Welcome, Family, Friends, and Visitors! While threatening hurricanes of news swirl around me in the world, and challenging squalls of circumstances rock the boat of this Saylor from day to day, one thing I try to meditate on is how to be in the eye of the storm. I found this song on YouTube and while it does not reflect my specific experiences, it does speak to my aim to know
peace in the midst of our world that is peace challenged.
In my mind's eye, I see our home with gardens that offer the lovely controlled chaos in scent and sight of the quintessential English cottage garden abuzz with bees and highlighted with fluttering butterflies and hummingbirds. I do not have photos of bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds to show you, but I have seen them here.
The Joseph Coat rose bushes climb to great heights, but we do not know how to train them to form a lush arbor over us. They do however amazingly produce over a dozen roses at the tip of a few branches, and if your nose gets close enough you can enjoy their sweet gentle scent.
The HollyHocks have come back again and are forming promising buds at the tip of each gangling stalk,
and the Clematis is in lush purple bloom.
We have several types of Hydrangeas and the white bush presently has the most profuse number of blooms.
We have done some weeding of the berm out front and some of my adult children have spread Cedar chips to help keep moisture in the soil and hopefully discourage weeds from thriving.
The wildflowers my youngest son planted down by the pond last year have dared to come back this year and he has been weeding around them since this photo was taken.
Being born in New England, our family enjoyed having traditional Boston baked beans and brown bread that my mom made. She had a brown pottery bean pot that my older sister now has. I have been fascinated in reading in some English novels that the characters often ate beans and an egg on toast and so recently I prepared a version of that for myself and thought it was yummy.
I just have four more rows to crochet on my
Ruby shawl!!!!
At our worship art group last Saturday, I started on a mixed media project focused on the theme that God chooses to build believers together into a dwelling in which He lives by His Spirit. The example our facilitator made is very clever and different in color from what I have started. I enjoyed forming the base she designed and I hope to work more on decorating the houses.
How are you creatively coping with the storms of life in and around you?
May you know joy and peace.
Gracie xx
Good morning and happy July! I love your shawl, such joyful colors. That's part of the pleasure of visiting your LYS; you are able to stand and absorb the colors. About a year ago I had a similar experience at The Fold, a lys in Marengo IL. It was my first visit, the shop owner was lovely and I found several skeins of yarn to buy. When I checked out she gave me a $26 skein as a gift!! Of course I'll return if I'm back in that area. Happy knitting.
ReplyDeletePeace, Karen
Oh, Gracie, yes, those storms do swirl around us, don't they? You have created the perfect haven with your beautiful gardens and cozy home. I have a Joseph's coat rose, too - they are so amazing with all their different colors. So nice of your children to help you out in the gardens - nice job! I didn't realize you grew up in New England - so did I ! We had Boston Baked Beans every single Friday night and my Dad loved Bean sandwiches. I have the bean pot, too. Love your amazing Ruby shawl and your sweet mixed media art. You are so artistic and creative! I think that is one of the keys to finding peace in your heart in this chaotic world. Sending hugs xo Karen
ReplyDeleteYour garden is flowering wonderfully! I enjoyed visiting your world and seeing how everything is summering along. I'm so glad you're on the final rows of your Ruby shawl!! Now we can both wear them sometime and go out to lunch. When do you leave on your big trip south? We got our windows ordered and now have to wait 6 weeks or so for installation. Travis' friend is going to paint out house.. guess what color? :-) And we've got deck lumber on order but it's not in stock right now.. :-( Enjoy the weekend! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
ReplyDeleteLovely pictures of your garden. What a wonderful name for a rose! Your shawl is so pretty. I love the yarn you used. So very colorful and happy. I think being creative through out all this is the only thing we can truly do to keep ourselves growing as a person and not become stuck in the muck and mire that has become the norm. I think for me, I pray a lot that peace will wash over our nation. I have disassociated myself from the loud, screaming voices that do not represent me. Nothing is achieved through chaos but chaos. I continue to write my stories, crochet, knit and cross stitch....and....above all else...pray. I pray your creative endeavors will fill your heart with peace and that His light, that so clearly shines through out your life, will continue to guide your steps in the future. Blessings to you always sweet friend. :)
ReplyDeleteHi Gracie...
ReplyDeleteI often read your lovely blog and just love your Ruby Shawl!!! I have searched for a pattern without success.
Could you please tell me how I might find the pattern to create a shawl of. My own...
thank you
Stephanie
Email is : stephhaworth27@gmail.com
Hi Gracie, your words have such a calming peace of this world we live in. I'd love to sit in your garden and crochet or paint and share a pot of tea with you. Your shawl is beautiful. Take care dear friend, Pat xx
ReplyDeleteGracie, I love all of your flowers and the beautiful shawl you are making. I am trying to find the calm in this storm but am having difficulty when the man in charge writes pathetic tweets about women in general. It is disheartening to me the complete lack of respect he shows to anyone who is not white and male.
ReplyDeleteI love the peace and serenity that you have created in your garden. The shawl you are working on is a delight, the wonderful array of colour is stunning.
ReplyDeleteI understand you sense of a need to find peace in this chaotic world. I hope that the chaos in your own life will calm down.
ReplyDeleteYour garden flowers are lovely!
That shawl is going to be beautiful too.
Gorgeous flowers! And such a lovely, colorful shawl. I'm pretty much hanging out at home, doing my own creative thing, shutting out the noise of the world. Wishing you a happy new month.
ReplyDeleteYes, I too feel the need to find peace within my close environs as I look about and feel my country in chaos around me. So many unsettling things here and around the world too. I try to find joy in small things, as you do with your lovely flowers, cooking and crafting and being with family and close friends. Thank you for your lovely comments on my last posts. Have a peaceful weekend:)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful "English garden" photos! Love that rose! Yes, i's hard to find peace in the storm. God is our fortress! I am not surrounded by flowers here in my high desert (new) home and hope to gradually add more and more. I love the rustic feel of our yard, because it requires NO work! :-) That's great for us "old" people. :-) But I'm a glutton for punishment and hope to grow more and more. I miss the lovely color! Love your lovely shawl.
ReplyDeleteI love visiting your blog Gracie, you radiate calm and warmth from your home and garden. We have a few English country garden flowers here in our garden, and plenty of weeds too. I am quite taken with your white hydrangea, it's really special. x
ReplyDeleteMy sweet friend Gracie,viiating you always brings some peace to my world. You have such a lovely way with words and your calming spirit soothes my soul. Thank you for sharing photos of your world with us todqy and your shawl is just lovely my friend. We have some chaos in our world right now as we have many decisions to make over the next year or two. It's very difficult when we feel pulled in so many directions. I try to keep my eye on the One who controls everything. We are praying for His guidance.
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Betsy
Hi Grace, such beautiful flowers. You are very craft talented all the way around. I love your shawl and it is great you have an art class like that in your area. Have a wonderful blessed week.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks so lovely. That is a wonderful name for that rose! Sarah x
ReplyDeleteYour hollyhock will rock. I want more images of them. I love their old fashioned papery petals. I want my clematis to grow like yours. It is our first year, first planting. They are very short still. I would love to try brown bread with beans. IS that why they sell brown bread in a can ?
ReplyDeleteAs for the eye of the storm, I always go to prayer. and sometimes meds! and I try so very hard to live right now, right here in the moment. In this moment i hear the birds singing, my husband is beside me watching the Tour De France coverage, and My dear beloved SON is home but headed to Chicago to see friends who love him and have missed him for the last year. Im blessed. My girl in Oklahoma is happy today too. All good
Your yard is just gorgeous. I so love hollyhocks and clematis. How lovely to sit outside and enjoy such beauty. My next house will not be full shade! I've had enough of ferns and hostas!
ReplyDeleteYour shawl is beautiful! Reminds me of Joseph's coat of many colors.
How wonderful the garden looks, dear Gracie. I love the way you've turned your home into a safe haven, with coziness, crafting and flowers. So inviting.
ReplyDeleteAmalia
xo
Your ruby shawl is beautiful, I love the colours. Your garden is also lovely with the great variety of flowers you have in it, so pretty. I love wildflowers and have a packet here that I haven't been game enough to do anything with yet - maybe this summer :)
ReplyDeleteDiana
Your shawl is gorgeous Gracie as are you ♥♥ Loved having a lovely tour around your place and seeing some beautiful flowers too xoxo
ReplyDeleteI so agree. The eye of the storm is definitely the sanctuary of the garden. It was lovely to wander through yours. Everything is looking summer lush. Your ruby shawl is looking good too. B x
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