The Arm Thief

Scallywag!

October Snow

 It's beautiful, but still, snow in October just cannot be a good sign.

Wooden Playground

I love the playground at our local elementary school.  There's a little brook that runs behind the playground, and 4 slides, wobbly bridges, tunnels, and towers, and loads of different monkey bars.  Emmett and I spent an hour there yesterday clambering around and enjoying the last of the foliage and the crisp fall air. Even the light is crisp and sharp at this time of year, it has such a different feel than soft hazy summer sunlight.  Every once and a while small groups of kids come out for recess, I can't seem to figure out their schedule, and we just try to stay out of the way and Emmett marvels at all the things the big kids can do.  Otherwise we usually have the place to ourselves.  For some reason today I had a little moment when it struck me how nice it is to live in a place where public places don't get defaced by disenfranchised youth and there isn't trash everywhere.   And it is nice to be able to climb into all the little nooks and crannies without worrying what you might find.  I'm sure that sounds very square and thirty-something, but there it is.  I'll just take it as a sign that the decision to move to the country is working for me.

Around the Studio

Some recent shots from around the studio.  The last one is a little printout that TH sent Emmett into my studio with in an envelope for me.  Pretty cute little messenger.  The long necklace is actually a whole bunch of bracelets clasped together to go in the tumbler.  It'll be a necklace next though, minus all the extra clasps.  I love the randomness of it, and it looks great wrapped around twice.  I love a happy accident!

Hello Terrarium!

My friends G&C gave me this adorable terrarium for my birthday this weekend.  It has some moss, and some leafy things, and I don't even know what the other things are.  I had no idea how much I had been wanting a terrarium, but now that I have one I am totally in love with it.  TH recently got himself a leafy friend in his studio that he calls his studio assistant, and I think this cute leafy ball will be mine.  

Roots and Tubers

Parsnips, new potatoes, and a leek pulled from the garden for a roasted dinner this past weekend.

Falling Leaves Mobile

I made my first paper mobile the other day, and I can't wait to make more.  This one has a fall theme, with fluttering leaves and warm fall colors.  In the pipeline are some pink and purple paisley ones, and some blue and green and white funky stars, and of course birds!  I've been intending to make mobiles since I started Fiddleheads, but got stymied by what kind of wire to use for the top, but I finally just decided to wing it and used a warm copper wire for this one, which I really like with the fall leaves.  Yay! Can't wait to make more!

Apple Cider Making

We got some friends together this weekend to pick and press apples for cider, a large portion of which is being made into hard cider by our friend Chas.  Hopefully it is out there in the barn fermenting away!    We used an old hand-crank press that has been kicking around, and it really worked well, as long as you have some muscly people around who don't mind doing the cranking.  The cider is really sweet and delicious fresh as well, and we all did some sampling throughout the process.  We also saved out some of the more perfect looking apples for snacking on and for the pie above made by our friend Holly, who is visiting from New York (hence the footwear on the ladder.  I love it.  She was also wearing a cape.  It really leant an air of elegance to our cider making party that would have otherwise been totally lacking.).  Overall we made about 8.5 gallons and had a really great time.  I think we've got ourselves a new fall tradition!

Out For A Walk on the Wibbly Wobbly Bridge

The other day TH and Emmett and I went out exploring our little town.  It's sort of amazing that in a town this size we haven't been everywhere yet.  At least not together.  For me it was a little bit like being a tourist in my own childhood.  Revisiting this bridge brought back a very visceral and long forgotten feeling of being a kid, hanging out on the swaying bridge and throwing rocks into the river below.  It is an interesting experience moving home to a small town after so many years, where everything is pretty much the same, except for you. 

I Want My Hat Back

TH ordered a copy of this great new children's book called I Want My Hat Back, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen, and it almost instantly became a family favorite.  There are lots of books that Emmett loves to have read to him that are not my favorites, like his steam engine sticker book, for example.  Not a lot of story there.  But this book we really all enjoy immensely.  The protagonist is this hilariously low affect bear, whose hat has gone missing, and the story is his quest to get it back.  Some of the humor is a little dark, but the dark parts are all subtext, and go right over Emmett's head, which is perfect.  The best part of the story is how he gets his hat back, but I don't want to give everything away!  Go here to pick up a copy for yourself to find out!