a braid, of sorts

well.

yesterday.

i live about an hour's drive from tupper lake.

to visit the park (adirondack forest preserve)

i drive through vast stretches of forest,

known as the five ponds wilderness area

when i moved to the north country

35 years ago, i landed in star lake

down the road from tupper lake.

where, yesterday, i journeyed

to wind up at the WILD CENTER.

the meander path 

is human made and 

tinted with the iron of our geology

(there were iron ore mines closeby)

and textured with the trees.

  i left the camera in the car

so when i returned later to photograph, the bright light had 

turned to 

rain, so photos were challenging.

 the attention to detail everywhere

shake you up.

 these hold my hand nicely,

which surprised me.

 this!

 it's simple really

 but so beautiful

this architecture...

 so like outside

 in the small theater 

i sat in a fine seat

ready for a talk

given by robin wall kimmerer.

she spoke in story and science words

and read from braiding sweetgrass.

she held a braid of sweetgrass as she spoke to us, 

showed us pictures, 

asked us for our questions,

prompted some answers...

i introduced myself after

 (i'd brought my book)

but i'm afraid my copy is full of book marks and notes 

and from her talk i made more notes

 i did ask her to sign it for me

 she graciously did. 

i thought about her words

all the way home

through cranberry lake

and to my new home near the blue line.

when you get to meet someone you 

respect so much,

well it can be a watershed moment: 

it was.

it became evident to me that this woman 

is a teacher, and it would be such a fine thing

to be her student

at ESF in syracuse.

but for me, i will read her words

try to

remember her words, 

and talk to the plants with the respect that they,

our first teachers

must have.

IV, III, II, I

 thursday there was so much good news:

my sister claudia macdonald, 

got her masters in school administration degree.
she did it just days before she turns 71! 
my hero.
~~~

and my friend wendy

wrote about textiles and healing

in the on-line hand eye

with lots of captioned photos 
crediting the textile makers, too,

of her healing work with and children.

my first botanical paper and shifu book is there.
~~~

there was other book news in north russell:

this:

collection 

housed in this birch box

is a letterpress book set

published by the minnesota center for book arts

and the words

are excerpts from

braiding sweetgrass

genevieve nordmark

who just graduated from esf

(another masters degree!)

was interning at the center and helped with

making the cover papers...

she sent me this.

THIS!

she took it to dr kimmerer's office 

also at esf,

and had her sign it for me.

such a treasure,

words, well, they fail me...

the illustrations:

one in each booklet,

are lovely, too.

~~~

here:

fiber raining down

pink maple seeds, too.

circlet of sweetgrass.

an honorable harvest

sunny quaking aspen

leaves,

nine for a friend.

i listened to this lecture this week: 

robin wall kimmerer speaking nearby

(i sadly missed it "in person")

autumn cow pasture 

about the honorable harvest.

it's happening here

i see amish neighbors

bringing in hay and corn using their big horses.

the gardens are mostly asleep

(you may remember what happened to mine)

but my friends are still eating

fall bounty.

my backyard and overgrown meadow 

i am harvesting from my friends 

the weeds,

and i find myself 

doing what dr. kimmerer suggests:

introducing myself

asking to share

and sharing what i make

with others.

it's surprisingly comfortable, appropriate

to say

hello, please, and thankyou

to wild grapevine.

 a few little grapes.

 the medicines at your feet,

 sumac, prunus, goldenrod, wild grape,

 common weed plants.

and a few pieces of aluminum, copper, and 

"hard" well water

an honorable harvest.

for beauty

and for the knowledge of books.

books and play

susan's book

 i can barely wait until i have

this book in my hands

(i did get to read it electronically)

lucky me!

this book came recommended

in a roundabout way from glennis dolce.

and i am so happily reading, savoring each page

every page has wisdom, and is framing experience for me.

i've found that dr. kimmerer is a neighbor (almost) 

her ted talk spoke to my heart.

she brings students to cranberry lake, 

each summer. 

cranberry lake is where my son first swam, 

and where i discovered a book in their tiny library

about something called designer bookbinding.

and then i met sally smith, who spent summers there

and winters in london teaching bookbinding.

she was my first binding teacher.

circles, connections, and love.

~~~

 fetching the mail i found this little one

the chickadees love the ditch there

right by the raod

 on my new path home

 more path treasures

 and i was playing 

with shadows

and sunset

and leaves

we country folk have 

a need for amusement--

books and walks serve me well.

~~~

students this year have healthy funny bones 

and leave behind

reminders 

so do other folks...at home today

  i found three stashes

this one in a towel awaiting me by the tub.

there was a very sweet mention

of one of my hortus siccus books

by bryan from when he visited jean.

thank you!