018. She died on January 22. What a remarkable woman.
The tomato harvest is beginning to wind down although I have several dinner plates full of fruit to blanch and freeze. I'm seeing the first few yellow leaves in the Linden and looking forward to the change of season. I hope you are having a good week. Take care.
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how beautiful to see a birdhouse and think of the little hands that made it, I hope a bird makes a home there!! I am settling into some peace and silence. I might start another pair of socks today!!
ReplyDeleteYour week sounds delightful and much of that may be due to your observant nature. When our boys were little, John made a bunch of birdhouses from scrap lumber and we all painted them. I still hang them up decades later and delight in telling the boys that birds have chosen their birdhouses this year. I'm definitely imagining birds flying around your Hitchhiker "creek".
ReplyDeleteI'm going to look for that pocket book. I think I chose my wedding dress because it had pockets; I've found a brand of nightgowns that I love because they have pockets, and I wear overalls because they have a multitude of pockets. I would like to read about them, and thank you for the recommendation!
What a sweet birdhouse! Even if it's never used, it's a lovely addition to that tree.
ReplyDeleteWe also had some rain over the weekend. It was overcast for much of the day on Saturday, and then we had a couple of good downpours in the late afternoon. The front that brought the rain also brought much cooler, less humid weather that's been absolutely delightful. It's all been like a little taste of fall, and I'm looking forward to those days when I can sit inside with a cup of tea and listen to the patter of rain while I read.
What a really adorable birdhouse! I think practicality is highly overrated! It is perfection hanging in that tree! The pocket book does sound fascinating! Thank you for putting that on my radar (as well as the book of poetry... I don't believe I have read any of LeGuin's poetry!)
ReplyDeleteHi Jane. I love that sweet little bird house. You always read interesting book. I wanted to tell you that I took your recommendation, and I am now listening to the audiobook of Sipsworth. It is a sweet story and I am enjoying it. We had some rain over the weekend which cooled things off which was nice. More rain and storminess is expected this weekend. Enjoy the rest of the week.
ReplyDelete"In an era when women could not hold property, they could own clothing and some textiles." We've come a long way and we still have so far to go. I'm fascinated by the idea that pockets could be subversive action!
ReplyDeleteI love your little birdhouse...sounds like even though the tomatoes are winding down, you had a great crop this year.
ReplyDeleteYour remarks on LeGuin's last book of poems made my scalp tingle, Jane. And the pocket book! What an interesting niche! I'm picturing your garden buzzing with life -- so much good going on there.
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