Hay! It's July!

Here's my latest basket, it is made of cedar, ash, and copper wire.  I took a class from world-renowned basket maker Polly Sutton http://pollyclasses.blogspot.com/  And yes, it is supposed to be asymmetric.

Also since my last posting we've had several visitors including my in-laws for a week and then my father for ten days.  While my dad was here we visited Lopez Island to see "Native Plants, Textiles, Baskets:  Inspired by Traditions of the Salish Sea" at Chimera Gallery.  Here is a photo of a cedar bark doll made from a Tulalip weaver.  You will see my father talking with George Simpson in the background.

Of course, my dad was up visiting to help celebrate Independence Day.  The highlight of that day was the parade, this year the theme was all about local farmers--like this one. My sister Rosalie and her husband also marched.  Here is Rosalie celebrating the 150th birthday of her church along with fellow Presbyterians.

But now my father is back home and Roger is in Montana at a family reunion in Anaconda.  He drove his parents' r.v. for them and should be gone about a week.  So that leaves me and Suzie to hold down the farm.  This includes mowing, feed and care of chickens, watering plants in greenhouse and garden.

As I was mowing the nut orchard today, I had time to contemplate the large amount of work it takes to maintain 15 acres.  And even though we reduced our mowing to the areas around the driveway, garden, orchard, courtyard, and paths connecting all these areas, that still comes down to a lot of mowing.  And I'm using gasoline power for this chore.  What about my carbon footprint?

One thing I've realized from this exercise is that after a long afternoon of mowing, nothing feels as good as a long shower and a cold beer.

Hitting my Stride

The week of my birthday a couple friends from my basketry group came over and wove willow baskets with me.  I returned the favor by attending a class by one of them in concrete leaf construction.  This has gotten me all psyched to finish the fountain in the courtyard.  That and the fact that Roger was able to fix the drainage problem it was having.  I will be making a concrete bowl decorated with colorful stones and beach glass that the water will splash into before it reaches the pool.  I also painted a tile in Chinmayo's studio, http://www.etsy.com/listing/45391446/tile-top-box?ref=sr_gallery_26&ga_search_query=jewelry&ga_search_type=&ga_page=&includes%5B0%5D=tags

(This link will show you a tile like mine that Chinmayo made.)  So I feel I'm flexing my creative parts lately.

On the outdoorsy (?)front, I was approached to be a land steward for the Land Bank's King Sister Trail that goes near our property.  This involves visiting the trail at least once a week and paying attention to the camas in bloom or an invasive shrub, that sort of thing.  What is it that NPR says?  "Being a member makes you listen differently".  I would say that being a steward makes you see differently.

http://www.sjclandbank.org/images_sanjuan/king.html

Our friends B&K visited us from Raymond over Memorial Day.  We had a lovely visit despite the rainy and miserable weather.  But we did venture out one afternoon to visit the Sculpture Garden at Roche Harbor.  This included a nature trail that wound down near to Wescott Bay. 

Unfortunately, our friends missed seeing Roger and his brother Eric marching with the National Park 1860 color guard as their ferry was leaving just before the Memorial Day Parade.

Of course, the weekend after our friends left, the sun came out and all was beautiful, but I needed to finish the trim in the mudroom and the bathroom I just finished painting.  (This was a project I planned on starting in the Spring of '08 and finally started a month ago.)  I did sneak out on Saturday for a couple hours to check out two places on the annual Artists' Studio Tour.  I was caught between wanting to stay in their gardens all afternoon, and wanting to run back and start fixing up my own place.

This week I finally feel like I am living the life I'd envisioned for my retired self.  I savor it all the more as I was reminded of just how precious these years are by the unexpected death of a dear friend and colleague last week.  He'd only been retired five years.  And here I am in the middle of my third already.  It would be nice to think there are thirty more ahead of me to enjoy.  But one never knows.