In Retrograde

 

It really does explain quite a bit.  If you are not familiar with it, retrograde is the apparent motion of a planet in a direction opposite to that of other bodies in its system.  In other words, it appears that a planet is moving backwards from our view here on earth.

Although retrograde is actually only an optical illusion, many believe the effects when it occurs are not unlike the behavioral changes caused by the changes in the gravitational pull during full moons.  

For example, some claim that, during periods of retrograde, it is easier to become unfocused and irritable, more likely to misunderstand or have conflicts, and even to cause anxiety and depression.  It has also been known to cause glitches in technology and communication.

Useless point of trivia: Between now and the end of September, 7 different planets will be in retrograde at the same time.  😳  In my book, that's like having 7 full moons in a month...but not nearly as enchanting.

Anyways, that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.

{Rudbeckia}

Since my last post, I have settled back into my hermitage.

Summer has slipped through my fingers like the white sand on a beach.

I heard on the weather today that today will be 2 minutes and 56 seconds shorter than yesterday, and tomorrow will be 2 minutes and 57 seconds shorter than today.  So, in two days, we will have essentially lost 6 minutes of daylight.

Rather than blather on about more useless info, I will share photos of what is left of summer here in Nod. 

{Morning Glories}

{Four of my five varieties of Hibiscus are blooming...still waiting on the reds as they are always the last.}

And while Summer revels in her last hurrah, Autumn is quietly slipping in.

The bittersweet berries are turning:

Critters are stockpiling and fattening up:

...and the trees are turning and losing their leaves.

 When has the onset of my favorite season become so bittersweet?

Must be the retrograde, eh?

133 E. Jefferson Street

There was a time when I traveled.

I once traveled across Europe for a year with the clothes on my back and an external frame expedition backpack.

I usually didn't know where I would be staying - or if I would be staying - from night to night.  Many nights were spent sleeping on the train to save hostel costs.

(My neck and back are now paying a price for that backpack and those trains.)

I would love to travel again, but circumstances are not permitting.

Becoming a hermit being just one of those circumstances.

Last week, however, I escaped my hermitage for a brief few days and drove to a little village town in the southwest of Wisconsin called Spring Green.

It is most well-known for Frank Lloyd-Wright's "House on the Rock," but I did not go there.

My destination was 133 E. Jefferson Street - the home of Country Sampler.

For those of you non-stitchers/quilters, it is a name that means nothing (and this post will be of absolutely no interest - my apologies), but for some of us, it is a destination unto itself.

I met up with my sister-in-law and 2 of her friends.  

We stayed in the rooms above the shop.  (See the windows in the upper story above the storefront in the photo above? Those are the windows to the main room and sitting area.)

{My bed}

{Window in my room}

{Deck off the back of our rooms}

Having a beautiful shop overflowing with quilt fabrics, linens, floss, patterns, and other beautiful decor items directly below your sleeping quarters for 3 days is a dangerous thing...not to mention financially reckless.

I thought I had taken more photos but, apparently, I was distracted every time I stepped inside.

{Pssst...see my angel?? I have had mine for years and was tickled to see her twin so beautifully displayed.}

It was, however, inspiring to see the models for some amazing designs perfectly finished/framed.  These are just a few:

{This almost came home with me...then I had a reality check regarding all the 1x1.}

{This - and some linen and floss for it -did come home with me...hoping for a post-Spooking-Season start.}

These (and a few other) things followed me home:

One night that we were there, two of the "keepers of the shop" who create much of the magic downstairs joined us for a night of stitching. It was so good to finally put faces to names.

....and while I was gone, Sister Moon shyly blossomed.

Oh...and did I stitch? Ummm, well, yeah? A little??

Of Crows, Moons, and Large Alien Eyeballs

Some would think the days pass slowly in Nod - especially for a hermit.

The winter days, yes, they are interminable...but the days of summer pass mercurially fast.

Many are spent counting crows.

One for sorrow, two for mirth;

Three for a wedding, four for death....

And the nights are spent with Sister Moon.

Every month for a lifetime, I have watched her blossom from a meek sliver into a round, ripe, melon in the sky.

But, lately, I have paid more attention to what a changeling she really is.

July 22nd:

July 24th:

July 26th:

July 27th:

July 29th:

One week... It slipped by so quickly...or perhaps that's what time does when one grows older.

For nights when the moon is shy and keeps to the clouds, I have a likeness of her in  my garden.

In her comment on my previous post, Marly of Samplers-and-Santas asked what the "large alien eyeball" was outside my dungeon window.

I explained that it is a gazing ball...atop of a concrete cat lying on its back, slowly being overtaken by rogue sedum, and promised her a photo.

The dungeon is in the basement and, therefore, the view from the dungeon window is at ground level.

But, yes, I do, indeed, see an alien eyeball.  🤣

Another day, and the moon will be full and a new month will be begin.

And so goes the rhythm of nature and time.

Goodbye July.

Sepia Sampler...and Other Things That Begin With "Ssss"

I am still struggling with the souls stranded on the Isle of the Unfinished, but have rescued one:  "Sepia Sampler," a design by Lori Brechlin of Notforgotten Farm, is now finally finished and framed.  (The frame is not as black as it appears in the photo - there are wonderful wood tones that reflect the sepia tones of the sampler colors.)

{Stitched 1 over 2 on 36ct "Wren" by Picture This Plus.}

The smoke from the Canadian wildfires has once again enveloped Nod.

Every morning, every evening and every hour in between is shrouded in haze.

{Smokebush and Echinacea...and wildfire smoke}

This round, the smoke seems particularly irritating to my eyes so I checked on the back gardens, then retreated to my dungeon.

{View from the dungeon}
 

It's not such a bad place to be considering the "babies" are now hatched and out and about.

You know...those other things that start with "ssss...."

Yes, that streak of red on the left of the photo below is a very forked tongue.

They are every bit as feisty as the adults.

If you don't hear from me in a few weeks, please tell someone to bring bread and water....

On second thought, hold the water...make it wine.

Yesterday's Roses

 

The days are slipping by while I am still standing still.  More than three weeks have passed since I last posted and I have little to show for the time, and even less to say.

So I thought I would show you yesterday's roses and a few other random photos.

 

We had one good rain a week ago, and that has been all. This is typically when our drought season starts but this year it has gotten a wicked head start.

Things have been hot and humid - the days smoke-filled and hazy from the wildfires. So, in some of the photos below, you may notice the gauziness of the skies in the background.

{Wisteria on Cornzebo}

{The teeny, tiny, house in Nod}

{Follow the red brick road....}

I continue to stitch a little - mostly on littles.  The Isle of the Unfinished, however, is becoming grossly overpopulated, so I have committed (🤣) to do better at final finishes.  

This is "Keeper of the Pins" by With Thy Needle & Thread.  I finished the stitching over a year ago, but now it is truly finished:

And this is "1864 Sampler House" by Chessie and Me:

Little Mia continues to grow.

And I continue to look up.

One never knows what one might see up there.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Happy July my friends - and Happy belated Canada Day to my friends across the border.