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…which I could never imagine doing unless the book was of my own making. And this one is. I first made a “book of hours” three years ago when I wanted something more enticing than to-do lists and routines to help me to accomplish all that I want to in a usual day.

It was delightful to make and to use in that Spring of 2016 and was my week-day companion for several weeks, until the rhythms became a part of me…for awhile. Then I would tuck it away in my file for my homemade systems until I needed it again. For I always lose the thread again. It’s a part of the rhythm of my life and I’ve accepted that now…quite easily. I like variety in the midst of my quiet and mostly unvaried life.

For the last year or so, I didn’t pull out my little book at all…either happy to meander through my days or finding enough pattern without its help. But a week or so ago with certain rhythms of care and work swinging along, I felt the desire and willingness to add to that good foundation. So, out came the little book. I spent satisfying moments spreading out the ruffled pages, pulling off the typed words that were no longer pertinent, typing out the new ones that are, pondering a flow for my summer days, pasting and arranging the words and pictures into breadcrumbs to follow.

I’ve been following those breadcrumbs in a relaxed way in my mind for a few days, as I refined and assembled this summery version of the book…and in a focused way today now that its pages are all in order and beckoning the turning of them, hour (or so) by hour. And its been lovely to see how so many little ingredients of my day, and this way of shepherding them, has come together in the most helpful way yet. It feels a part of my journey this year with the idea of Integration. I’ve finally found the place that making my daily herbal infusions fits gracefully and easily…the amount of walking that feels uplifting and doable…and the patterns of working and resting that work best within the constraints of my current health and energy.

Finding so much support in my breadcrumb book also opened a door to a deeper understanding of the sorts of work and creativity that I am good at…and not so good at. And it came to me what a charming, useful kit I could make for you to create your own book…using what you have…and the seasonal pages I’ve created for plotting out your hours…and an e-book with the whole story of my own book and a tutorial for putting one together. Another way to integrate this life and work. Which is the real work of being alive, isn’t it? To weave it all together in our own way, as best we can…

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You may expect to see this kit and my first set of printables (Peaceful Kitchen) in my shop in the next week or two. If you are not on my mailing list and would like to receive word with this sort of news and occasional missives from my hedgerow, please sign up here.

A post from Wisteria & Sunshine on this first day of June. We are focusing on clothing this month…

Today was the day to bring armfuls of clothes from their Winter bins and hang them to air on the line. I brought my two bins right out to the clothesline and pegged each dress or skirt or blouse that I deemed worthy of the effort, the rest going back in the the bin for consideration later (meaning when Lesley has lost some weight!). I pegged them out with my new-old clothespins…a recent acquisition from ebay. A few years ago, when I was running low on clothespins, I found out that the last clothespin factory in the US had recently closed. The only clothespins available new are plastic ones (no thank you) and wooden ones made in China. China is known for its rather indiscriminate logging practices, which I didn’t want to support. So I thought to turn to ebay and was delighted to find an abundance of wooden clothespins on offer.

I wasn’t savvy enough then to always look for “from a smoke-free home” in the ebay listing, tho’ my box of attractive but smelly clothespins taught me that. I soaked that batch in some oxygen cleaner and dried them in the sunshine and they were good to go…if a little roughened from the water and light…two things they would continue to experience over the years when I inevitably left a line or two of wash to get rained on as a fairly regular occurrence. Many were lost, or gravitated to other parts of the house, until there was a rather motley and skimpy collection of clothespins left to me. Forgive me my casual laundry ways!

And so it was time to acquire some more and I started my now familiar routine at ebay when there is something we really need…a search for the item, then filtering it to “used” items, then scanning the offerings and putting the ones that fit my budget and taste on my ebay Watch list….or putting a high bid in right away and then forgetting about it until I receive the happy or not-so-happy email about the end of the auction.

Two weeks ago I received a happy email and was the new owner of more than a hundred smooth, lovely old clothespins. Enough to keep even me for a long time to come. They had their debut for the airing of my dresses and were such a pleasure to use. And I made them a promise to do a better job in shielding them from the elements than I had with their predecessors.

I’ve been thinking alot about Simplicity lately…what comprises it…and a large part of it for me is not to have to use many of my hours “getting and spending“. Tho’ it may take more of my hours to reuse and create from scratch and care well for what I already have than it might to find and purchase new things (tho’ it might just as well not, shopping online and in person can use up a good deal of time I find)…those ways nourish me and fill me with satisfaction instead of draining me and causing strain as the latter so often does.

So I am thinking of my worn, smooth clothespins…and the thrift-store dresses they are keeping on the line as the moonlit wind softly tosses them…and wishing that one of those simple dresses would do for the wedding I will attend next month…all the while knowing I will have to probably have to go on a Dress Quest in the weeks to come…sigh…

How do you feel about Getting and Spending?

Update this June morning in 2018…I did go on that dress quest several years ago and the brown linen dress I found has served me so beautifully ever since. Getting and spending makes up less and less of my world each year that circles around, but there is still such plenty, especially of peace.

If you’d like a garden of thoughts and pictures and company (when you wish it!) to visit whenever you like and be surrounded with ideas for a life more wildly simple, I am at the garden door ready to welcome you in…