Painting with All the Colors of the Wind

We took the canoe out today and stayed a lot closer to the banks of the river than normal to break the 42mph (!) wind gusts. Its amazing what details you find sticking close to the land. We pulled into a little nook filled with swamp cabbage and I found this little sprout growing out a rotting trunk.

On the way back we noticed the hearth of a long-gone home poking out of the trees-- we've canoed this stretch so many times, but hadn't noticed it until today.

We also saw maybe 30 baby turtles sunning themselves on branches-- when we paddled by they would plop into the river one at a time-- maybe the cutest thing I've ever seen next to last summer's ducklings.

I'm off to finish a few custom orders tonight and back to work tomorrow where we're making sprout-themed decor for next week's flyer-- I can't wait to show you!

Favorite Things: SPRING

In addition to hearing thunder and rain in the place of the deafening silence of encroaching snow, I also see signs of spring on the way inside our apartment. The first houseplant I have ever successfully cared for, my little peace lily, blooms about two or three times a year-- one of which is always in March, the same month in which I received her. She just bloomed around the holidays, so I thought that maybe it wouldn't happen this March. I was delighted to wake up last week and see that a bloom had shot up seemingly overnight.

I counted four flowers in various stages of growth when I watered her today, there may be a few more on the way. I love that she opens them up slowly, one after another, to savor this rare moment in the limelight before her return to normal houseplant-dom. It always reminds me of the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi-- that the most beautiful moments happen in the starts and finishes, not the grand crecendos in between. Because these blooms move slowly in sequence there's always a beginning and an end taking place on the same plant whenever she blooms. I like that about her.

(click me for some stamen detail!)

Even though the last few days here have been gray and totally abismal (albeit snowless) this little plant reminds me that sun is on the way.

By the way, if you think you have a brown thumb than a peace lily might be just what you need to gain some confidence in your growing skills. They add a huge jolt of green to your space and respond to less than ideal gardeners with a knack for indirect light and over watering-- you really can't water this plant too much, just set the inside pot on a little pedestal of floral foam so the roots don't sit in the extra water. One of my favorite things about this plant is that the water has an instantaneous effect-- you can see the leaves perk up within five minutes!