The Woolen Rabbit

Even In The Quietest Moments....

 

Within each of us there is an intense need to feel that we belong. This feeling of unity and togetherness comes through the warmth of a smile, a handshake, or a hug, through laughter and unspoken demonstrations of love. It comes in the quiet, reverent moments of soft conversation and in listening.
William R Bradford

 

I took this video to emphasize the noise that we can make in the quiet.  
Even in the quietest moments the noise can be either distracting or comforting.  
For me in this video, it was comforting knowing that Ken was leading the way while I quietly followed.  
He would point out things that I should watch out for all the while guiding me, which was comforting.

Other times when I am at work, the noise can be so distracting.  As an ADD adult, I have learned over the years that I work best when I stay in my lane and stay focused. When I do this, I rock it...however when I let the noise that surrounds me enter into my lane, it usually sets me off my path.  

Different noises, different results.  Listening to sounds that bring comfort and listening to noises that bring distraction and knowing the difference...

I have always been a person who could sense another person's discomfort in a new situation and would try to fill that space with words, so that they wouldn't feel alone or unaccepted.  Over the years however, I have learned that these empty spaces of silence are ok sometimes, especially when we are with those we love and care about most.  Giving each other time to embrace the silence and just listen to the quiet sounds around us....sometimes is not only just enough, but perfect.

Love you my friends!! ❤️

Happy New Year!!!

This is the moment of embarking.
All auspicious signs are in place.
In the beginning, all things are hopeful.  We prepare ourselves to start anew.  Though we may be intent on the magnificent journey ahead, all things are contained in this first moment; our optimism, our faith, our resolution, our innocence.
 Deng Ming~Dao

Hello friends!

Somethings always remain the same and true, which is why I always use this inspiring Tao quote to start off my year and this year is no different.

What a year it was!  Who among us could have ever foreseen what the year 2020 was going to hold for us?
Ey yi yi, it's been a doozy and a year that I am happy to see in the rear window.

Embracing the optimism of this new year, I have new ideas floating around in my mind.
Places I want to go, if only here close to home.

 New creating ideas, rearranging my studio space to make it feel less cluttered and more open.
  Open for new ideas and quiet moments.
I'm ready for wide open spaces!

Last year, I said I was never going to choose a word, but last month a word popped into my head and it's a word that I want to embrace, not just for a year, but hopefully going forward.
 It's a quiet word and a word that I am going to work hard to put into practice over the year.....

"Listen"

It's no secret that I am a very chatty soul, but this year I really want to focus on truly listening.
 Listening to what people are saying with my full attention instead of thinking about what my response is going to be before someone is finished.
Listening to the sounds of nature in my yard with a free mind, listening to the sounds of the ocean and all that she has to offer when I am there.
Listening to my own thoughts and bringing some of those new thoughts and ideas to fruition.

There are definitely going to be challenge and hurdles for us to get over this year with the virus still so much in the forefront, but there are so many reasons to be hopeful for the new year.

Will we ever be who we were before the virus...I don't think so.
 Many of us have lost loved ones and have watched family members struggle in other ways. 
We have learned up close how fragile life can be.

As we start this new year, while we can't give each other a hug right now, we can still remind each other how much we are loved.
Happy New Year!!

~Peace~

Magical Moments...

I met the most magical bird this weekend!!!

I am not usually an anxious person, but this pool of nothingness that we are swimming in has been an exceptional challenge for me and I frequently feel a heavy sense of sadness that I struggle to escape.

Ken has been amazing at making sure that he gets me to see a glimpse of the ocean that he knows soothes my soul and today while we were in Rye and stopped for a delicious clams and fries take out for lunch, this special little bird accompanied us.  It was not a bird that I was familiar with by sight, but when I kept hearing sounds of other birds that I knew such as a chickadee, a cardinal, a grackle, a bluejay and even a seagull, I wondered if perhaps it was a Mockingbird and sure as sh*t when I looked up a Mockingbird, this was exactly the bird that I shared my lunch with and it made my heart smile and find a sense of balance again.

These are hard times for sure that we are all experiencing, but on the other side of this, there is hope.  Just as happily as that little bird sang to me at lunch, it gave me hope that we will be ok, especially if we cling to the power of hope.

Tending a Garden of Quietness....

“Aren’t you worried about the state of the world?”
I allowed myself to breathe and then I said, “What is most important is not to allow your anxiety about what happens in the world to fill your heart. If your heart is filled with anxiety, you will get sick, and you will not be able to help.” 

Yes, there is tremendous suffering all over the world, but knowing this need not paralyze us. If we practice mindful breathing, mindful walking, mindful sitting, and working in mindfulness, we can try our best to help."
~Thich Nhat Hanh

I made a challenging decision to step away from FaceBook for a month.
It was not an easy one because I know it will isolate me from my dearest friends, 
but the overwhelm that I feel daily is growing, so I am taking a month to clear my mind, the air that I occupy and fill the scrolling time with learning new things, taking time to read a book, tend to my little seedlings that are happily growing and tend to my spirit that needs to be fed, just like my sourdough starter.

I will be posting here more often and I will link these posts to FB even though I am going to stay logged out. 
Perhaps this quiet time away will help me find my way back to the roots that gave me the circle of friends from both far and wide that I hold most dear to my heart.

xoxo
~Kim

Gardening.....

Worry is an addiction
That interferes with compassion..
Deng Ming~Dao

It's that time of year where we start planning ahead for summer's bounty.  We have been enjoying an early Spring, which under normal times it would be so wonderful to be out and about and enjoying our beaches, lakes and parks.
(although we may dip our kayaks into the lake this weekend if it is warm enough)

One way I am enjoying this early Spring gift is by getting my little beds ready for planting.
Even though I used to really love my big gardens, I won't lie....not having to do all of that weeding and tilling by hand certainly makes gardening so much easier.
It was so nice to just have my hands in the dirt again, spreading out the amendments that I know my soil needs.



Normally I purchase the bulk of what goes into these beds at a local garden center, Spiderweb in Tuftonboro, but not being sure if they would be open this year (which I now know that they will be), I decided to start the bulk of what I would be planting this year with seeds that a friend gave to me last year.

In the past I haven't started with seeds because I don't have a good east facing window to accommodate those seedlings but this year I invested in a seed heat mat, which has worked so well not only for the seedlings, but also for Matilda's fermentation and it gets just enough light from the west facing window.

Everything is off to a good start!  I have actually transplanted all of these into bigger flats and giving the the slower growing vegetables a little more time in their domed humidity house.  
I should be able to get the lettuce, herbs and spinach into the cold frame soon.

On a completely different note, see this pot?  
It's where my chives grow to keep them under control
I put the bowl that I always keep under it over the top because I knew we were going to get some snow and the soil in the pot was already very wet, so I didn't want whats growing to get drowned out.
They look like a matching set don't they, but they are not!
The pot was one that I purchased at the Lowes last year and the bowl is one that I made long before I purchased the pot.

As soon as all of this virus stuff is behind us, I am definitely getting my kiln rewired and ready to work with.
It will be fun to play with mud again too!