Summer

Well, officially it's summer but it has been unseasonably cool and overcast.  The upside to that type of weather is that it is perfect for growing salad greens.  Every night Brian and I eat a delicious, just picked salad from the garden.  The greens are so tender they practically melt in your mouth.  I love to add fresh dill and arugula for some peppery, herbal flavor.  Once the basil (in the hotbox) is ready, I'll add that, too!

I have a small craft fair coming up early in July and I've been working on some inventory for the event.  I've had a lot of requests for more zippered pouches, so I've been sewing up some of them.  I love this one with the chicken print!  I lined the inside with a green woodgrain print by Joel Dewberry.  It's very "down home on the farm, I think!"

Happy Summer, everyone.  I hope some of you are seeing some sun!

Running for a Cause

This past weekend, I ran a 5K race for a classmate of Bronwyn's who has Rett's Syndrome, a rare disorder that affects girls almost exclusively.  I ran the race for Ella, and in memory of Bronwyn.  It felt so good to do something tangible to help with finding a cure for Rett's.  Having a child with a rare disease or syndrome can leave the parents feeling helpless and frustrated because funding for research is limited, and so are the options for meaningful treatment. 

I made this little flag that I wore in rememberence of Bronwyn. It was an emotion-filled run, but healing as well.  

I plan to run again next year, and to set a fundraising goal for myself! Stay tuned. 

 

Handwork

I've been slowing down in my craftiness; not that I'm actually crafting less, mind you, but I'm re-discovering my passion for hand work.  During my vacation at the beach, I had the opportunity to trade needle skills with one of my girlfriends (I knit and she crochets).  We taught each other the rudiments of our respective needle craft and I'm so happy to have another stick to make knots with now!  I went into my yarn stash and found little balls of cashmere that I had left over from previous projects.  There's just enough there to make a fun bunch of swirly flowers.  Maybe I'll add clips or pinbacks to them, or maybe something else, who knows? 

Flying Free

This past weekend I had the fabulous opportunity to go to Ocean Shores with a group of girlfriends. The weather was phenomenal, and we were lucky enough to have been there during a kite festival.  Seeing all of the different kites soaring, fluttering, and floating all around me made me feel like I was in an undersea wonderland. It's not difficult to experience joy when looking at these bright jewels floating in midair.

An extra special treat was getting to see Ray Bethell, a multiple time World Champion in Kite flying.  Ray's signature style is flying three kites simultaneously in formation (and he also holds the world record for flying 39 at once).  I had never heard of Ray, or seen anyone fly multiple kites before.  I was mesmerized, not just by the kites, but by the man's movements and his concentration.  After Ray finished a session, I went over to talk with him. What a delightful person! Through that conversation, and then after checking out his website, I learned that Ray, now somewhere in his 80's, didn't start flying kites until 1981.  I also learned that he has experienced several hardships in his life, and hasn't let them overtake his spirit. When he was in his 60's, Ray was struck by a rare virus that left him deaf overnight.  Later, his wife developed alzheimer's disease, which slowly took her life.  Ray says, "How does a person deal with the unfairness of life?  The only way you can do it is to face it head on... it's unchangeable, you have to learn to deal with it."  These are wise words that I'm starting to learn.

Here is a photo that I took of Ray with his three kites in action.  You can learn more about Ray and see video clips of him in action on his website. I highly recommend this video interview, if you have 8 minutes to spare.