Thank you Hoboken

Had a wonderful time in Hoboken on Sunday. Great little city and wonderful people.

I trek up there a few times per year to just hang out... I don't even care if I sell anything, (well maybe I care  if NO ONE liked my stuff), but honestly the vibe is so positive and the people so nice, it's worth the trip just to be there.

I am not a city person by nature, so it's a good healthy dose of city and I enjoy it every time.

The ONLY thing I don't like is the sweep up crew. They bring out their street cleaning machines BEFORE they allow the vendors to pack up.... but it's a small price to pay for the vibe of the great people I meet.

I love to hear stories and often there are stories behind the purchase to match my own story of hope and compassion and courage. I am so encouraged and buoyed by the idea of hope springing eternal...

And so the fall season has been busy for this little shop. I have the aching shoulders to prove that hunching over production of materials is a sure fire sign that we have been busy and it has been a labor of love.

I have some pictures to get out from the show - need to get them off my phone first!

Some of our recent orders include  a wedding in Montana! Happy to help a lovely bride have a special day.

ARE THE CHICKS HERE?

Awhile ago - three weeks or so- I posted that  my silkie hens were sitting on eggs - comandeered from a local chicken farm since we have no rooster - there was no point in sitting on our own eggs.

So surrogates come in all shapes and sizes and so it came to be that my girls, Paris and Penny go to babysit and hatch some eggs.

I have waited impatiently for the three weeks to pass and was just about to give up hope since there were no signs of life from these eggs at all. they are supposed to peep inside the egg and there was NO peeping.

So I saw a broken shell this afternoon and then another broken shell and NO chicks... so I was afraid to lift the hen up to see what was under afraid they were just empty egg shells.

this is what I see so far....

There is the open egg shell - now to see if there is anything under the hen!
stay tuned.

cate

Simple strength

Today the garden is brimming over with heirloom tomatoes and gourds.  The gourds were planted by my bird friends and most likely by Ripley (the ever mischevious lab). He was eating gourds last summer as a puppy and in breaking them open acted as his own Ripley Gourdseed and spread a wealth of gourds throughout the garden that I had no idea existed.

And so it was this summer with seed packets in hand that I  prepared to plant new gourds - as I surveyed the perfect place to plant them  I noticed they were already there - how I was not sure but I allowed them to stay in their preplanted spaces and sit back and watch.

And they grew and grew and now they are almost ready for the harvest. Along with the gourds grew purple and green basil and wonderfully colorful heirloom tomatoes in green and orange.

The gourds have an incredibly fascinating affair of tendrils - how they do what they do would only be explained with time lapse, but they begin their lives curled in a tight circle.  They slowly unfurl reaching for the nearest support - stretch their tendrils and expand like slinky's to hold their burden. In this case gourds are held high and suspended over the garden by this maze of tendrils.

You can see the stretch in the loops of vine as they struggle to keep all of the gourds suspended above the ground. I am astounded always by nature - how do these plant tendrils do what they do and so well. How do they "know" how to grab, attach and balance their load. In one case three veins are at work to suspend their important fruit. Amazes me always.

Beautiful fragrant basil. Sitting happily in the barn.

How fascinating to see the suspension bridge.

A tripod affair of mother nature.

What a lovely "weed" with delicate pink flowers.

All that work for this little beauty. 

Thought for the day - The Strength of Women

Is there an irony in  knowing that the "man" who tortured and held three women captive for 10 YEARS only lasted one month in his own well deserved imprisonment  i.e. jail. He lasted 30 days. They lasted 10 years.

While I applaud all  human beings  for each individual's strength and tenacity - This is a testimony to the strength of women.

Cate :)

Time for weddings

October appears to be a popular month for tying the knot..  My favorite month for sure.

Recently finished were some bouquets for a bride out West who chose the lovely colors of silver, gray, cobalt blue and olive green. Very pretty combination.

I learn a lot from my customers. They introduce me to new color combinations and variations I have not tried before, and I am grateful to their artsy natures that pushes me to new places.

Life cycles on our mini farm

Our two hens Penny and Paris have taken to roosting and trying to hatch infertile eggs. Our rooster died a month of so ago, so there is no doubt these are chickless eggs.

I recently acquired some fertilized eggs from a chicken friend and they are now sitting on possible real live chicks. My first hatchlings! Maybe I hope. I pray the experiment does not go amuck. I wait with much anticipation.

So we candled the eggs the other day and there were veins throughout - my chicken friend told me this was a great sign. So the girls continue to sit. We are almost 10 days in with about 11 more to go.  3 weeks for a chicken to become a chicken.

We started on the 17th!

Paris is the buff/blondie.

Penny is the black hen - she is cranky now when I bother her!Eggs to tend

cate

Skipping stones -

Skipping stones - that analogy and vision floated through my mind this morning as I thought  how to describe my life at times - and my interpersonal connections - skipping stones -  living life with an individual with autism or ANY disability - geriatric - pediatric - we skip stones daily, hourly and sometimes by the minute.

We are often told by professionals about our loved ones as IF we don't live with them and observe them every day. I have taken to skipping stones with these persons as well.  They leave and my life resumes without a ripple. Easier to skip stones then to dive deep. It's never worth it and never results in anything positive anyway.  Everyone knows your loved one better than you do and everyone has an opinion. But in the end the only opinion that matters is your own, and the only one left standing holding this basket of skipped stones is you. The basket gets heavy as you are unable to find a safe haven to unload it.

I put the stone skipping on different levels.

Talking to professionals  - skipping stones - waiting until they are finished so that you may resume your life.  They may mean well, but you know your life - you live it 24/7.

Acquaintances - friends - skipping stones - flying over the water - barely touching down - no one really wants to know the intimate details of your crazy life.

You become adept at skipping stones - skip stones for almost everyone - except a few chosen people  - this list grows shorter each year.

You look for kindred spirits who understand -  they  will allow you to dive into the depths - they will even dive with you,  but they are few and some are short lived as you tend (unintentionally) to burn out all but the most trusted friendships.

So you skip stones - hello - how  are you to the guy at the post office - just great you say - first stone of the day skipped successfully without a ripple on the water.

The day proceeds on much in the same fashion.

It is the way it is. It should be better - deeper - more meaningful - isn't life supposed to be meaningful  and conversation cathartic?  

You learn to drop your skipped stones into your basket at the end of  the day readying them for the next day and the next. The basket gets heavy but you continue on.  Perhaps you may never meet a person to share your basket, but you keep trying, because that is what you need to do.

I  keep a sharp eye out for stone skippers - someone in my secret club - we carefully unload our baskets together, and as they empty and stones pile up we feel a sense of freedom and release.

To all my fellow stone skippers-- I salute you for your bravery and I hope to meet you in my travels...

cate