Once again the time has come for a change.  I’ve been chewing on this one for a while now but was finally pushed over the edge by Google’s unceremonious announcement of it’s killing off my Reader. I was having fits about it at first, I like change when it’s my choice, not so much when it’s foisted upon me without warning. Thanks Google for reminding me that I am not Queen of the Universe.  I have adapted. I am going back to blogger where I can read all my blogs from my dashboard! And where I can manage and post to my blogs from my mobile device with ease. Everything all in one place!

Change is good.

Planting Along the Verge will now reside @ plantingalongtheverge.blogspot.com

I hope you’ll come by and say hello.

namaste

It was our anniversary day before yesterday. 26 years of fun and games and chaos and madness and mess and all the stuff that makes up a life. A really really rich and beautiful life. 

Tearful now has the cold/allergy/flu/hellishly tenacious crud that had me in its grip for a month so we remained calm and had a super lovely day beginning with breakfast with our  daughter and grandbaby, the new comedian in the family.

People, there is no greater joy than having a grandbaby. For real.

It was our anniversary day before yesterday. 26 years of fun and games and chaos and madness and mess and all the stuff that makes up a life. A really really rich and beautiful life. 

Tearful now has the cold/allergy/flu/hellishly tenacious crud that had me in its grip for a month so we remained calm and had a super lovely day beginning with breakfast with our  daughter and grandbaby, the new comedian in the family.

People, there is no greater joy than having a grandbaby. For real.

Purple tulips and baby oranges from Trader Joes…

I’ve spent the morning dyeing scraps of fabric, washing clothes and playing with beads. The wild baby is gone with his mother, out for the day so the house is SO QUIET. Except for the clothes tumbling in the dryer. Tearful is taking a nap, all is right with the world.

I am heading off tomorrow for parts unknown to me. It’s time I took the White Dragon out for a night or two now that the weather promises to behave itself.

si dios quere…

Purple tulips and baby oranges from Trader Joes…

I’ve spent the morning dyeing scraps of fabric, washing clothes and playing with beads. The wild baby is gone with his mother, out for the day so the house is SO QUIET. Except for the clothes tumbling in the dryer. Tearful is taking a nap, all is right with the world.

I am heading off tomorrow for parts unknown to me. It’s time I took the White Dragon out for a night or two now that the weather promises to behave itself.

si dios quere…

It was a beautiful morning here on the central coast…

chilly and overcast for the first half of my walk with the sun showing up for the last bit.

This beach is the best for finding treasures…

and bringing them home…

It was a beautiful morning here on the central coast…

chilly and overcast for the first half of my walk with the sun showing up for the last bit.

This beach is the best for finding treasures…

and bringing them home…

A pot of cotoneaster. I think it’s cotoneaster, I could be wrong and would appreciate being corrected.
If you gather and boil these for an hour or more and then strain them and throw some fabric in the pot and boil for another hour or so, you get a darker tea stained mustardy color.

Here’s what I started with…

and here’s what I ended up with…

unfortunately I can only get pictures uploaded through Instagram as our computer situation is still tenuous at best. The dyed color is quite a bit deeper in true life than in this photo. Not a dramatic color but very pretty and very pleasing for my first foray into natural dyeing. I’ve got a pot of Hardenbergia simmering on the stove for my next experiment. I have jars of gooey looking liquids lining the laundry room window sill.

truly I have become an old crone.

A pot of cotoneaster. I think it’s cotoneaster, I could be wrong and would appreciate being corrected.
If you gather and boil these for an hour or more and then strain them and throw some fabric in the pot and boil for another hour or so, you get a darker tea stained mustardy color.

Here’s what I started with…

and here’s what I ended up with…

unfortunately I can only get pictures uploaded through Instagram as our computer situation is still tenuous at best. The dyed color is quite a bit deeper in true life than in this photo. Not a dramatic color but very pretty and very pleasing for my first foray into natural dyeing. I’ve got a pot of Hardenbergia simmering on the stove for my next experiment. I have jars of gooey looking liquids lining the laundry room window sill.

truly I have become an old crone.

image play continues…

digitally and on paper. What happens surprises and intrigues me. It’s like trying to remember and interpret a fleeting dream.
Which I have been doing lately. Dreaming, fueled by sleep and cold medication is intense. The dreams are thick and sticky things, melting with the light of day like butter in a skillet.

In other news…
I have a day to myself!

image play continues…

digitally and on paper. What happens surprises and intrigues me. It’s like trying to remember and interpret a fleeting dream.
Which I have been doing lately. Dreaming, fueled by sleep and cold medication is intense. The dreams are thick and sticky things, melting with the light of day like butter in a skillet.

In other news…
I have a day to myself!

I am ridiculously pleased with how my new coat turned out. I have had the fantastic Goodwill fabric find for months. It has a watery drape and velvety hand, as beautiful on the inside as it is on the “right side” and it’s even made an impression on the imp on the armoire door.
The fabric is reminiscent of the old chair I recently parted with as part of The Great Pare Down. Another reason for all the love. I’m wild child sitting this morning, getting lots and lots of hugs and smiles. Life is Swell.

I am ridiculously pleased with how my new coat turned out. I have had the fantastic Goodwill fabric find for months. It has a watery drape and velvety hand, as beautiful on the inside as it is on the “right side” and it’s even made an impression on the imp on the armoire door.
The fabric is reminiscent of the old chair I recently parted with as part of The Great Pare Down. Another reason for all the love. I’m wild child sitting this morning, getting lots and lots of hugs and smiles. Life is Swell.

I’ve been back from Texas a couple of weeks. They have been very busy weeks. We did a major purging of unnecessary stuff and organized closets, cupboards, rooms, attic and house. It feels clean, clear and simple. Like a new space, definitely a refreshed space and it has certainly helped with overall outlook.
I also started a new project. I am making little 3×5 collages. I give myself a time limit and just go through my stash and quickly create. It started as a carefree warm up exercise but looking at the results gave me the idea of making a large stack of them and filling a wall once I have accumulated enough of them. I miss cutting and gluing, it’s been years and it feels great to be back AND to have a purpose for them so they don’t languish in a drawer or trash can somewhere.
It is spring, the daffodils and lilies are blooming and the cerinthe is muscling its way around everything. A huge black cat has moved into the yard, way in the back. He sits next to the Buddha statue.

I’ve been back from Texas a couple of weeks. They have been very busy weeks. We did a major purging of unnecessary stuff and organized closets, cupboards, rooms, attic and house. It feels clean, clear and simple. Like a new space, definitely a refreshed space and it has certainly helped with overall outlook.
I also started a new project. I am making little 3×5 collages. I give myself a time limit and just go through my stash and quickly create. It started as a carefree warm up exercise but looking at the results gave me the idea of making a large stack of them and filling a wall once I have accumulated enough of them. I miss cutting and gluing, it’s been years and it feels great to be back AND to have a purpose for them so they don’t languish in a drawer or trash can somewhere.
It is spring, the daffodils and lilies are blooming and the cerinthe is muscling its way around everything. A huge black cat has moved into the yard, way in the back. He sits next to the Buddha statue.