from the weekend

so... this weekend was the Falling Leaves Festival here in Coudersport... and tons of people turned out to see all the events and such.
A friend, the daughter and I shared a booth... so we were quite busy with that... although I did manage to sneak around briefly and take some photos.

 Food, Fun, Music... and you can't forget all the crafts and art...
OH! and the parade, car show, and more.
Fabulous.

 Here is a short video with some of my photos that I took. 
 I hope to do one of the parade as well... and will add it in when they are edited. 
Much love to you all...


 

friday finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

These next few days are going to be crazy busy.
I have a booth at the local Falling Leaves Festival...
and plan on enjoying every single second I am there;
smelling the sausages... the wiffs of hot, fresh apple cider...
hearing the kids frolic on the square;
and the parents "oooh and aaah" over all the crafts and such to be shown there.
I expect it will be awesome :)

Anyway... I digress.

Today's blog sites are all ones that I think are pretty awesome; and they include:

Tracy Verdugo
Wild Thing
Outside the Windows
The Colour of Ideas
Madelyn Mulvaney
Sass Brown
Harvest Moon
GooseFlesh
Hula Seventy
Rhayne

And then I wanted to share this site: HERE
--which is the blog of Stevie Tombstone.
He is a singer/songwriter who happens to be doing a gig here this weekend.

And I also wanted to highlight this wonderful blog: HERE
Maureen is a local artist here in Coudersport (she went to school with my niece)
who happens to be an awesome quilter/designer/artist.
I think you'll love it :)

++++++++++++

The photo for today's post is one I took the other day.
My mother, my daughter and I had taken a drive and ended up on some backwoods dirt road...
and I happened upon this tree.
whoa.

.



he walks beside me; hesitantly
unsure of his footing at times
not able to stand as tall; or as proud
as he once was
-- and yet...
Eyes sparkling in the sunshine
wistfully recounting days gone by
when he would traverse these fine woods
spotting deer... or a bear cub or two
communing with the trees
walking tenderly; assuredly
into the forest
respectful of his surroundings and
all that dwelt therein...
as if he had always been
and always would be
part of this land.
...these are my walks... my sweet talks...
with Tom.


.









each sweet.... un-felled leaf
bursting with colors of fall
fills me with great joy

MondayUPs



Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.


In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***

 We are making our new home here in PA...
deep in the mountains of Potter County, 
and it is lovely.

 One thing is great abundance here, is the woods.
And so, the inspiration for today's MondayUPs 
is things to do with found bits of wood.

Nothing taken to harm the trees... but bits that are already down.
Here are some ideas:

((the middle photo in this collage shows some art someone 
made when they stacked their firewood for the winter))

for the weekend



This weekend has come and gone waaaaaaaaay too fast, and I didn't even get my post up until now. yikes. For someone who is not working a full time job... I sure feel really tired and busy... and tonight my back is killing me. But I digress... and whine... and I'll stop.

On the plus side... the daughter is really enjoying her job. She works with some wonderful people.
BAJ is still in ABQ ... and still has work... which is good... although I miss him terribly.
I heard from the son... and he sounds like he is doing well.
Sabrina (my furbaby)... is thoroughly enjoying the fall here... the leaves.. . and the traces of bear poo that she finds in the yard.
And me... I have occasional work helping out a friend... and I intend on helping a couple more friends do some yard-work in exchange for plants/ seeds for my "new to me" house.
Which brings me to the house... which is still in limbo... awaiting someone's approval or whatever is holding things up until we can move in. It taunts me...this house... all alone and empty ... not far... and needing cleaning... TLC... and such.

This week I went to the farmer's market... and was able to get some photos of some of the vendors and their wares. I also was able to get some wonderful veggies... including a bunch of tomatoes that I spent today cleaning and dicing and putting in a huge pot to make spaghetti sauce. I lost count at 180 roma tomatoes. ... and I think I was cutting them on quite possibly the world's smallest cutting board (why does my mother have this) and with the world's dullest knife(again... why?). I finally dug out a big chopping knife to finish the job. .. and now it is all sauteing... along with garlic, a large onion, 2 bunches of scallions, fresh herbs, and some peppers.
This is the trick I used to peel the garlic!

At the Farmer's Market, I also bought 2 small-ish skeins of Alpaca yarn... and hope to make a scarf this winter with it. It is a lovely blend of black and brown tones... and I think it will be gorgeous. I made a scarf last week with some yarn I bought here... a stunning skein of wool from England.

And coming up next weekend... is the local "Falling Leaves Festival"... and I hope to have a booth with my envelope, scarves, guitar picks, rosary beads, jewelry and such... provided I can get my stuff out of storage and set up. I think it may take a miracle :) 
I know several other people who will be selling things there... and it looks like it's going to be fabulous :)

* These are the books I've been reading this week: HERE and HERE.
* I thought this was a cute article...HERE
* This was on my morning "to read" list

And I went to a great yard sale this week... where I got some fabulous treasures... such as an old metal lamp stand to rewire... some old books to use in crafts... one or two fabulous 1930's fancy dishes for decor... and 6 awesome vintage white plates from some unknown diner from the 50's or 60's. I also stopped HERE... and found some incredible old books at half price! and some vintage optometry optics glass pieces (like these)
that I hope to use in jewelry making this winter.
I am excited about that.

And so... I will try to stay positive... and see you all tomorrow :)

friday finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

The leaves are starting to change here in Potter County...
and it is simply gorgeous out there.

In honor of all that beauty;
today's post is full of blogs that are just plain gorgeous.
.enjoy.

Jesse Lu
The Burning House
Standing Still
Spontaneous Overflow
Studio Yuki
Blacksburg Belle
Good Morning Gratitude
She is Three
Tongue in Cheek
Shaking the Tree

.








hear the goldenrod
rustling in the autumn wind
dancing through the fields

MondayUPs




Monday's can be rough... But I'm here to help.

In celebration of my 15th year selling my handmade stuff... 
I am going to be featuring things I've seen on blogs, on the internet, in books
...wherever inspiration strikes! On making new items from old goods..
hence, MondayUPs (upcycling)...

***
why did the chicken cross the road?
in this case... it was to get some crab apples :)

 Today I went on a ride over some of the backwoods here and saw...
a gorgeous hawk
lots of free-range chickens
a flock of about 25 wild turkey
wild ducks and a white goose
... the list goes on.

 ... and unfortunately... most of the photos did not turn out.
I guess I was too excited.

 But as I was thinking about all the birds we saw...
I got to thinking about recycling/upcycling feathers; 
so here are some ideas!

 (please... if you are inspired... please support businesses and artisans who only save feathers 
that are thoughtfully gathered... protecting the birds)

for the weekend



I wish I was able to accurately record the sound of rain.
It has been raining off and on this afternoon.... and it's wonderful.
I realize that major portions of the US at the moment could do without as much rain as they've gotten (thinking about NM and Colorado)...
but after living in the desert for so long... it is a very welcome sound to me.

And then there are the ducks.
There is a flock of ducks... about 16 of them or so... that swim up the channel near my mother's house every day...
sqwacking and sqwaw-king at each other all the while.
They are adorable.

I feel like a budding entomologist. Ok, not really. But I've always loved biology... and it seems like every time I go outside here, I am finding a new plant, a new tree... a new bug... that I have no idea what it is. Or at least.... I've forgotten the specifics.
One of the wonderful things about our "soon to be" house on the hill... is that it backs up to some woods... and has a tiny underground creek that winds down near our house. Every time I go up there... I hear peepers... see bigger toads... grasshoppers... and then this little guy was near my daughter's shoe.... so cute!



This is where I was supposed to be yesterday.
I mistakenly thought that the market was open on Saturdays as well.... but alas, it's not.
And so the tomatoes and yarn that I thought I was getting... will hopefully be there next week.

In the meantime, I am staying with an "old friend" this weekend... just keeping someone company while family is away. And it is good.
My daughter has a new job... and the people she works with/ and for... are awesome. What can I say. ... good peeps. ... good peeps.

This is the book I am reading this week... a gift from a great friend :)
This is some music I've been listening to this week... mainly for my mom... but it's all good.
I had basic cable installed in my mother's house on Wednesday... she hasn't had TV for close to 20yrs now. But I thought she would like this channel... and maybe this channel... and I also thought she may like to watch baseball games or some such (her brothers all played baseball)...
and it came bundled with the internet.... which makes me happy.

This is where I hope to get to on Sunday... a great event for a great cause.
I am honored to have 3 of my handmade scarves up for auction... and am excited to see what else will be there.

See you all on Monday :)

Friday Finds



I read... alot.
I love the written word.

I have decided to feature some of the blogs I read on friday's... hence the title... Friday's Finds.
I have about 250 blogs currently on my reading list... and I'm going to be sharing those links over the course of this year... on Friday's.
(plus any more I come across).
If you have a blog.... or have a favorite blog that you want me to feature...
just shoot me an email (moongipsies@msn.com).

***

Today I spent the afternoon trying to get my license straightened out...
and I'm feeling more than a little frustrated.
And so.
Today's links were chose simply because they are pretty,
fun to look at,
interesting,
and more:


Little Red Barn Farm
We're All Mad Here
Millie Fairhall
Sharon Randall
HastyPearl
mad Madam Em
The Craft Cabinet
Here Comes the Sun
Alice Fox
Magboo



.


echos of the clock
as if stuck on the faces of
faded old numbers

~~~~~

I feel like I'm in a state of limbo... a bit of stasis; as it were.
Time is in a holding pattern... and I am stuck in the middle of it.
Waiting... hurry up..... wait some more.

And I know it will all work out... it's just the waiting.

~~~

.


these hills
slowly turning from green to gold...
sweet smelling wind in their leaves.

these hills
have seen woodsmen, hunters... fishermen...
and most recently... frackers.

these hills
have been host to all sorts of wildlife...
deer, wolf, elk, mountain lion... and man.

these hills
have weathered all kinds of storms
earthly, celestial... political.

and these hills
will stand
long after I am gone.



---feeling a little small today... in the grande scheme of things. and rightly so.

catching up



I had hoped to be able to post more often... but things have been a bit wonky here...
taking care of things... running errands... trying to get things lined up with the house, with a job, etc etc etc

And so... I promise nothing for the next week or so until we are (hopefully) in our house by then and able to have WiFi and such.

It's hard to believe I've been in PA now for about 11 days. So much of it has been a blur.
And yet... in those quiet moments... when nothing NEEDS to be done... I sit ... usually in the dark of night... listening to the peepers... seeing my breathe curl in the air and dissipate as owls and bats fly about it in the air around me... perhaps even; unaware of my presence.

Our house... I feel... will be a place of rest... A quiet little nook on our little patch on the middle of a hill. And I am greatly looking forward to it.
And in the meantime... so very much needs done. It is almost frenetic in it's "hurry up and wait" attitude... like a pregnant cat... scratching and clawing... and then fussing itself into a corner to rest.

I feel frazzled. I feel a bit lost. I feel anxious... and worried... and yet, knowing we are in the right place... at the right time...
and hopefully it will all work itself out in the end.

~~~~~

This past weekend... the daughter and I escaped to the "wild frenzy" on I-16... about 75 miles of yard/garage/basement sales..... and it was fun. We had a late start... and didn't really expect to see much still open, but we were pleasantly surprised. We found lots of treasures that quickly got stashed in the car trunk: some vintage hanging railroad lamps, some vintage brass hardware that I hope to use in jewelry making, lots of old books... for reading and for art, a totally hug-gable old Raggedy Ann doll, 3 vintage printer trays, some shells... some old sewing scissors, a set of old (probably reproduction) posters from Barnum and Bailey Circus shows, a vintage juggling bat from the circus,... and a few other things that I can't think of at the moment. The circus items were particularly cool for me; as I had an uncle who trained as a clown at the famous B&B  school down in Florida when he retired. He made the BEST balloon animals :)

At one place that we stopped... we had a wonderful conversation with a gorgeous woman named Helene (HI!)... and while there we happened to see a Bald Eagle swirling in the sky overhead. I did get some photos (see below)... but alas... most are too blurry because the bird was way too far up to capture well with my limited lens.



We also went to the Farmer's Market here in town. We were able to get some yummy fingerling potatoes, a couple cucumbers, a squash... and I also purchased some gorgeous Alpaca yarn. Turns out... there is an Alpaca farm nearby, and the woman who owns it spins her own wool. 
whoa.
much love to you all... and more later


((the photo at the top of this post; is one I took on the ride back to my mother's house 
from the yard sales. Someone had a leaf pile burning... and it was casting a stunning hue of smoky blue onto the hills))

.



8 long legs walking
in this torrential rain
dancing on raindrops

***



--today was a very busy... and somewhat difficult day...
and it basically rained off and on all the while ... which was wonderful...
and yet, a bit maddening when I left the windows down on the car and totally sopted the inside...

and in other news... I took quite a few photos... and almost all of them had spiders in them...
even though I did not see them when I was taking the photos... I can clearly see them now during the editing process.

According to Spider Energy (Animal Totem):
Spider is a symbol of Creativity and the Weaving of Fate
Spider shows up throughout myth and in all cases the myths are similar - Spider is the weaver of stories, dreams, illusions, fate. Spider is often seen as linking past to future.
Spider teaches to maintain balance - between past and future - physical and spiritual - life and death. Spider teaches that what you do now, thoughts, actions, emotions, serve to weave your future - if Spider shows up, it may indicate it is time to access your deepest wisdom about this teaching and make it a part of your daily life
Spider weaves a web of subtle and intricate pattern - what has gone before in the weaving determines what happens next in the weaving. Spider, in the center of his web can serve as a reminder that we are the center of our own world - our world is woven by us, around us - we are the keepers and writers of our own destiny - weaving it like a web by our thoughts, feelings and actions - it may be time to open yourself up to the infinite possibilities this presents - and make a choice - your choice today creates your tomorrow
Spider is guardian of all ancient languages and alphabets. Many attribute the very first letters to the patterns and angles formed by a spider's web- spider is considered to be the teacher of languages and the magic of writing - it may be time to write creatively - without the constraints of form, tradition or habit
Spiders are usually found in dark, inaccessible places - this can teach to not be afraid to use your creative energies in seemingly inaccessible places or in what may seem to be the dark - when the light hits it it will shine as a masterpiece - just as a spider's web does in the morning light

.



today I walk in fields grown over
tiny grasshoppers fleeing before me
trying to tread softly, earnestly...
over fallen limbs
fungus clinging to the wet bark
peepers singing in the background
deep within the brush
almost too tiny to be seen
...and there it was
a small brook
just a trickle of a thing
sprouting green all around it
sending out hope
life
eternity in a drop of water