warmth and dirt

i like black and white 

skinny stripes

 my daughter hannah knit me a hat

for my birthday

and

i've been twining thread.

dogbane fiber

chose me when i was thinking of what could get me out 

into the meadow

before the snows.

not milkweed this time,
dogbane.

 do you see this lovely book?

made by elina lundahl
this book entices me, 
and elina's blog informs.

 isn't it fine?

and this little one i like

but has several editorial slips.

and

these are models of bindings

made by j. a. szirmai who wrote

the archaeology of medieval bookbinding.

 they inspire me

as did my medieval binding teacher jim croft.

i was listening to dr. kimmerer 

(the author of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS)

talk yesterday during my snow day

(for some of you, 
a snow day is a day off due to
 TOO MUCH SNOW)

 ~as i twined yesterday~
it grew and grew

 this fiber wasn't neatly harvested

or harvested early enough

 but it holds together

and i was keeping my fingers employed

 as the big snow came down and the wind played tricks.
and i listened and thought,
hands informing heart informing brain...
then,

an opportunity came along during the afternoon

which was inspiring.
(keeping it close for now)

  the snow came all day yesterday,

and today my neighbor fred from down the road

swung by 

and plowed out my driveway

 he won't take money

but i will repay that kindness

when and how i can.
reciprocity.

only about a foot, 

but heavy, wet, and slippery

this snow.

here's the dogbane 
and two small pieces of my hosta paper
with applied ochers gathered over the weekend from a road cut 
over by richville.
i think there are possibilities
for north country dirt!