Find your place at Spring Bird
I dried some mint for tea this morning! This was my first time doing so, and I am fairly content with my results. We grow mint at several locations not only because it is a yummy herb, but because it spreads easily as a ground …
Okay, Part 2 of the cornelian cherries saga continues with homemade jelly. This jelly, which Patrick made with a hefty amount of lemon juice, is just delicious! It’s tart and bright and lovely on buttermilk biscuits or as a topper on a scoop of vanilla …
Here are some drawings of things that we have been harvesting from our gardens this Summer. We’ve had SO many green beans. It’s been a bean bonanza! Last year there were so many cucumbers and chile peppers. It’s interesting to see what is a boom …
This was a fun process to explore on this beautiful, sunny day. Artist Janelle Rae (former artist in residence at Spring Bird/current creator of the honeysuckle meditation hut featured in the blue bench meadow) recommended making hammer prints with the zinnias that we are growing. …
In last week’s Woolgathering Podcast, I mentioned the Dog Days of Summer, and then immediately admitted I didn’t know the origin behind that phrase, which I understood to mean the really hot days of Summer that occur towards the end of the season. So, I …
This is cornelian cherry juice. Pat made it by boiling cornelian cherries (with pits) in water for about a half an hour. Then he strained it and heated the juice with sugar until the sugar dissolved. (This is the ratio: 5 kilo cherries – 6 …
There are some seasonal changes that are not necessarily connected to our natural worlds. As Summer starts to fade into Fall (don’t worry, there is still plenty of Summer ahead), two seasonal markers of Fall have shown themselves already. One is “Jean Jacket Weather”! I …
It’s a new episode of the Woolgathering Podcast! In this episode, Beatriz has breakfast in the witch house, and Circe hunts down a new friend, who might have some answers. Listen HERE or wherever you get your podcasts!
This week, Pat and I began a practice of walking the “boundaries” of the property. In reality, we are trying to touch feet to ground on as many paths as possible without doubling back. Each day, we choose a different route. The main purpose behind …
This week, I had an excess of nervous energy, and so I channeled it into a tiny weaving. I had forgotten how calming weaving it is. I used to have the best thoughts while working at my big, floor loom. It’s been far too long …
I made this illustration for the postcard for the Summer Issue of Woolgathering, our nature magazine about the seasons and our deep relationship to nature. It’s heavily inspired by quilts (of course). Quilts aren’t always associated with Summer (because of the hot weather), but I …
Are you a sun worshiper? When you live in a place with an interminable cold, gray winter, the Summer sun feels so good and so intense that it’s a wonder that we can make it through the dreary, bitter days without it. In fact, scientifically, …
Listen to the latest episode of the Woolgathering Podcast. This week Beatriz gets cozy in the witches’ village! Listen HERE!
I’m so pleased to introduce our new installation made by artist Janelle Rae! Janelle, a former Artist in Residence at Spring Bird, wanted to construct a place for meditation using invasive honeysuckle and willow. She was inspired by artist Patrick Dougherty who makes large stick-built …
