She can't eat what?

Sometimes your body screams at you so loud 

there is no choice but to listen

and take heed.

I've long held the belief that the majority of modern day ailments in

Western society are, without a doubt, strongly linked to what we eat.

Or don't eat in some cases.

In the last 10 years or so I've had this belief put to the test within my own framework a

time or two, and if my current health adventure provides the same positive results that I

was blessed with before, I shall be kicking up my heels quite well thru this decade.

You know that expression about making lemonade, right?

A short tale follows ....

While over in America the other day (that's what we islanders call the mainland)

I found myself driving around in circles.  Was a hot day (for here), just past 80F, 

and I had my dear woofie with me in the car.  She loves to travel so she goes 

with me whenever possible.  Anyhoo, on this particular afternoon I was taking

care of some body testing & adjusting and my fluffy one was in need of

a cool place to be parked while I was otherwise detained.

Hence the driving in circles.

Finally, rounding a corner somewhat near a park, I spotted a wide leafy stretch

of available curbside underneath the most magnificent trees.  I was gonna

have to walk a fair bit to my destination, but the deliciously cool shady spot for my 

dear fluffy one was absolutely worth the trek.

As I got out of the car and looked up to actually identify the gorgeous 

canopy we were parked below, I stopped dead in my tracks.

For there we were underneath two enormous black walnut trees

which happened to be dropping all their fruits over sidewalk & parkway

in great profusion.

Now the backstory to my stopping dead in my tracks is that last year

I looked high and low for one of these trees because I wanted to try my hand at

brewing some black walnut dye - deep, dark, tannin-rich goodness.

I asked around amongst all my island friends - and they of their friends - and

even went so far as to place an ad in the local online news rag ...

"Who's got trees??"

Nada.  None to be found.

Some suggested I go to eastern Washington where they're farmed in abundance

and then there was the ever present option of mail-order.  But I was keen for local so I

finally put my little dream on the back burner & moved on to something else.

So this particular day, which could very easily have been viewed as one filled

with one lemon after another, suddenly had me grinning like an idiot on the roadside,

chuffed to no end that this part of my particularly grueling adventure had brought me to

the very trees I'd been seeking for so long.

All this to say (in my somewhat roundabout sort of way) there will be

a slight delay to my next posting of the  52 weeks : bead sketches  installment.

I've been somewhat sidetracked by the inner voices so I'm more than a wee bit behind

although my iron cauldron is gratefully, now quite full.

I'll be calling this my black walnut "lemonade."

Despite everything

the amphibian inside us

Because it's summer.  Because the air is heavy with heat and nostalgia.

Because this is what we have to keep remembering, the way our bodies

know the waves, the amphibian inside us unafraid of going under,

of what ripples beneath the surface.  Because waiting on the dock

for the signal to jump is like thinking someone else is responsible.  Because

there is no one else responsible.  Because despite the current,

it is possible to swim against it, or even stand, inverted, balancing

on a slippery mulch of murk and mud, and stay perfectly still.

Because when the world tips from view, we have to do everything we can

to tip it back.

~ Maya Stein

:  :  :

from Maya Stein's "10-Line Tuesday" poetry series

... the backlog can be enjoyed  here

bead sketches : month six

June was my birth month and I was having very mixed feelings

about growing older, like we all do I suppose.  I try not to dwell on the negatives

and instead, steer any introspection that occurs right towards that which

is beautiful and calm and filled with positivity.

And that's where doing an enterprise that we love

can save us.

Literally.

Not to put too dramatic a spin on it, but it's a challenge to not be

brought down by the goings-on in the world.

It seems so important to keep going 

in the midst of all that

no

matter

what.

I didn't follow particular prompts in June, not like previous months. The natural dye pots

were fired up, sewing was at hand, the garden was being tended & revamped for

dye plants (instead of food) ... then, the new space needed arranging, many

photographs to take & play with, resting to give attention to, dietary changes to make

 and so all became one big swirl of activity,

each one seeming to feed off the other

with hardly any separation or pause.

There were words, some phrases, even memories that cropped up

while working with these littles so I'll share those instead

and you can make of them what you will ....

walking a thin line

full pockets

astonished

order from chaos

solace undermined

minimalism

the wee lass who collected abalone shells on her 10th birthday

"nostalgia is not indulgence"

sunset tidelines

stay calm; wait, hope

delicate balance

relative symmetry

frayed around more than the edges

flower  power

"to rest is to prepare to give the best of ourselves"

: : : :

To view all of the  52 weeks : bead sketches  posts, starting with the most recent,

 CLICK HERE