random thoughts

........ regarding All One Talismans
There is a tale to be told, a story to be woven.
There are questions to ask and answers to be rooted out.
Dreams will be made solid and visions will be transcribed into three dimensions.
Feeling an enormous sense of possibility.

....... regarding rooting out dormant parts of my psyche
I've been wanting a tattoo inside my left forearm for at least six or seven years.  All I knew was that I wanted a string of dots in there somewhere, no idea what else.  I think I'm finally closing in on a design.  A while back I shared a vision I have of myself, standing squarely on a mountain peak, a warrior or maybe a wizard's staff held firmly in my hand, looking out across a great expanse, an aura of calm and great power radiates around me ...

In my copy of A Wizard of Earthsea, there's a little glyph at the beginning of one of the chapters.  It's always intrigued me and I've drawn my own versions on bookmarks and in my journals.  Re-reading this slim volume, that glyph hit me again.  I'm thinking it can represent my own staff of power, the dots are the connection to the earth.  Here's my current design and a test drive in henna.

My clumsy henna work is much wider than my intended design, but at least I can get an idea of what it would be like having my forearm permanently adorned.  I'm thinking it needs something at the base of the dots - a grounding symbol to anchor myself and my power.    
 
........ regarding the urge to pick up needle and thread
I am compelled to stitch, yet I resist.  It feels like fear, but how could I be afraid of something so innocuous?  Why do I resist?  I want to stitch and assemble windfall bundles to dye fabric, roam and gather and follow nothing but my intuition, yet I resist.  I have work to do, I must focus, I must stay on task, I have to earn my keep.  My heart longs to connect with fabric and needle and thread ... yet I resist.  Definitely feels like fear.

I did pull out my sewing machine this past week.  I finally decided what I wanted to do with a beautiful piece of mushroom colored bottom weight linen ... a sort of dirndl skirt with shoulder straps.  I dove in without a pattern ... I can totally do this.  Cutting board on the floor, rulers and scissors and t-square and rotary cutter and measuring tape and straight pins strewn about.  After some figuring, the cutting began.  Still figuring it out in my head, ah - I have enough fabric to put in pockets.  I root out a pants pocket pattern, lay it on the piece of fabric and cut the pockets, then the waistband ... then I realize I've cut the pockets and waistband from the main piece of skirt fabric ... the 'extra' fabric is to my left.  "Darn, I wish I hadn't done that."  I'm thinking ... Skirts shouldn't have seems down the front ... Tim Gunn comes to mind, "make it work."  I soldier on, get very close to what seems like a finished product, hold it up to me ... "yes, that will work."  Try it on ... no.  It's bloody huge!  Orlando is wearing my project right now while it rests and I figure out how to "make it work."

There's definitely new moon energy moving through me, nesting and nurturing and creating.  Thinking that's fueling the sewing urge.  Nurturing is taking shape in the form of putting up tomatoes ... 20 pounds of deliciously ripe jumbo tomatoes waiting to be roasted from Mountain Harvest Organic Farm via our N. Asheville farmer's market.  Greens in the sink ready for juicing.

   
The final batch of roasted goodness ... core, drizzle with olive oil, season with Urban Accents Fisherman's Wharf spice blend.  Roast for 2 1/2 hours at 300 degrees.  Cool, slide skins off, give them a good stir, then ladle into quart size zip-locs and freeze.  OMG - they're incredibly sweet and delicious and, if I can keep my hands off of them, they'll be such a treat this winter.

   
So, the tomatoes are frozen, the dirndl is resting, I'm searching for an appropriate glyph to anchor my tattoo design, there's still a pair of work pants for Dave that need hemming (they've been hanging in my workroom for months), a design sheet for a sheet of rubber stamps has been sent off - a new, top secret project that I'm itching to reveal, but just not yet, I'm planning my strategy for the gem show later this week and the little vintage French lunch tin that holds my hand sewing things is waiting patiently on my worktable.

with heartfelt blessings and enormous gratitude to those of you making use of my Etsy anniversary discount (through today) .....
l i g a - kvk