Top of the Morn

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

It is Fiber Tuesday at my house.

It is my day to meet fiber friends for lunch.

We talk about spinning and weaving.
We talk about yarn.

I am wearing green.

March Madness

The Cardinals are mating.
I saw him give her a seed.

The House Finches are mated.

They go every where together.

I filled the small water dishes on the deck and saw two butterflies!
I placed some berries in a bowl just in case they were looking for sweet juice.
I am so excited to see butterflies again!

Maybe tomorrow I will see a bee!

A Lady Beetle was on the oranges.

Nice to know they are awake.

The French Lilac bushes are budding.

The selection for the Men's NCAA College Basketball

tournament have been made.

I need to make my picks.

It is called March Madness.

I call it fun!

Green Monday

All that I enjoy dovetails together.
The gardens and photography go together nicely.


My commitment to sustainable living is complimented by my love of antiques.
My homemaking is a celebration.

This morning I followed a page from the Green Housekeeping book.
I made dust cloths.

So easy to do! Lots of fun!

Combine two parts water, two parts white vinegar, two drops olive oil or lemon oil.

I gathered my things.
I have been saving my glass food jars.

I went through the cotton napkins.
Some were ready to become rags.

I soaked the rags in the solution for just a few minutes.

I rung them out until just damp and added a few lemon rinds to each.
I folded them up and placed them in my jar to age!

When I return from visiting my daughter they will be ready.

The solution was excellent for scrubbing my wood kitchen floor.

There is a new magazine in my city.

I was so pleased to find it at my market.

Finding green companies that are local is wonderful.

I am a planner.
Earth day is coming up.

I also found this book at the market.

I am learning.

I want to grow some more herbs for my medicine cabinet.

My husband found this book at the second hand book store.

We are planning the studio.

A catalog came in the mail. I could use a dryer.

I shall gather my things and make one.

I think I will make my bags too...I have an old cotton skirt that would work.

I reuse, recycle and restore. It all works together.

Happy Green Monday!

A Few Daffodils

A few daffodils are in bloom
by the back pond.

About ten years ago I planted a small bamboo near the pond.

I was told it was non-invasive.

It now has taken over the area.

The underground runners are deep.

We will have to dig up the entire flower bed

and pond.

We will have to start over.

We will wait until the bulbs are finished.

The white tulips are just emerging.

The white Crocus are in full bloom.

I am working with my macro lens.

Soon the bugs will return! I want to be ready.

Warning:

While working this afternoon a wayward twig poked my eye. It hurt!

It reminded me to wear eye protection while gardening. I need to ALWAYS do this.

My neighbor tripped on a root while walking in the woods and damaged her eye. She has had two surgeries. She may never recover her sight.

Protect your eyes! I promise I will too.

Near

The songbirds come near when I am out on the deck.

The pair of Carolina Wrens are so cute.

There are three pairs of Cardinals now.

The females chase each other around the yard.

The males chase each other off the feeders.

There are many Robins in the yard.

This one stayed with me for over an hour this afternoon.

He had his raisins and I my book.

It is a fast read.

I do not even need my glasses!

The time is drawing near when I will see my daughter.

I leave next week!

Blessings

The clover is just beginning to open it's leaves.
I have sown many pots.

I shall press some for next year's St. Patrick's Day cards.

Each month I have a motto.
For March it is "Be Prepared".

I was in the kitchen fixing a cup of garden chamomile tea
when the news came on the radio.


I heard about the young man in Germany that killed the students.
I heard about the shootings in Alabama.

My letter for March is "K".
It stands for kindness.
I lit my little oil lamp.

Blessings to those that suffer.

Blessings to those who lost loved ones.

I had been working on wiring the brim of my hat.

I felt very sad.

I took some first spinnings and made a flower.

I wrapped and wove and thought.

I cannot be prepared for everything.

I can be kind.

Blessings to all of us.

Dancing with Spring

I went to sleep last night to the sounds of thunder and rain.

This morning the crocus were shimmering in the fog.

It was 60 degrees when I fed the birds,

50 degrees when I took my morning walk.

The periwinkle is in bloom.

The temperatures are dropping.

Tonight it is to be 19 degrees.

The forsythia is showing color.
Spring is showing her petticoats as she dances about.
She is flirting with old Man Winter.

Green Monday

I found this amazing book. I was inspired by the cover.
I am reading and learning and finding inspiration on every page.

Lots of fantastic ideas on living a sustainable and organic life style in a beautiful way! I am always looking for more ways to do this.

I do not have a cabinet I can devote to cleaning supplies. At least not yet! This photograph has inspired me to get one! I also am inspired to gather lovely baskets and containers for my supplies. I shall be reusing jars and bottles. When I shop I look at the containers my products come in. I buy glass jars and nice boxes and bags, things I can reuse.

I use lots of lavender. Last year I filled this jar with dried lavender. I have used almost all of it. Hopefully I will have a nice harvest again this season. I am thinking of adding a few more lavender plants to my hedge this Spring. It is easy to grow and beautiful in the garden.

I love the idea to use baby booties for lavender bags. I am getting ready to store my winter woolens. I will wrap them in muslin and tie them with a ribbon. Each item will have a bag of lavender and rosemary to help keep the moths away. It was suggested in this book to put your clean woolens in the freezer over night to make sure any moth larva are killed. I clean my woolens with dry baking soda and a soft brush. I shake them and air them before storing. Now I will make sure they spend the night in the freezer! This is so much nicer than taking them to the dry cleaners. Easier on the woolens and the environment.
My friend gave me a basket of clothes pins that had been her mother's. This style is so nice for hanging woolens out. They do not mark the fabric like the ones with the springs do.



The suggestion to take your clothes out of the closet and air on the clothes line on a frosty day really appeals to me. I like this idea for coats. Turning the pockets out and brushing the coats with a soft clothes brush is an excellent way to clean them. A small bag of lavender in the pocket is nice. I store my coats in cloth bags. These are old sheets I just sew up. The time I spend taking care of my woolens means they last for many years. I buy the highest quality I can and a classic style. I check each item before it is stored for loose buttons. I mend and prepare my clothing for storage. Come Autumn it is always a pleasure to take my woolens out of storage.

I use lots of baking soda and white vinegar in my cleaning.

I buy both in bulk.

Fresh blooming Hyacinths add beauty and sweet aroma to my house.

Spring is just around the corner and the birds will begin nesting.
We took one of our coconuts and made a little wren house


the other sits by the spinning wheel for pieces of roving that are scraps.
I thought the birds might enjoy them for nesting material.

It is time for me to feed the birds.
I am working on my bird seed containers.
I need a cabinet for all of those supplies too.