We were surrounded by the herb boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum) in full bloom, and so we gathered a full bouquet of the spreading clusters of creamy white flowers.  I tinctured it this evening.  It will be ready in time for whatever flu-like illnesses plague us this Winter–according to Medicinal Plants of the Southern Appalachians it “stimulates immune response, helps reduce fevers and eliminates excess respiratory congestion.”  Author Patricia Kyritsi Howell writes that boneset was once perhaps the most commonly used herb in the eastern United States.  I am particularly pleased to add this herb to my little apothecary.

I have yet to harvest elderberries, although it is definitely time.  They droop dark and lush from the shrubs.  When cooked with honey they will make a thick purple syrup that is wonderful for coughs in particular, and whatever ails you in general.  Peaches are still coming in.  And there’s goldenrod and mint to dry for tea this Winter.

It can be overwhelming, all this harvesting work, but nothing gives me such joy as making medicines.  Peach preserves are sublime, but a half-gallon jar of boneset tincture has a different kind of magic to it.  One is sweet, and the other healing.  I think I’m drawn to the healing, though let me assure you, I have my sweet tooth, too.

Trout Lily Brings Spring
5 x 7″
pastel on board

Now if you don’t know trout lilies, let me introduce them to you.  They are tiny little things, and they bloom very early—one of the earliest blooms I find down by the South Toe River.  There I find hoards of their tiny slips of leaves, mottled and coated with a fine reflective sheen, but very few flowers.  I’m not sure if these colonies of leaves sans flowers are just too young, or maybe they don’t get enough light to bloom, but I know there are other places where I can find the yellow flowers, their petals peeled back in exuberance.  I’m still hoping that one Spring I’ll walk down and find those patches of dappled leaves hosting crowns of blooms.

I’m pleased with this painting, and wish I could capture the magic of pastels for you to see, for the original has far  more luster than what you see here.   Pastels are so divine, and I am really enjoying working with them on Ampersand’s Pastelbord.  This week I am doubling up–I have a commission I am starting on, and I also will be painting the lovely bellwort.  Now there’s a fine lady of a flower!

And how will I do this, and harvest potatoes, squash, can peaches and beans, and visit with my mother and sister, and go to a birthday party, and plant turnips and beets?  Well, I’m not entirely sure, but I have been utilizing Google Calendar to keep track of all the assorted tasks and deadlines that I have, in the studio, the home, and the garden.  It has really helped manage my time better.  And this morning Jason and I had a great planning session, delegating tasks to our energetic intern and reluctant kids.  Let’s hope we can keep it up and make time management a joyful morning practice!  Along with coffee, of course.

And finding the first Bluets of Spring always thrills me!  Such small and delightful flowers, always blooming in happy bunches.

But that is changing.   There are a lot of reasons for this, or maybe not.  Jay and I are getting up every morning and listening to something inspirational, usually something to do with the law of attraction.  We had a practice of this some years ago and the happiness we sowed was reaped almost daily.  So there’s that.  Also I have been exercising on my mini-trampoline on a daily basis, which seems to have a very beneficial effect on my whole being.  I’m calm, more organized, and have more get-up-and-go energy.   And flaxseeds are awesome, I eat them everyday!

So there are all these little changes, simple, beautiful things, that have also brought about a richer life experience for all of us.  Today would be the perfect example of this.  We read together in the morning (The Invention of Hugo Cabret), had a great breakfast, and then played with our new compass set, making designs and coloring them in with the brilliant color of Berol Prismacolor pencils.

Later in the afternoon we went down to the river, where I found this serendipitous clump of daffodils blooming.  They were happy to be photographed.  Renee meandered about, chatting me up with her delightful observations.

Daffodil Surprise

Then we rediscovered our patch of ramps, as we do every Spring. and dug some up for dinner!  Ramps, or Allium tricoccum, are a wild member of the onion family, with a strong garlic onion flavor.  They appear in early Spring and are an Appalachian favorite.  We also discovered that the mint was sprouting and collected some tops of mint as well for our first cup of fresh mint tea this year.

Our Patch of Ramps

Then McKinley had his own ramp to show off!  I love the look of determined exhilaration of his face. He made sure I got this photo, arguing with me a bit about whether the flash should be on or off, and what settings I should have on the camera.

Ramp it Up

And here is our ramp-corn-cheddar quiche, along with some of our drawings from the morning, and a quart of delicious mint tea.  The banana cookies are not shown, but I can assure you they were delicious.  And my house is still clean.

The Fruits of the Day

His contention has been that I am responsible for the true origin of these creative blocks, and I can acknowledge that there is truth to this.  But I have held that he bears some responsibility for this as well, because he often makes himself unavailable to the family, and to me, because of his work load, much of which is truly unnecessary and unprofitable.   He is a man of many endeavors, one of which pays the bills.  And while I can get up to my studio while the kids play, there is also this strange magnetic quality to being a mother.  They are drawn to me, they sense my absence and seek me out, with crises and questions, when I am in the studio.  So his presence is very helpful.  My husband and I have gone round and round about this, with my frustration and his defensive only growing.

The afternoon of the aforementioned failed art market attempt, I was outside catching Abby the leaping-over-the-fence goat in my nice jeans and heeled boots, stewing over the fact that once again my creative energies had been thwarted.  Above me in the forest I could hear a murder of crows cawing madly.

They’re after a hawk again, I thought.  They are very close.  I should go see.

They were directly above me, on the wooded slope where my studio sits.  I walked up the path, and within minutes I could see them all, crows and hawk,  perched in the tall oak by my studio door.  The crows were aggravated and flapped their dark wings, as if they were generating a storm around the hawk.  As I drew closer, the hawk alighted and flew out of the forest, crows pursuing.  In its fierce claws dangled a snake.

This was all significant. Consider the Hawk, Lord of the Skies, fed by  the Snake, Daughter of the Earth, and harassed by the Crows, mischief-makers and denizens of the Shadows.   I gathered my supplies and sat down and sketched the scene I had just witnessed.

Since that event, my husband went on a five day vacation with our friend George.  While he was gone, things shifted at home.   I went for a not-so-annual physical and was prescribed thyroid medication.   The result of taking said medicine has been that I now have the energy not only to get up to my studio in the afternoon, but also the energy in the evening to clean my house.  It would be fair to say that this has transformed my daily life.

Also while he was gone our  son  Bert decided to homeschool.   High School had become a daily adventure in failure, and when he was home in the afternoon all his stress came out–on us.  Now he is his laughing self again, and we are working together to find the learning opportunities that best fit his bright and capable self.

Last but not least, little Renee dreamt on two consecutive nights that she was flying. After the first night I told her that if she realized she was dreaming, she could take control of the dream.  So on the second night when she found herself flying right outside the bedroom windwon, she decided to go flying over the river.  Yesterday evening, while in the studio, I realized that this was a scene I must paint for my daughter.

Before J left on his mini-adventure with Goerge, we revisited once again, and not pleasantly,  the conflict surrounding my blocked creativity.  I explained to him that it was like we were both juggling so many balls, and for me to be able to pick up my creative work, I needed for him to put down some of the things he was juggling.  This analogy seemed to communicate my perspective to him in a way that heretofore I had been unable to accomplish.  I think that this newfound understanding, coupled with his time away and my thyroid medication, has helped us get over this hurdle, and I have gotten BACK in the studio.

And so this week, I began to paint that scene, of the hawk and the crows:

Check back after Thanksgiving for more updates on this piece.  And have a warm and heart-filled holiday.

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