Gehring Road

lately.

Lately, it suddenly became February. The days are getting longer, the light in the evening is lingering and I'm feeling ready for Spring. So are the daffodils. Last week we had an intense wind and rain storm which ripped our screen door off its hinges, the washing machine flooded our basement and some mechanism inside the toilet snapped. They say things happen in threes. I've been spending much time with Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, I bought this sweater, and am looking forward to the arrival of some more Liberty Love. Welcome February.  

snow day

Yesterday was lovely. Not very much snow at all, especially for seasoned New Englanders, but the timing of the storm (just before the morning commute) allowed for a snow day. I have mixed feelings about snow days, in general I'd rather have days off in June than January, but this one seemed much more necessary than most. I had so many things that I wanted to do... grade papers, sew, do some laundry... but instead, I watched Anna Karenina, took many shots of the snow, rested with Kylie and just relished the day. It was just what I needed. I headed back into work today ready to take on the end of the week. So perfect. Just tomorrow and then another long weekend for me. Perfect for catching up on some of those things that didn't happen yesterday. Today I'm still enjoying the snow, looking forward to butternut squash soup for dinner and most certainly looking forward to this weekend ahead. Happy Thursday everyone!

early autumn outside

Summer left us suddenly and early this year... usually these last few days of summer into autumn are warmer and often linger into October. This year feels different. Even my students have marked the earliness of it all. The socks and wool have made their appearance already, we've had temperatures around forty at night and stew twice in the past week. It's chilly. Those early signs of the "long season" have us quickly putting things away, harvesting what we can: loads of butternut, a surprise ghost pumpkin, the last of the eggplant. They have us putting garlic in the ground (Rob's crop this year was... abundant!) before the frost. And these days have us (and the small one) enjoying the last rays of the sun despite its strange autumn slant. I so love this season... Happy Monday!

the one where they told me to erase the hard drive

This lovely echinacea bloom is outside of our front door right now... I love it, it reminds me of the sunset and is my attempt at finding inner peace and "serenity now!" My brand new computer has been acting a little strange since... well... the day we got it. Seems like the data transfer from the old computer caused some trouble. Who would have thought? First, it wouldn't really allow me to make changes to the hard drive, then it wouldn't allow me to do anything without typing my password every. single. time. Then it wouldn't read PDF files. Then Safari stopped working after the Apple Care people walked me through a fix. All very troubling. We had to back up all of my files. I had a mild freak out. Ok, not so mild (serenity now!). I realized really nothing on my old computer (including all of our photos) are truly organized and need to be. I put that off for another day and restored the computer to factory settings. Which involved a man on a phone telling me to erase the hard drive. Our conversation went something like this... Me: "So I should push 'Erase' now, right?" Apple Man: "Yup." Me: "Right now?" Apple Man: "You backed everything up, right?" Me: "Yup... I think I did." Apple Man: "Go ahead, then." Me: "This is terrifying" Apple Man (laughs): "Yup, most definitely." Serenity Now!

Everything seems to be running as it should be. Oh me of little faith. Back with a bit more this week... I hope your weekend was as restful and nonterrifying as can be. 

sweets

Lots of sweet things happening (and being eaten) around here as of late... that amazing cupcake is a German Chocolate lovely from our local cupcakery Ganache. That one there rightfully belonged to Rob as I had eaten mine for breakfast... I wanted it. Badly. Later it fell on the floor. Painful. That scream of "NOOOO" you might have heard from wherever you are was me.  

And this sweet lady is a champion snuggler. She certainly knows how to get comfortable. I'm going to miss this terribly in the coming days...

I was given this beautiful rose bush for my birthday... it is a Jubilee Celebration rose from David Austen. Pretty fitting for this year for sure. We bought it for its amazingly sweet smell. I love these roses that almost continually bloom. So pretty.

Speaking of sweet and outside, this Black Eyed Susan (Rob: there are black eyed susans growing wild in the planter out back Me: You mean the ones you planted in the fall?) is a little strange... looks like twins. 

And this sweet lady named "Petina" (I die of the cuteness) was hanging out at the farmer's market on Sunday. It was a bit overwhelming for this poor sweet one, she hung very close to her mother, made the sweetest noises ever and opened her eyes as widely as alpacaly possible. 

We're enjoying and savoring these sweet days of summer... hope you are doing the same!

sewing... outside!

My car thermometer read 80 degrees at 10 am this morning... there was just something so lovely about today. After dropping Rob off for a short work trip (boo), I was able to stop at a quilt store for some fabric (yay). Kylie has a really, really difficult time when Rob is away she gets exceptionally clingy and just isn't herself... except when lounging on a wool blanket outside. I'm not sure what to say about wool blankets in 90 degree weather other than this dog likes to be warm... it makes me hot just looking at that photo of her... sigh.

Anyway, her pleading face at the door told me something sort of had to be done... I wanted to sew, she wanted Rob back and to take her depression outside where at least her optimal temperature could sooth her little soul. I dragged ironing board, cutting board, fabric and music outside and went to town. We're so lucky Rob's dad thought to put outlets outside on the patio.  I'm not sure why I haven't thought of cutting fabric outside before... the breeze was really lovely, the dog... mildly satiated (she's stops going to Rob's office to look for him after the first day or so) and I got in some crafty time. This will be a quilt for the couch (can you believe this is the first quilt I've made for our couch?) and entirely made from Lotta Jansdotter's Echo line. This outdoor cutting and crafting is going to be my thing, I can feel it. For someone who hates cutting fabric as I do, it was a pleasant little surprise.

Though the deck and table that my fabric was on is in desperate need of a power washing, I thought better... wasting precious cutting time washing furniture... no thank you! My ironing board is also in desperate need of a new cover and my toes are in desperate need of a pedicure... desperate. Maybe time for that later in the week... happy Monday friends. 

scenes from around here

I've been away from this space for far too long, but to be honest, grad work and an inert sewing machine are not so interesting! It occurred to me today that I haven't sewn a single stitch in weeks... though the itch to pick up some new fabric (hello lovelies!) and dream of projects is providing some needed distractions. I'm loving Suzuko Koseki's new (and old prints) and that sweet little red and white print was purchased in bulk... I love it. I've also fallen for Lecien's line of stripes, I should have fallen for them before competing the quilt top of my strips and bricks quilt... which has yet to be backed. Ahem. Maybe I'm just waiting for some Flea Market Fancy to back it... ha! 

In other news, we've had our first fire, I've had my first sinus infection (which I ignored long enough for it to become an inner ear infection and seriously unpleasant) loaded hundreds of cut pieces of wood into a truck and brought it down to the wood shed. The front stoop is bedecked and very autumnal looking indeed. Kylie is spending much time in the sun and around her favorite loves. I'm loving fall, just hopeful that things will slow down and return to a pace more suitable for crafting and creating. 

So it's back to the book for me today, with little glimpses of fall color in between... with kleenex and a sweet little one curled up beside me, what more could a girl need? Happy Fall! 

seasoning

Just a little peek into what is happening outside... lots of planting, beautiful peonies emerging (the light pink ones for the first time since we planted them two years ago!) and the season really is in full bloom.  Which has activated my allergies for the first time in years... it hasn't been a pleasant experience... it has left me a little cranky, a bit wiped out and a wee bit desperate for some relief. But, that's the season... and there is so much to love about this season...

This season that my allergies hate but I love is also bringing us very close to the end of the school year, and I can't really describe my joy at having time to myself for a bit.  It feels like for a brief few months of the year, I'm myself. Lists are being made, books are being purchased for those days, and the anticipation is measured by the sheer amount that needs to get done in the meantime. The weekend seems to fly by while these final weeks are beginning to linger... exams, grading, cleaning all await me at school tomorrow. Instead of dwelling on what needs to be, today we plan to celebrate the opening season at our local Farmer's Market... ahh, it certainly is feeling like summer... Hope you are enjoying all that these seasons offer in your little neck of the woods. Back tomorrow! 

into the woods

We ventured up into the woods today, chopping and splitting and stacking for the coming cold months... it seems so strange yet so right to be preparing for one season while welcoming the start of another. Soon, we'll be planting things in the garden thinking of fall and the canning season ahead. And so it goes... So up we went to Stonewood Camp, home to Rob's mom Connie and her husband Chip. When looking through the photos from today (which are mostly of the goats... I love their eyes but not when their attempts to knock one over) I was struck at how few pictures of the actual work we did today I have... that pile of sawdust is really it. The stacks are there though, and the wind and the sun will do their work on them, drying them out and making them the very thing that will get us through the fall, winter and into next spring. My face (wind burned or sun burned, unclear as to which) tells me that we got quite a bit accomplished in our morning... Rob's back agrees which my face. I hope this Sunday finds you happily busy, energized from the weekend and ready (I'm trying!) for the week ahead. 

happy equinox

We had a 73 degree day on Friday... we opened the windows in the house and just allowed the air to be...it was delicious.  And just like that, Spring has finally arrived. Under that snow, things were beginning to peek out just as usual, just as they always do, just as they should.

I am doing my taxes (another sure sign of Spring), folding fabric and helping Kylie chase the sunlight (prime napping territory, you see) around the floor with her dog bed.  Rob on the other hand, is preparing for the coming winter... up to the woods he has gone to cut down fire wood for the coming cool months. The distinct change in season is something I love about our little home, and just as assuredly as the seasons begin anew, the seasons change. There is something decidedly lovely about that. To every season... a very happy Spring to you and I hope this weekend finds you loving what it brings.