Lots has happened in the span of time since I last posted, least of which, last season my career as a farmworker ended with an injury. After going through a brief period of mourning, which included a small identity crisis, I began the work of healing and (belatedly) developing new ways of doing the activities I love in a more mindful way. Our body wisdom has so much to teach us, if only we take the time to listen. I'm so grateful for the many practitioners who dedicate themselves to guiding us in that process!
I'm also fortunate to have supportive family and community that encourage me in this transition, whatever that looks like. And because of that, I still had an amazing garden this season, and have focused lots of energy on growing Season's Gleanings as well.
As summer ends, and we welcome autumn, I find myself with a new website (what a journey!), a wholesale Etsy shop, and the anticipation that the hard work of accomplishing those goals will bring about growth for my business!
I am also renewing my commitment to regularly post on my blog, sharing whatever's currently happening in the garden and kitchen, along with what's inspiring me as I dream up new designs for Season's Gleanings.
As October begins, our garden still provides an abundance of ingredients for our meals, as well as many elements for my card designs. It's a sort of hybrid array of the last of summer's offerings, alongside the crops that were planted later, waiting in the wings to be the new stars of the show. With plenty of harvesting and processing to finish as garden cleanup commences, the shorter days urge us to make the most of every sublime ray of sunlight, to savor each infinitesimal moment of it.
Knowing that the peak of available crops will soon be limited, and with a traffic jam of ideas for card designs still in my head, I decided to head to the Bellingham Farmer's Market last weekend to explore some fresh possibilities. It was a glorious time of reconnecting with farmers while heaping my basket full of edible designing prospects!
Planning a card or print design involves not only what will be needed for spelling out a message, but also requires the right light,and fairly dry conditions without too much wind. Even a light breeze wreaks havoc with delicate blossoms and backdrop fabrics. So it can be a somewhat stressful waiting game with semi perishable things that don't take kindly to being stored for long.
Luckily for me, the weather gods smiled kindly down the past several days, allowing me to complete two new designs, despite the rainy forecast that had been predicted! Next will come the phase of choosing which new designs will be included in the fall lineup as I go to the printers...
As I finished up the last design, and found myself with a camera in my hand, I took a stroll around to photograph the transition from summer to fall. I am one of those people who stubbornly resists the end of each season right up until the moon cycle makes it official. ESPECIALLY summer. And although I've finally accepted that autumn has begun, there's something about the last day of September that really brings it home. Farewell summer!
