Spring in my Yard

I saw a robin in my yard the other day.  I saw miniature irises in my friend’s yard and was graced with the gift of one.  I went home to find that my crocuses were up too.  This afternoon, I had a bit of time to remove some of the dried grasses and forbs from my yard to discover a whole path of crocuses.

I had noticed that a few perennials were peeking up.  I did a bit of careful raking to uncover some daffodils.

 

One set of daffodils was so covered with leaves but determined to find the light and warmth, it grew and grew.  It is quite yellow from under its covering, but I think that it will revive with the sunshine and light.

 A few other perennials are peaking up.  

 

I grow a short grass prairie on three sides of my house.  It is a very small space for plants that used to inhabit acres of land in the Midwest.  And by the end of the growing season, it looks a little bedraggled.  I leave the grasses and seed pods standing over the winter for birds to feast on the seed and small critters to use the grasses for bedding for their nests.  The spring is the time to rake it up and take it to the compost farm. 

When I lived in the country, the prairies were managed with fire.  Crews would go out with water backpacks to do a back burn path to create a boundary for the fire.  The weather and wind conditions were carefully considered with a burn.  In the early spring, the newly melted snow would help create the necessary wetness to help control the fire.  On those early spring days, the sun would need to be shining to help carry the fire.  In a spring like 2012 with little snow to melt, there is even greater need for watchfulness for the weather and wind conditions.  The grasses of the tall grass prairie would spark and sizzle and dance as they would burn.  It was quite an amazing sight to be part of a controlled prairie burn.

                                            As I rake the grasses, I gather them in piles.

 

We walk into my backyard to see what it growing there.  I have trees, shrubs and grass growing and a clothes line to dry my laundry.  The scent of freshly dried laundry from hanging in the sun is one of my favorite fragrances.

 Some larger lilacs have very fresh buds.

A place to relax at the picnic table

 With the deer’s help all is well.

Time to put away the tools for one day.  The deer is keeping track of the crocuses.  Oh, how considerate.  My black and white cat, Oreo was out here helping too.   She wants her own post that she calls the Antics of Oreo.  Watch for her!  That post is coming soon.

 

SUTRA global by design

I have a dear friend, Kimi Hammer, who is an artist and lover of travel.  She enjoys people from around the world.  She has taken her love of beauty, travel, and people to create her business called Sutra, global by design.   She travels for several weeks to several months each winter and talks with the native people of India and Indonesia seeing how they create beauty.  She is particularly interested in textiles—though sculpture is fascinating to her.   Useable items of beauty of the every day such as salad tongs, baskets, journals for writing, small bags, musical instruments, and household items catch her eye as well.  One of her acts of generosity in her business is that she makes a donation to organizations that are close to people’s hearts.  Her first sale in Winona of 2012, scheduled this Sunday, March 11^th from noon to 4:00pm at 909 E. Mark Street benefits Winona's Habitat for Humanity.

To facilitate this sale that is scheduled so close to her return from India, she had some packages delivered to my home at 909 E. Mark St, Winona.  I was fascinated to see packages that are wrapped in cotton muslin and stitched.  Even the packaging is fascinating.

 

One of the places that she described to me was a business called People Tree.  The feel of this business was warm and welcoming.  It was overflowing with color. People Tree has the true ethic of made by hand—they create beauty out of beauty.  Even a mistake is cause to rework a piece to make it more beautiful creating a layering of color for depth and delight for the eye and the wearer.

 

"SUTRA means “thread” in Sanskrit, as in the thread of connection, and exists to link the Global North with those in the Global South, as well as to link the West with the East. SUTRA also helps bring traditional Asian art forms to our contemporary world, and provides travel opportunities to Americans wanting to connect with South Asian people and culture. SUTRA is the thread of life!" Quote from Kim's blog.

 

She has just returned, after 37 days of travel so filled with life and joy from her connections with the people of India.  She has much to share. Please come to hear stories, see a visual delight of color, find gifts for yourself and your friends, and support the work of Habitat for Humanity.

 

 

"SUTRA global by design acts as a force of healing in the world via spreading beauty and abundance across cultures. SUTRA purchases directly & pays a fair price to Asian artisans and sells to the American buyer in a  “home sale” format (rather than a retail store). This conscious choice to keep our overhead low allows SUTRA to pay artisans fairly for high-quality products, lead travel tours to hand-select goods directly from each artisan or fair trade organization/coop, sell these goods at a reasonable price, and donate a portion of all profits to a worthwhile cause.
SUTRA global by design links South Asian artisans directly with conscious Americans who want the choice to purchase fairly-traded, fine quality handicrafts. People want to buy proudly, so you doing a community service to host this event!" Quote from Kim's blog.

Join us in the Habitat home of Mary Lee Eischen and Bob Stuber for a Sutra show to spread beauty in Winona and benefit Habitat for Humanity Winona

Sunday, March 11, 2012, 909 E. Mark St. Winona, Minnesota Noon – 4:00pm

Follow Kim on future adventures on facebook, Kim Hammer or Sutra global by design

or Kim's blog, Sutra global by design.

Upcoming news:

Travel with SUTRA next winter!  Simply email kim at sutraglobalbydesign@gmail.com to receive information early this summer regarding our exciting itinerary!

SUTRA in the Springtime: 

Sunday, March 18 12-4pm at the home of Roxanne Price, 1409 Adams St., La Crosse   Benefit for St. Clare Health Mission ~ Trendy clothing, jewelry galore and folk art!

 

Thursday March 22 at LGBT Resource Center of La Crosse, 309 Pearl Street, downtown La Crosse, benefiting gay teens and adults.~ everything under $39!  Scarves, clothing, folk art and more

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Coming later this spring:  2 shows in Viroqua, 1 in Lansing, IA,  and 2 in La Crosse:  Find out more on Facebook or join our mailing list!

Tree Woman

In a trip to Oregon, my sister, Ruth Rosimo took me to see the Columbia River Gorge that is just east of Portland.  I was in awe of the beauty of the Pacific Northwest, and an art quilt that I call Tree Woman was created out of the inspiration of that visit.  Thank you, Ruth for your kindness.

People will tell you that all the great opportunities have been snapped up.  In reality, the world changes every second, blowing new opportunities in all directions including yours.  Ken Hakuta

 

Detail of Tree Woman

Tree Woman 18.5” x 22.5” October 2003 Hand painted with dye on cotton fabric, commercial and hand dyed fabrics in border, machine quilting

Tree Woman is sold.