March 2009

"Never yet was a springtime…

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…when the buds forgot to bloom.”

Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

No matter how or when the Spring arrives, this
is always true…and, therefore, comforting.

We have been experiencing days of chill and wind, days
of warmth and gentle breezes, days of rain and mist…and
I am loving all of them and enjoying the constant
variety.


Do you see that deep yellow feather? It was amongst my presents
on my birthday morn, found by my husband as he and our sons
picked my birthday daffodils in the woods.

We believe it to be the tail feather of a Flicker.


I hope that everyone can find a token of Spring
to cheer the days ahead.

My days just ahead will be as variable as the
Spring weather, for tomorrow is my last show
(a very little one, in conjunction with the Festival
of the Book in Charlottesville), and my mom
is going to stay with one of her oldest and dearest
friends (so we shall each have a little time apart
for the first time in months), I have many orders
to fill (from the rummage sale and last online
orders) and then I will be re-acquainting
myself with the privileged state of being
mostly a home-maker (for a time!)….
busy-ness and ease…busyness and ease.


A gorgeous Spring to all!

(and a beautiful Autumn to Sarah and those
on the other side of the world)

Interlude

How much I appreciate the beautiful and thoughtful birthday wishes you left for me in the past several days! I have read them many a time and marvel over the loving, creative people who read my blog….thank you, truly.

There have been grand visions and difficult decisions swirling around me in the days leading up to my birthday, while the day itself was simple….and sweet….and quiet. Since then, the rain has been falling and I have felt suspended in a place between the past and the surprising future, between dreams and action…between the turning inwards of Winter and the opening up of Spring….

An interlude….which I have tried to describe, in part, in the newsletter that I sent out this evening.

March 14, 2009
Perhaps this won’t be a surprise to you, as it was to me,
but the additional sweet responsibility of having my mother
join our household and helping her through her
days has been more of a challenge than I
anticipated.

I have never been good at multi-tasking and have
found the jobs of mother/wife/teacher/business
woman more than enough to handle over the years. And
as I began to prepare for Spring shows, it became clear to me
that the new job of being an attentive daughter each
and every day, all the day long, just couldn’t
flow with all the work in my studio and on
the computer and away at shows.

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Something had to give and it would seem that it will be
Small Meadow Press….for a time. My mom is living with us
while she waits for an apartment to open up in the wonderful
retirement community she has been looking forward
to moving to for some time. So until she moves there,
or until my holiday shows begin next October, I will
be taking a hiatus from business-as-usual.

I don’t know exactly how I will be proceeding through
this change….I will be filling the Rummage Sale orders
for the next week, changing pages and information
on my website and posting about this on my blog.
I am hopeful that I will be able to work on designs
for the future and also find windows of time to
work on one-of-a-kind pieces that I haven’t been
able to get to in years past. If this comes to fruition,
I will send out a newsletter to let you know.

In the meantime, I am here to answer any questions
that you may have, and will continue to feel grateful
every day for the appreciation and support I have
received over the years from everyone.

It was a hard decision to come to, but I knew
it was the right one the very next day as I felt
the generous space of minutes and hours open up…
to enjoy a long and leisurely breakfast on
the porch with my mother and plan sweet outings
and trips for her. I want to enjoy her
enjoying life for as long as we are
able.

The rain is supposed to fall for another few days, time
to gather strength and inspiration for what feels like the New Year
which has begun for me.

One in which I will still be writing and sharing here.