Care in Making and Nurturing

 In that recent post here, I spoke of LOVE STORIES

Below is a photo my friend sent of my Mama's Rose bush, in bloom right now.

You may recall it from posts gone by (there is a label for it at the bottom of the page).

Anyway, she now lives in my friend's NoCal home and is well loved and well taken care of.

She looks so good! 

Now this is a love story!

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I was recently sent a winding of precious pink-tan homespun yarn from Deb in WA.

This inspired my most recent weaving, so I pulled out the little loom and my beloved white cotton-type yarn. I've just got a small amount of this white left. I've always liked it because it makes a good warp yarn, with so little stretch & give to it. So I warped up the loom.

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I also thought of it as the typical meaning of white for purity, as in a good heart.

Of course, I immediately thought: why is it white that is pure and good?

Finding Meaning...

which of course led to the...

meaning of Black

Completely Ingrained in Us, yes?

As seen in the last post, I did go with the White, due to the warping ability of this yarn.

*NOTE: As an aside, I'm almost done with the CMB green I've focused on using up. I'm super glad because it is not a good warp yarn! It stretches and becomes loose as I weave, making it a frustrating experience.

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So, thanks go out to Deb G @ beecreative

for the inspiration and beautiful soft (in feel and look) yarn!

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Since I knew who this one was going to, I was further inspired to use bits given to me by many in this amazing circle of women. with that in mind, I pulled out some blue cloth from Hazel and ripped of a tiny thin piece. I added that to the collection of yarns she sent me.

Thanks so much Hazel@handstories

I've really enjoyed the varied yarns you've sent and use them with joy!

Next, came a tiny strip of fabric from Marti. She had dyed this piece herself with windfall discovered on her walks. Isn't it beautiful? So earthy and peaceful. Thank you Marti for your generous spirit!

I had already put aside a bit of magical floss from 

Deb L@more wiffs, glimmers & left oeuvres

but, I also pulled out a bit of her cloth and tore off a tiny strip of that too. I love how the colors of this piece of cloth mimic the yarn colors on the white warp yarn! Thank you Deb!

Dee@Pattern and Outrage provided (unknowingly!) the next bit of color. An earthy brown that has been so long wound into a ball, that it began to become felted! I gingerly pulled off some strands and wove them in. Thank you Dee for all of the yarn you have shared with me.

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Below are some process pictures. I'm including several that I took so you can see how this bag grew and the many collaborators I had weaving with me! Every bit of the yarn I used (except my beloved soft green, which I had finger-crocheted on a lunch break & the rainbow colored one which was part of something I'd bought, as noted below) was a gift to me...I see this as perfectly full-circle, as it all became a gift to someone else!

The bit of rainbow yarn above was part of something I bought many years ago at our local

Relay For Life

I finally realized that taking it apart would be the best use for this item. I really liked how colorful and thin this yarn is.

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Of course, I also have received many a yarn gift from

Liz@ I'm Going to Texas

and I was happy to add some here! Thank you Liz for being a part of this circle.

Below is the light, multi-colored floss from Deb L. ~ woven right in, it looks lovely!

I think I have finally given up looking for perfection of shape and now embrace the wonky hour-glass shape of my weaving, even if the books say I'm doing it wrong. Ha. Who cares...I'm doing it with love and that's what counts in my book. ❤️

It is very hard to see in the pictures, but I also wove in a thin bit and a little tiny bit thicker bit of magic thread from Jude@Feel Free...

because what is life without a bit of magic, a good friend (or many) and a great mentor?!!

Thank you for every little bit of everything Jude.

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After clipping off the tiny ends on the back of the bag, I stitched it closed, added the finger-crocheted strap and mailed it all off to Tina. It was made with gratitude, gifts and love.

All we really need.

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May you have what you need

May you be given some of what you need

May you give it away

xo

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PS Yes! I did notice that teeny ball of 'yellow' in the baggie from Hazel! 

I'll for sure use that on the Yellow bag.

PPS Tina if you send me your Instagram, I'll update with the link

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2022

Freedom?

          

RICHIE HAVENS -  Freedom  Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child  1969

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Sometimes I feel like a Motherless child

Sometimes I feel like a childless Mother

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Mother's Day is coming.  I'll be hiding out.

I miss my mama and have been enjoying the bittersweet of her coming to my dreams.

This song popped into my head recently, the Freedom really.
I'd forgotten for the moment about the Motherless child part...
but it all fits.
It all fits.

I thought I'd be feeling more freedom after the move,
but with all that I got rid of,
I kept me.
(((sigh)))
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On a work walk recently, I thought again of this song.
I thought of the ideas folks always tout about what 'you' manifest.
I thought, what if I had a dog and named him/her Freedom...
then every time I called him or her, I'd be calling Freedom to myself.
I'd be out loud, downright manifesting, wouldn't I?!  lol

There have been many hard days, well moments, lately.
Hard moments.
Chronic pain.
Changes in many places and ways.
Things I cannot change.
Who holds the remote control of life?
 ↔
Twice in the last two days of the workweek,
I had two different people intentionally turn their back on me...
yes, really physically place their back to me...
and continue to talk to the other person there.

The second time it was right after watching the Fred Rogers movie.
Fred was all about Kindness.
This was not kind.
Who does shit like this?
I would never even think of this.

This is but a small nugget in my life these days.
So, I'm tired.

Yes, this feels like whining and complaining
and I'm not good at putting that here.
I can't bear to announce any specifics, yet...
here I am doing that,
W&C.
ha

So, I keep looking for the beauty.
I keep trying to be nice to others, doing the things I think matter,
even when I wonder what really matters in the end.
IJDM
↔
Okay, no more of that.
Skipping any specifics and onto photos of roses and weaving.

The Mama rose!

Blooming in its new home

How did I get this shot?!

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Old loom

 I found this old loom when packing.  The dad of an old co-worker made it for me.
This was right before you could buy 'em just anywhere, plastic, a dime a dozen.
I never did finish the scarf.  Then I forgot the steps.
I threw it away in the move.  Or as J. and I joke "It didn't make the cut".
I never did like how the little nails felt anyway.
So many UFO's ~ Bye

Was on the loom, now finished

This one is complete.  I used purples, blues...thinking "pretty".

On the loom now, almost done

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Sometimes I peek as i weave

 This one is more earthy colors, so yes there is some green in there.
This is as close as I've gotten to playing along so far with Jude's class.
My fabric is still 'packed' if you will.

Loving the pattern here

Finding beauty by the post office!

I do not know what kind of flowers these are, but they were sure pretty, even if stinky!

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 Front of the apartment roses, not mine.
We are kinda sorry we didn't think to dig up and take the beautiful yellow rose
we planted at the old place.  It had the best scent!
Oh well, we have others to look at here, even if none of them have a scent!
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 ⤴

After years of wanting one of these and gifting to others instead,
I finally bought myself a circle of friends candle holder.
There is something funny about that to me, but I really like these.
Then I found out that there is a story to them:

⥁

Mexican "Circle of Friends" Candle Holder The ancient Mayan Indian legend surrounding the very decorative & charming Circle of Friends…. “at the end of the evening, friends would gather around a bonfire and share their hearts and speak of the good qualities of each other and remember times shared". As you sit with the candle lit in the middle of your circle of friends, it will surround and embrace all who sit with you and bring good luck to those who stay together.”

(From: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/42362052719566409/)

...and I found this funny video

Mine is 5 people, not too big, not too small.
Just enough.
⥀
Just enough.

May your days hold some friendships and beauty 

to celebrate good times and ease the hard times.
May you have enough.

With Love

xo

All photos by NAE @ pomegranate trail ©2019

Happy Birthdays to Us!

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NOTE: I left all of the photos in the medium size to help in loading so many.  
Click on each photo to enlarge and be there with me!

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There are 3, count 'em 3 little buds on the Mama Rose!!

We were not sure if the patio would get enough light...but alas, she's looking good!

They say good things come in threes☺

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Today we took a Sunday Drive to celebrate our birthdays 

and to see the local Super Bloom!

 We've been out this way before.

I've probably posted about the Musical Highway and the Poppy Preserve. 

Anyway, as is our way...we went our own way!

We didn't even try to get close to the preserve.

We didn't even head South, where all the hub-bub has been.

(Have you seen it on the news?)

We took back roads and stayed away from people.

If I could only live off one of these roads!

Now, here for the sharing for my friends near and far...

I "moooed" and this fella whipped his head around!  I guess I speak cow!

Heading out down the highway

We start to notice splashes of orange painted on the hillsides

Thick and Bright

It was super windy and I wasn't so much interested in close-up photos

Beautiful contrasting colors!

Tiny yellow flowers

YELLOW!

Yellow - Zoom

Turning up the road towards the preserve...WOW!  I love the lines of this pic :)

Wild, wild flowers EVERYWHERE!

Yellow and Orange

Brilliant color as far as the eye can see!

A nice man flags us down to come smell these little lovelies

I searched and searched online, but do not know what these are

The have the most delicious, light, lavender like scent

Us

Every direction we turn...more!

Me, almost 60 years old

Crossroads reminded me of the end of Cast Away

The poppies were so bright, even with my sunglasses on!

Then we stumbled on to these!

Before heading out on the main road, we have to move through the only 'crowds' we encounter.

Hundreds stand right in the delicate flower fields to get their photo taken

Still beautiful views while in traffic

A few minutes later were out and moving again!

Woosh! Roadside stands pop up along the way

There were many crows roadside

Heading home, looking up!

Wildflower delight

The canyon way home

And dinner out, a gift from dear friends

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May you enjoy the wonders of nature in your own backyard,
even if it is a small patio or a short drive away!
xo

Photos by NAE @pomegranatetrail ©2019