Spring

Peonies, irises, foxglove, poppies and primrose. All lovely lookers of my spring garden. The lady across my side yard, I wish to call it my meadow, stands in her yard and sips her coffee while gazing on these beauties. I am creating an enclave of magic with each selection planted. I am lucky to have a wonderful, handsome husband to tuck each in for me. As soon as the pollen passes I will be able to spend more time out there. It has been a dreadful spring allergy-wise. We have planted 10 boxwood, a dozen or so hydragena, 3 holly (one prince to pollinate 2 maids), 8 heather, with many lupine, dahlia, pinks, English daisies, Solomon's Seal, Cosmos, Cleome, fragrant Heliotrope, astilbe, hosta, and many others, including an Indigo bush! I replaced the English lavender that disappeared a few years ago and snuck in a French lavender, one with much longer stems. If it survives it will be choice to weave lavender sticks with ribbons as sachets for my closets.
The poppies remind me of a friend I had who lived in Darien. His mother had a huge bed of poppies and when they were in bloom he would invite me for a picnic in the backyard by the poppies. He was a talented actor, singer, composer who died of AIDS early in his life. I continue to be reminded of his at this time of year.

He and I were in community theatre together. One show, The Fantastics, I played the Indian Who Died and he played the male lead, The Boy. A few years later my husband and I had the thrill to sit in the small Sullivan St. Threatre and watch him recreate that same role. He was like the brother I never had. I think of him frequently and still miss him always.

Adieu, Adieu

My darling little Dell laptop that has been my soul and my highest inspiration...okay maybe not all that, but I did think I would shed a tear or two when it bit the dust, has died. I think I actually lost part of my life with that death. But then I thought of my friend Dolores, whose house burned down last summer, and the loss of the contents of my computer paled in comparison. Get a grip girl!

I recently heard about a study done that evaluated the happiness of people around the world. Guess who won? The Danes! The reason? Not the crappy climate and lack of sunshine, but their happiness was closely correlated with health levels, followed by wealth, followed by the provision of education. So people with really good health care, a higher GDP per captita, and access to education were much more likely to report being happy. FYI, the USA is #23 on the list. The nations of my forefathers and foremothers (Sweden and Ireland respectively) were ranked 7 (Sweden) and 11 (Ireland). That explains the longing for the homeland....

In that vein I was recently gifted with a Great Wheel by my lovely daughter for Mother's Day. It is currently in my office, which I may be turning into a library. It is beautiful and came from a lovely little antique shop in Brattleboro, VT. It was not complete and needed a spindle assembly that I luckly got on Ebay. For a wheel this old they are rare! I was given a Schacht Matchless Spinning Wheel as a Christmas from my husband. I love it but have been unable to produce anything worth keeping. My plan this summer is to take some spinning classes, so that I will be prepared for the longing that overtakes me in the Fall and Winter. If I could learn to spin on the Great Wheel it would be a double bonus. It is also called a Walking Wheel, because one must draft the roving out, then stop the wheel, hold it up and walk toward the wheel to begin again. It is said that one walks 20 miles by the time a skein of wool has been spun. Two wheels. Does this mean that I am going to begin collecting spinning wheels? Where would I put them? That is my friend Madeline's essential question. I always think that If I love something that I can fit it in. I imagine myself in a large barn-like room, with a pile of golden straw, spinning and spinning....