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Where I live now is not far from the Georgia beginnings of the Hiwassee River. The Chatuge Dam controls the flow of water levels in the river. When I last walked the other end of the Hiwassee on my Riverwalk trail near Murphy, NC the water was very high. So was the mosquito count and catfish thrashing about.

But two days ago I went back to take in the changes along that walk. It was later in the morning so the light was a bit different and more people were out.

Lots of ducks on the water and an occasional goose.

The river was way down and reflections beautiful.

I love the colors in this photo of the downed tree over the bank.

And this bit of sky trapped in the low water of a creek feeding off the river near the trail heading back upstream.

The flood waters of spring and summer soften the ground around old heavy trees that have little resistance left in them. It will become a moss-covered bridge for critters to avoid the snapping turtles who lurk in these shallow waters.

I always photograph this sloped trail heading back into the light. It was very nice to be back on this part of the river and I will make a plan to head this way once a week because I have missed it.

Back home on the path to the river at this end it is getting drier and the wind seems to have trained the tall grasses to mostly point east.

And in my garden out back….

This grass is so beautiful now that it is fully in bloom.

I pulled out my Boro shirt to sew on. There comes a point where a needle just needs to be threaded and cloth wants to be held to another piece of cloth.

This started out as a small Boro coat that a friend gave me some time back. I thought about just hanging it on a wall. But what I really wanted to do was feel it next to my skin. So what was there was reconfigured and patched with worn clothing of my own and additional old Japanese fabrics I had purchased because I could not leave them behind.

When we were in Japan many years ago with a group of basket makers led by Jiro Yanazawa, we needed to make a stop along a country road. It looked like an old gas station that might have some sort of facility out back. It turned out to be bushes at best. And when I had straightened myself back up, two Japanese fieldhands wandered by. I smiled. They giggled. They had on these wonderful patched and stitched shirts over their indigo dyed pants. The look and smell of these worn, patched, and worn again clothes was intoxicating to me. I would have bought the shirts right off their backs if it was not such an inappropriate thing to even think about doing. Now I will have my own done in the tradition of making something useful again with needle and thread.

If I was in Australia I could wear this shirt anywhere because there are so many people working in textiles and appreciating the history of Boro clothing. By that I mean the many friends whose company I enjoyed there. But here, in the conservative southern United States, I would be looked on as needing to return home to change. Not until I pulled out this Boro piece did it occur to me how few friends I have who would understand or appreciate the story of being clothed in such a history.

I used to buy used clothes to alter or cut up into another piece of clothing. When a former friend (who I am sure was embarrassed by it) asked me why. The best I could come up with was that I was wearing someone else’s history. We were sharing a time together. Perfect strangers feeling the same cloth on skin. It still surprises me how few people even think that it is something to consider. It is more than being mindful of making do and reusing what is there by putting a patch on….it is also about who else pulled this shirt over their heads and stepped out into another place at another time.

It is a very good thing that I like my own company and have become used to walking my own path.

I also have gone back to Burke and Wills. Drawing them more aged has been challenging.

Our youthful roundness will not last forever. Sagging bodies with wispy hairs takes over sooner than we thought. I love how these two have stayed together for so long. And look forward to doing more drawings and putting words and pictures on the page.

Til later….

 

You can feel the crispness in the air. The meadow is dying back.

The colors and patterns call for attention.

Butterflies seem rushed to get what is left in the drying blooms. They are hard to photograph but I get enough to look them up in the Information Center where I now keep the Audubon and Peterson books. I might have to put a sign on the dictionary saying, “I am not a bible. I am a dictionary!” All these years and no one ever assumed it was other than a dictionary. Could be I have moved to an area where open bibles are common and/or necessary.

I had a nice chat with a new neighbor this morning. I think she is the only other one to brave walking up the hill to town…of course she had a dog on a leash to help out. I just pause half way up and take in the scenery while I catch my breath. She says she never misses a day…365 a year! She also says that it does not get slick with snow and ice. Good. I will keep at it!

New drawings in the Meadow Book. Trying to keep up with the insects flitting along my path.

Friday morning at 7 am I will be having breakfast out with the men and MaryJo. It was nice to be invited…maybe they will have pecan waffles. Lee and I always had Sunday breakfast out and waffles were my favorite. He is 85 today.

The shower door is finally in.

Now it is just the grab bars and I think we are finished with the house. The tile man told me he would install them today but I have learned not to expect too much from these busy fellows.

Best to keep your expectations a bit on the lower side and the level of satisfaction adjustable.

Til later….

I like wandering in the meadow. Occasionally someone from the subdivision is walking their dog but mostly I am alone trying to find interesting things for me to sketch. I like this pipe. Not sure what its function was or is but it is beautiful.

It has interesting lichen on it.

And just beyond….trees near the river.

I found more butterflies…

And one whose life was over…

The meadow is getting browner…

Looking at my house building book, I noticed there were so many more pages to fill and now I am moved in. So it occurred to me that I am still unpacking.

So using two pages to show how that unpacking is going, I came up with the following pages…I am showing all five of them and how they work together to tell a story. Later in the book I will place some things on shelves and in closets as I get more firmly moved in and the book ends.

First the screens getting put in and a list of what needed to be done. (Most of that has been taken care of).

Now the boxes!

The box on the left is how it looked sealed and then on the right it is being opened.

And there are the pots and pans!

Lots of bubble wrap in this one.

Of course I painted all my cartons with the earth pigment watercolor made from the soil under my house.

I might go back and pile up the cartons on the left as they are opened. SO many boxes! And more to go. Notice how I poured myself a glass of wine after I opened the wine glasses box. Anyway, it was fun doing these pages.

Today I am going to brave a social event here in town. Beginning at four this afternoon there will be Wines and Steins. Local wineries and breweries come to town and set up on the square with various food venders. I can sample their goods and hopefully bring home a dinner. The walk up the hill can be a bit hard, but the more I do it, the easier it gets.

Earlier today I tried to get the red clay stains off the porch and front entry…but to little results. The porch now has an overall reddish tinge to the concrete.

I painted the old bench Lee made for our house years ago black because the new porch table and chairs will likely be black. And ordered a nice rug for out there that is a blend of those colors, will look nice, and give a place to wipe the feet before coming into the dining area.

Tomorrow it is back to writing and drawing.

Til later…..