When Trees Topple

After many months of avoiding it

 the pups and I walked what I used to call the 'Advanced Trail'. 

 After this latest walk I am renaming it the "Ankle Breaker".

We clambered over rock after rock

over moss covered roots

 and through muddy streams.

Every time we turned a corner we discovered a newly uprooted tree

So many trees toppled by wind and rain.

"The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, 

but in having new eyes." 

 Marcel Proust

Every morning the Rusty Pups and I walk familiar trails

through meadows and woods

along an ancient railway line only identifiable because of their straightness!

through marshlands

Over streams

and over oh, so many rocks!

Every morning there is something new that shouts out to be noticed.

Through changing seasons and weather systems

there is always something new to discover.

Today it seems what we are called to notice is roots!

Mighty trees still manage to grow on ground that looks like this!

Amazing!

Root systems towered above us.

Lovely Messiness!

I hope you found something new on your walk today

or as Marcel Proust might say

 on your daily voyage of discovery!

The Evolution of a Piece

Chasing the Moon  50 1/2" w x 40" h

Part of the enjoyment of hand stitching is the time it allows for a piece to evolve and tell me it's story.

In the beginning I started making a piece about the marshlands

after the beavers have left

when sticks and chewed off trees litter the landscape.

The sky called to me but it didn't want to be too clear

and so scraps and bits and pieces of colour interrupts the flow

adding a feeling of blowing in the wind....I hope.

Then the grasses reminded me they had to be included

because they are growing back with renewed vigour

since the flooded beaver ponds have dried up.

I wove them into the running stitch sky.

The Moon asked to be included in the story

among the flotsam and jetsam in the sky

and the title Chasing the Moon popped into my head.

Then the ground demanded attention and so

 I turned to enjoying the luxury of stitching through silk velvet.

 A delicious gift from my dear friend Judy Martin.

And so it is finished

the story is complete

Do you ever feel sad when you've finished?

No more to add

No more days of stitching.

But then a new piece grabs your imagination and off you go again

a new story starts.

I received a delightful addition to Stevie's story this week.

At the age of three she is stitching clothes for her mermaid!

 

With all this distancing I'm missing so many firsts!

Well done sweetheart!