A Rainy Day and thinking about things...

The big oaks outside our doorway are doing their thing ~being magnificent and beautiful~ even on this rainy day (which I am loving).  

This old cement pot decorated with oak leaves and acorns is one of my prized possessions ~ just perfect for a little hillside garden carved out among these gigantic old white oak trees.

But it was in the Shanty Garden that I worked this week, where I rebuilt the brick sidewalks.  I took out the angled walkway and formed instead a right angle which worked out much better.

I did, however, run into one rather large problem, which I think, with Hubby's help, is now solved.

I have a cow, a pet really, that comes to the back fence to nibble on scraps I toss over  ~ things like potato and apple parings. ( I am careful not to toss anything over that might be harmful to the cattle.)  The problem arose when Old Pet and some of the calves began to nibble on straw and pull up the weed barrier that I had put down in the new garden border.  There were only two solutions ~ abandon the project or put wiring over the planks.  I chose the latter.  

Here Ole Pet is trying to reach through the planks to eat from the bird feeder.  Oh, but back to my story...  

We had various rolls of old fencing, some quite rusty which were even more to my liking, that was just the right height.  And, as a bonus, the old fencing would cost zero dollars, which is pretty important these days when the cost of almost everything is soaring.  I presented my plan to Hubby, and, abracadabra, here it is tacked to the planks along the new border so the cattle can't reach under and through.  I think it looks wonderful!  Hubby is still a bit dubious!  But, it looks as though Old Pet will just have to be content with potato parings (and maybe a handful, occasionally, of sweet feed especially made for cattle.) 

The Seamstress...

 

My mother was a seamstress, so this one's for her.  She lived and breathed everything having to do with needle, thread, and cloth.  Her epithet should have definitely read, "I cannot count a day complete until needle, thread, and cloth meet..."  But that's with one exception.  She did not sew on Sunday, unless, as she sometimes said, "... the ox is in the ditch."  Her mother had admonished her as a young girl for sewing on the Lord's Day  by saying, "You'll be taking those stitches out with the end of your nose come judgement day."  

This is my favorite drawing thus far.  I dressed it up a bit with a piece of Deb Lactivia's hand dyed brocade for a collar and hair ribbon.  (I don't recall Mom ever having worn such a ribbon in her hair, but I think she would have worn one well, for she was quite pretty.

I took up needle and thread a couple of days ago just to see if I could still do a little needle-turned applique, which I have always enjoyed doing.  These little one-inch squares were a bit fussy to work with, but also fun as they reflected the colors going on outside the windows.  

However, after having stitched for a couple of hours, I was ready to get back to some sketched and watered colored pages which has been such an enjoyable project.  I can surely ditto Ann Wood's words here, "A large part of the value of this project has been getting somewhere I did not plan to go.  That's the huge benefit of a daily art practice.  Stuff turns up."  It's the stuff that keeps turning up that I am enjoying so much.  

A while back, friend Kathy sent me some of her exquisite eco-dyed papers.  I am sure she would agree when she finished these that "Stuff turns up."  I can't think of anything that says fall like these papers do.  I love them.

This week marked my and Millie's 200th day walking anniversary.  I am gaining on that 1,347 day record we had back before last winter's blizzard and sickness.  I have actually been surprised this week at how pretty some of our fall colors are now following such a hot, dry summer.  Hopefully this trend will continue right into November.

Field Notes...

 

Rain this morning... after such a long time without this blessing.  .4 of an inch.  

The little flower garden has been stripped to the bare bones.  A 48 inch border has been added along the fence.  It has now been covered in landscaping fabric and straw.  Seeds await next spring's planting.  

It seems that the woods are becoming more colorful each day. 

Pink along the trail... I have been missing the pink zinnias.  I am calling the colored sketch below, "Klee and Me."  I have been noticing that he often uses touches of pink in many of his paintings.