Timeless Beauty

this comes to mind

Sure on this shining night

Of star-made shadows round

Kindness must watch for me

This side the ground

The late year lies down the north,
All is healed, all is health
High summer holds the earth,
Hearts all whole
Sure on this shining night
I weep for wonder
Wandr’ing far alone
Of shadows on the stars.

James Agee (1909-1955) - “Description of Elysium”, from Permit Me Voyage, stanzas 6-8, 1934.

I learned this as music, and now cannot speak the words without the choral cadences.

...for a dear friend, G

Through the Music

It started with the critical intellect and
progressed through visuals, but as our
silences became as comfortable as being
with myself again, the quiet gave way
to sounds: a tonality tolerated because
you sat through it too; and years of listening
to early, Baroque, Romantic, and modern.
It was heard through halted breathing
or tears silently flowing or a lilting sashay.

Recordings are played now and my mind
tries to conjure your amplification.
No critiques, no visuals, no silence.

Sleepless

Again.

Shattered

There is no equal. Croissants' veneer breaks into a thousand pieces with a flakey interior. These are ripped open over, not beside, your coffee. Confiture et buerre are superfluous. Baguettes are exquisite with their thin glassy crust and chewy interior. One does not bite into them, one rips them apart - again, over the meal.  I leave nothing for the birds.

A friend remembered my description of the Parisian baguette and actually brought one back and left it on my doorstep.  It was used as a bat on an apple and shattered everywhere.

11.12.13

Feeling compelled to provide an entry to mark this date. How do I choose among events attended, events performed, people who have come forward and the notable absence of those who have not, tasks done, and things that are constantly being made? Maybe a few pictures will help narrate a subset.

An unexpected encounter with a small blended sample of cotton, silk tussah fiber and threads. A spinning challenge rewarded with hands learning how to handle short staple length, and eyes catching fibers glinting in the sun, which resulted in a few yards of very fine gauge 2-ply.

Pioneer Spring met Sally Fox, local grower of wool and cotton, at AVFKW's 3rd anniversary celebration.

"I haven't seen you for awhile, since your last news. So how are you, really?" was asked with the glance that cut through layers. "What happened makes no sense. But the word on the street is that you took the bullet. No adverse reflection on you, more on them. You can always have the informal discussions with _x_ so that we can try to help you."

Rocking to power guitar and great music from the Roger Steen Band and Miles Schon Band.

Picked the last harvest of the summer garden.

Will let dogs continue to lie. Let their caretakers handle them.

Successfully made dried persimmons / 곶감 / hoshigaki.

Bricks and mortar beat online hands-down for exploration. 매달 도서관에서 책들을 찾아요.

And I took a little time on the loom. I learn something new with each project: warping back to front, observing weave structure, tying on, adjusting to differences in tension and beating for wool and cotton.

Spent some time on the road as well. Travels will continue - by thousands of miles and by a few feet.

View

Have you ever seen stars so many colors?

No I don't believe I have. Are those galaxies, those smudges over there?

Perspective

When the machines are unplugged, when the noise stops, I do the slow work that needs to get done. It is likely that no one will know it has been done, but it would be noticeable to many if the work is not done. It seems to take so long. But when I look at the clock after doing the task, less time has elapsed than I imagined. This is time used well.

What did you do?
...not much...some people would call it "work" of some sort.

What did you get from it?
A new skirt - I added features that will enable me to wear and use it well: lining and pockets. Don't think that these don't make a difference. They make a huge difference. Hand sewing in key areas also makes a big difference with drape and fit.

In the quiet slowness of time, a few stories also came to me.

Māhealani

달을 봤다.

백자 달항아리

봤다, 다시 보고 싶다.