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thinking there isn’t anything, but then, that’s not true

there is Something, everyday

 

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Mexican Elderberry in aluminum pot

 

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Rice Grass hiding in Lambs Quarters.   First persons here used to harvest,   grind,  for flour. 

Double Click.  Think about that.   Harvest,  grind,  for flour.

 

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the Beauty of the Feather Grass,  the Sea of Green of May is beginning to change…seeds tangle in the clumps at the ends,  Trillions of seeds tangle and turn gold.

 

Tay is hunting something in the Giant Secaton Grasses,  the Wood Pile.  She can't resist,  but it also scares her.  She came slamming in through the screen door dog door and hid in the bathroom for about an hour.  I am hoping it's a new Bull Snake.  Most likely i'll never know.  They live very private lives.

To All.  I apologize for whatever is happening in this country where i live…for this ugly confusion that seems to prevail.  For all of my fellow citizens who cheer on the insane yellow haired man.   It is breaking my heart.

On Being.  Tippett interviews Rebecca Solnit who surprised me by her voice…like a very young girl.

 

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19 responses to “thinking there isn’t anything, but then, that’s not true”

  1. Deb G Avatar
    Deb G

    hope…

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  2. grace Avatar
    grace

    hope in the Dark
    the seeds continue as they always have
    the snake, if it is, really, the snake, continues as
    she always has
    the dog
    me
    we continue amidst it all. amidst it all.

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  3. Mo Crow Avatar
    Mo Crow

    the golden light in that feather grass warms the soul

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  4. ml-Mary Lou Avatar
    ml-Mary Lou

    Your photos today, all so comforting.
    -contents of dye pot looks good enough to eat, stuffed grape leaves, and other exotic yummies!
    -golden feather grass, so etherial. what is the plant with orange flowers. it goes blurry when i double clic.gorgeous capture.
    poor tay – if my nose came up to a bull snake, yikes. would be a lovely gift if that is was what she saw.
    dear grace, you are gifted with much ! ( we are, even with and despite the yello hired man!)

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  5. debbie.weaver Avatar
    debbie.weaver

    We have a yellow haired man here to who would like to be our next Prime Minister, maybe not quite as mad as yours.

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  6. Marti Avatar
    Marti

    Cannot even speak re this election; despair so huge that it has leveled me; this year, this election, a mockery… I haven’t felt this way since the Vietnam War. So I’m staying away, as much as I can from all political news via internet, TV and discussions, a very hard thing for me to do as I have been and am a political junkie and in college, carried a double major of political science and journalism…still, as a means of self preservation, I’ve turned inward, spending more time outdoors, more sinking into books of faraway places, especially Ireland (home of my heart) and most especially more garden tending and I ask myself, am I tending the garden or is it tending me during this time of inner upheaval?
    Corn is coming up, saved red, blue and yellow kernels from the ornamental corn that was planted as a gift to welcome us here three years ago. Every year I dry the corn and save some of the kernels; use some as fall decorations and others as offerings to the land when I forage and take for dyeing.
    We too have Indian rice grass, delicate yet strong and it is thriving; I always take some stems to have in my home. Yesterday I gathered some and tied them with green twine because our landlord, was stopping by. His woman who is Navajo had planted the Indian rice grass when they lived in our home with their little boys. Whenever she comes for a visit, she heads out to the backyard to visit the grass; has none growing where they now live so I thought she might like a bouquet.
    The day was spent weeding and Rich pruned some of the Chinese Pistache tree branches. As he dragged them back to chop into manageable pieces, I stopped him and spent about half an hour stripping the leaves to put in my assorted dye pots, enamel, copper, cast iron, aluminum. In the past they have given me shades of green and this time, I wanted to experiment by adding calcium carbonate to the water in the enamel pot, splashes of vinegar to the water of the copper and aluminum pots and rusty bits, a horseshoe and railroad bolt to the cast iron pot.
    I’m all out of cloth and as of yet, have not gone to any thrift stores to get more so so I raided the closet and tore up a long sleeved cotton shirt of Rich’s, not white but a very light cream color. The shirt is from a long time ago, another life, when he had his shirts custom made by a Hong Kong tailor, always insisting on 100% cotton, each front pocket with his initials embroidered on them…as I said, another life from long ago yet one which he holds onto since he keeps one of his suits and several of these shirts, white, cream, lightly striped, blue plus many, many of his ties which he now only wears to funerals or weddings.
    After the shirt was ripped into pieces, the pieces of cloth were alum soaked, heated and cooled overnight and I will take some of the pieces and put them in the various dye pots to steep for about a month in the assorted dye liquid.
    Gardening, breathing in and out while sipping tea outdoors at sunrise, reading, weeding, gathering, foraging, drives up to Jemez springs, sometimes the back of the Sandias, the alchemy of dye pots that has become medicine for my soul- all these aspects of daily life hold me together; soon a trip to California at the end of July to visit daughters, son in law and dear grandchildren who recently turned 7, these are the balms of life that soothe and sustain.

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  7. Tina Avatar
    Tina

    Marti I feel that I know you and know that I love your words. I have extra cotton that I would be delighted to share ..no strings. Please email me at tinazaffiro@yahoo.com if you would like me to send you some…it would be my pleasure.

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  8. Marti Avatar
    Marti

    Tina, how kind of you to offer some of your cloth stash, thank you, I’ll take you up on your generous offer. Have just sent you an email. Normally, I get my recycled cloth at three places, Savers and Thrift Town in Albuquerque and Second Hand Treasures in Corrales. The Corrales store supports the Southwest Animal Rescue Fund.

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  9. Mo Crow Avatar
    Mo Crow

    Rebecca Solnit speaks with such fierce brave light, she inspires great hope for our beautiful planet

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  10. Cathy Avatar
    Cathy

    Just curious…what shades do you get from the Mexican elderberry? Do you know that the aluminum pot can alter the colors? Doesn’t matter, I suppose, unless you are doing scientific color charts. Otherwise, I guess if you are just dyeing cloth for stitching — well, it’s all good.
    Focusing on the dyes here because so upset about our country’s troubles.

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  11. grace Avatar
    grace

    it’s just beginning. More and more it will Go

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  12. grace Avatar
    grace

    the orange flowers are Mallow. They come in orange, pink and white. White for some reason only happens outside the fence????
    There are many this year…i will take some pics

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  13. grace Avatar
    grace

    i can’t imagine anyone as mad
    and it’s really not so much HIM…but the segment of this
    country who is thrilled by him…???????????????????
    I don’t understand

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  14. grace Avatar
    grace

    i love this…this exchange…so much worth Everything

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  15. grace Avatar
    grace

    she LOOKS. she Looks with a clear and non judgemental eye

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  16. grace Avatar
    grace

    you can see in the post from today…but it’s not always like this, sometimes greener…i think from when the leaves are harvested…i am not looking for green at all so was good with the kind of straw color that happened
    what i want most is just SOME color but marks…it’s the Marks that i hope for
    no scientific chart here…i don’t remember one time to the next and never write it down….maybe someday i will? I remembered using the aluminum pot for something….so tried it…
    i have copper
    cast iron
    i will try them too.
    the dyes are like homeopathics….they Ease things
    Like Bach Flower remedies, maybe??
    Love to you

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  17. Cathy Avatar
    Cathy

    Yes, I do understand. Some color marks. Just started keeping a dye notebook with minimal info, just so I remember in case I want to try again. I use stainless steel…keeps things equal, if you are counting.
    Dyes ARE like homeopathics, especially for a city dweller like me. Eases the pain of the psyche. Best wishes and love.

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  18. saskia Avatar
    saskia

    funny how I now observe the tall grasses in our garden with a lot more affection, your posting about them has made them more significant for me, signifying a relationship with earth, with unintentional planting and how their tiny flowers offer huge beauty and joy…..so a lot happens for me when i see them in passing or when i take the time to stop and actually look!

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  19. grace Avatar
    grace

    grasses are amazing. Have this book here…a 1997 edition of
    A Field Guide to Grasses of New Mexico
    as of 1990 100 genera and 397 species had been collected and documented and then “with the addition of all infraspecific variation documented (subspecies, varieties, forms, races or
    phases) there is a total of 461 kinds of grasses reported for the state.
    i love noticing them…some i can identify at quite a distance
    by its positioning its self on the land…this thrills me….

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