When Beavers Live Close By

 

It amuses me that the beaver sticks have gathered in their own little corner of the show.

"Chasing the Moon"

Memories of daily walks down to the marshlands

Watching as the landscape changed when beavers moved in.

When they moved in and built oh so many dams

what was a meandering stream became a lake

covering all the grass you see here.

They would greet me and the Rusty Pups

with noses just above water

and sharp black eyes watching....

....then with a noisy slap of the tail on the water's surface

they would casually get on with their business.

I imagined that slap to be a greeting 

but of course it must have been a claim to territory where we were not welcome

My work is a bringing together of snippets of memory

Trees stripped of bark and marked by strong beaver teeth

Cold dark waters of winter

Marshland grasses that flourished so well in that watery environment

But turned golden yellow in the long wintery months.

On winter mornings after a good snowfall

the beaver tracks were easy to find 

 revealing nighttime activity and favourite pathways

 leading from water's edge towards the woods and back again

The black velvet water so uninviting on a cold winter's day

yet a refuge, a place of safety where beavers can thrive.

And of course a moon on a windy, winter's night

whilst I am warm and safe in my bed

the beaver were busy as beavers tend to be

fixing leaky dams

and storing edible trees underwater.

Such fascinating creatures who can change a landscape with two strong front teeth!

 I hope you too find joy in observing nature at work.

So many thanks to Susan Purney Mark and Miranda Bouchard for their photos of the show.

Walking with Rusty Pups

After the rain or perhaps a morning fog

The colours become richer

The browns browner

the reds redder

I do love those browns

See two Rusty Pups?

Fast approaching

Galloping along

and here they are!

They do some pretty weird things

Like to carrying rocks

Whoever picks one up first carries it

Her sister doesn't try and grab it....not ever

but

as soon as it is dropped because something more interesting turns up

the other one will take her turn and carry it for a while.

 Wonder where they got their love of rocks from!

Well, they have always seen rocks disappear into my pockets.

I hope you find a beautiful rock today.

Tree lines Moving into the Backwoods Piece

 Been photographing tree lines

Hoping they will help with the Backwoods piece

currently in progress

Work has begun on the woods

No rocks in sight yet!

Tree lines are starting to appear

Stretching high above the shoreline log clutter

They will be paler

I am following the changing season

Cooler weather is here

The sun, she is moving southward

Time for the woods to sleep their Winter sleep

This is what I call the shoreline log clutter!

The backside

Never the wrong side

Usually the best side.

Perhaps we should all show the world our best side today!

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!

Yesterday was a Good Day

Walking this land every morning

clears the mind
opens up the heart

and influences everything

especially my work

Right now it is sticks

I see them everywhere

Where there are Beavers there will always be sticks

Some sticks pile up in log jammed streams

Some sticks end up on my design wall

Slowly bringing stitch covered sticks to life I hope

 Some know that I am trying to bring more blue into my life

but I have to say it girls

......

that blue might have to go!

The Rusty Pups and I walk on sticks

cleverly placed in mud 

down in the Soggy Bottom woods.

The work of our brilliant neighbour Steve!

In this strange time
it takes work to keep our days as normal as possible
I wish for you a normal day

Inspiration for Some New Beginnings Perhaps

I am finding the landscape the Beavers have left behind fascinating

Sometimes the Rusty Pups and I

visit the old Beaver territory on our morning walks

Because they are no longer here to maintain their dams

the water had receded

Revealing chewed off stubs of trees and bushes

Jutting up and out at every angle

I love the randomness

Back at home this Groundhog boldly

walked across the front of the house

right under excited Rusty Pups watching his every move 

from the safety of the kitchen window.

Apologies for the photo

it took me ages to find the camera and so got his backside!

Exhausted mighty beaver hunters

and groundhog observers!

New beginnings don't happen suddenly for me

I have to absorb and ponder

and understand 

before I can decide what story I want to stitch

but there is a point, as Meister Eckhart says,

when I do dive in and trust the magic

of new beginnings.

And suddenly you know:

it's time to start something new

and trust the magic 

of new beginnings

Meister Eckhart