Art | Kinds of Honey

Seed Savers and a Greg Brown concert

July 3, 2012 § 3 Comments

I’ll be hearing Iowa folk legend Greg Brown, visiting a college friend, and admiring an amazing assortment of vegetables and fruits (and some gorgeous Ancient White Park cattle) in less than two weeks. Yay! (P.S. You could come, too.)

Beatrix

June 29, 2012 § 2 Comments

It occurs to me that Beatrix Potter is a hero of mine.

We were watching the film Ms. Potter with my grandparents a few months ago, which surely embellishes as movies are apt to do. Still, in my (many years of) college studies I learned that in addition to creating her lovely children’s stories, Ms. Potter took on the cause of the small farmer. This determined, independent woman fought for the British countryside and published the most remarkable, beloved tales. Nature and community mattered to her. I can’t help but love her for it. And aim to do as much.

What might not?

June 21, 2012 § 1 Comment

“If seeds in the black earth can turn into such beautiful roses, what might not the heart of man become in its long journey toward the stars?” – G.K. Chesterton

The Lake Isle of Innisfree

June 7, 2012 § Leave a comment

I will arise and go now, and go to Innisfree,
And a small cabin build there, of clay and wattles made:
Nine bean-rows will I have there, a hive for the honeybee,
And live alone in the bee-loud glade.

And I shall have some peace there, for peace comes dropping slow,
Dropping from the veils of the morning to where the cricket sings;
There midnight’s all a glimmer, and noon a purple glow,
And evening full of the linnet’s wings.

I will arise and go now, for always night and day
I hear lake water lapping with low sounds by the shore;
While I stand on the roadway, or on the pavements grey,
I hear it in the deep heart’s core.

-William Butler Yeats, 1888

Barn moving

June 3, 2012 § 5 Comments

Aren’t barns superb?

I mean, the old sorts of barns, of course. Lucky me, to have spent much of my childhood in areas where these still exist, when many are disappearing.

They have been places for play, for rest, for work. They have been places for thought. For being alone. For discovery.

Last Friday we moved a red barn from one of our locations to the spot where I live in the white farmhouse. The barn is still propped above the place where it will settle, once the foundation is built up under it. It’s still hooked to a big ol’ Mack truck.

But it is here, rounding out the space. We all feel pleased when we catch that line of roof against the sky.

It makes the farm feel like a farm.

Handmade Shop: Green Trunk Designs

May 30, 2012 § 3 Comments

Is it just me, or are we having a revival of the creative? I feel like I’ve been noticing a general pulling away from what is mass-produced in favor of what has been made by hand. We are, many of us, being drawn towards things that are authentic, repurposed, inventive, and unique. This is happening in our own lives in DIY ways, and it’s showing up in a great flush of independent, locally-made, handicraft kinds of businesses.

I love this. I have always loved the idea of cottage industries and often fancied I’d have one. (I still fancy this, actually, along with the cottage itself.) I remember learning about the Industrial Revolution with dismay, though this may have been related to simultaneously reading a good deal of Charles Dickens. The disappearance of cottage industries with the rise of factories and migration to cities did not seem especially progressive to me, when my aesthetic tendencies would have me prefer thatched houses to dank, crowded alleys and smoggy skylines.

I suppose factories may have their place, and some have been intentional about incorporating pleasant and safe conditions within their operations. But I still prefer items that have been handmade. Something a human touched and created with a vision in mind, with care and detail emphasized over speed. Something that grew out of someone’s desire to make something beautiful and useful.

So! I’d like to share with you one small business I have discovered thanks to Etsy. These hats by Green Trunk Designs are made from recycled materials and have a distinctly vintage flair. Owner Jaya Lee crafts each hat or fascinator from her home in Brewster, New York; she finds “great joy in giving unwanted materials a new life and purpose.” Have a look at some of these unique, pretty creations. Photos courtesy of Green Trunk Designs.

Vintage 1920s Lace Cap

Rustic Rose Woodland Hair Comb

Felt Pillbox Hat

Patchwork Fascinator Hat

Woodland Cloche Hat

What do you think? Aren’t they charming? If I were to choose one of these, I think it would be the vintage 1920s lace cap. Which one do you like best?