surrounded by nature

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Until I was seven, we lived in a house in Virginia, surrounded by woods. My strongest early childhood memories are of being in the forest with my dog, peering down (not far, since I was small) at ferns, may apples, and Virginia bluebells; and up at the light slanting through trees.

From ages 7 to 14 I lived in a house on the Severn River in Maryland, and then in one surrounded by hills covered with olive trees, poppies, and mustard flowers in California.

Much of my childhood was spent outside. Even today, I feel the most comfortable, the most myself, when I am surrounded by nature.

Two weeks ago I was at this beach in South Carolina, with no other people in sight. It was a sunny windy day.

The sand blew so hard I thought of tales of sandstorms in the desert.

Mesmerizing patterns formed.

I'm sure that the woods, water, and hills of my childhood are why, the first time we saw our property in the Catskills it resonated so deeply with me, and continues to do so eleven years later.

Is there a place you feel the most yourself?

I am staying in Massachusetts this weekend, thinking about going to the New England Aquarium...

Enjoy your weekend!

Jen
All pictures, except the first and last were taken by me in South Carolina. The first one is credited, the last I took on our property in the Catskills.

other things

Despite the occasional $1.00 weekend, I did sell almost enough last year (with some help from the Etsy store) to cover store expenses. Meaning rent, utilities, shopping bags, and so forth. I never expected to make any money from the store, but it is starting to feel out of balance--the time I put into it, the long drive, working in the store all weekend, is not so rewarding any more. It was something I needed, but I'm not sure I still do. I won't make any hasty decisions or changes, but I don't think it's sustainable in its current form. Or is it? Check back with me at summer's end.

I am thinking about other things I'd like to do on my country weekends. Like hiking and painting and reading. I've made new friends through the store and I'd like to spend time with them.

I can't stop thinking about the foot bath that Haricot writes about here.

Those last two pictures were taken in the South Carolina Sea Islands. I think I'm going to visit New Orleans next. I want to fall in love with a new place, and that could be the one.

Do you prefer me to respond to your comments: In the comment section? Via email? Not at all? Only if you have a question?  edited to add: This question is not about the time it takes to respond--I enjoy doing so, and having the connection with you. Sometimes it turns into a conversation, or deepens the connection. Like we're having a cup of coffee (or tea) together. I really just want to know if you have preferences. I never know which way to do it, and so go back and forth.

last weekend, in the Catskills

Total sales for the weekend? $1.

(now you know why I think about closing for the winter)

The store was, um, quiet, so I did a lot of reading.

Saturday afternoon my husband, seeing my developing bad mood, (why did I think it was a good idea to open a store?) watched the shop for a while, and I took a walk around the village of Margaretville. First I went in the library and my mood immediately started to improve. Our house is in a rural area midway between Margaretville and Andes (which I wrote about here), so I think of country when I think about the Catskills, but the many small villages that dot the region (and all of upstate New York) are filled with charming old houses, such as these in Margaretville.

They will be even prettier when spring comes with its buds, blooms and blossoms.

Notice the Victorian dollhouse on the porch. (Click on pictures to enlarge.)

I was quite taken with this sculpture.

And this house. A purple house and an extra hour of light make everything look better. 

please come upstairs!

I'm back from South Carolina and itching to get up to the Catskills. Not going until Friday morning but I'm already packing the car. I have some gorgeous vintage quilts.

Jigsaw puzzles for children and adults, stuffed birds (from Audubon that make genuine appropriate bird calls when you squeeze them), seed bombs, vintage odds and ends.

Somehow, I have to get more people to come upstairs to the store. (If you're new here, the store is in a big old mercantile, divided into smaller stores. I share the second floor with an art gallery and a home furnishings/accessories store.) I have put up more signs, but we still don't get nearly as much foot traffic as downstairs. There is a space downstairs coming up for rent, but the rent is so much higher I don't think I should do it. I will advertise more, put up more signs and just try to make it the best store I can. And hope that people find it. What would it take to get you upstairs? Chocolate chip cookies?

moss, Spanish and otherwise

It would be hard to overstate the effect Spanish moss has on a landscape.

It is dominant and haunting. I am a bookish westerner/northerner visiting the South, so I think of Flannery O'Connor and Boo Radley, The Prince of Tides and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil when I see Spanish Moss dripping dry and eerie.

I took these pictures in the beautiful Carolina low country town of Beaufort.

Spanish Moss isn't even a moss. It's an epiphyte, rootless, sometimes called an air plant, that absorbs nutrients from air and water. Its tiny seeds are dispersed by wind and birds. It's been used as stuffing for mattresses and furniture.

Moss, like that in this picture I took in the Catskills, is also a simple plant. Classified as a bryophyte--a non-vascular plant, it has roots, but gets its nutrition through photosynthesis, absorbs water through its leaves, and germinates from spores.

Spanish moss isn't a parasite, but it can damage trees by blocking light and weighing down branches.

 Typically it's seen hanging from massive Oak trees.

Here it is tangling with berries

and Dogwood.

I know it would bother some people to have Spanish moss hovering over their beautiful old homes and trees, but I love how atmospheric it is.

hello from South Carolina

Thunderstorms, heavy rain, and a tornado watch have me inside now, with husband and in-laws, books, coffee, naps, and oranges, but this morning I sneaked out to Bluffton, where many of the Main Street (Calhoun Street, actually) cottages (and an old gas station) are galleries and stores.

I badly want this bookcase because 1) it's a bookcase 2) it's a perfect shabby blue, but mostly because the top of it says Bluffton Public Library! They said I could have it for $15, but how much would it cost me to ship it or take it on the plane?

At The Cottage I had a very non-Southern omelette with avocado, cilantro, and parmesan, served with the best corn bread I've ever had. I have more to tell you about Bluffton, but that's enough excitement for now.

Jen

mud season

It's that dismal time of year when I am reminded why I briefly considered moving the store to one of the villages where stores close for the winter. But lucky me, I am getting on a plane headed for Savannah Georgia tomorrow, to spend a long weekend with my in-laws. I hope to spend time in Savannah, Beaufort S.C., and Tybee Island--if you have any tips on things to see/places to eat in those towns, please let me know. I am taking along Night Swim, a coming of age novel written by my friend Jessica Keener. I've read some excerpts and a draft of the novel Jessica is currently working on--her writing is lyrical and nuanced, and I look forward to sinking into her book. I love Jessica's non-fiction too--the reflections on home that she occasionally posts on her blog are wonderful, and that I hope she will collect and publish them one day.

And I've made a new friend, after reading her book and contacting her. If you like historic fiction you should read The Wolf's Sun, by Karen Charbonneau, a compelling story with rich characters that is packed with historic details. (Did you know that in 17th century Brittany, peasants dropped a chicken down their chimney to clean it?) It's a big book (I read it on Kindle) --a great read to see you through the end of winter. Karen lives in the Idaho wilderness. See wonderful pictures on her blog including a recent entry when she had a mother and baby moose in her yard. 

This is a picture I took two years ago of a house in Bluffton, South Carolina. I will be back next week with pictures of Spanish moss, magnolias, and the low country.

Jen