Friday, December 19, 2014

ashes, ashes




It's icy here, so I dumped the whole can full of wood ashes on my paths and the driveway, and then put it to the test.  I didn't fall down and break my crown.

 Yes, I still prefer winter in the north. My friends are busily knitting their wool into things. I don't knit, but I love to see it done. I did once knit a sweater, on circular needles, but as I neared the bottom, I lost interest in the project.  Which did not deter me from wearing it for the rest of the winter, with the needles all dangling down - o, down - o, down -o, with the  needles all dangling down. (To be sung to the tune of Fox Went Out on A Chilly Night).






When the sky is clear,  I love to see bright stars in familiar constellation, glittering at night in cold, dry air. I love the crystallized world, the way the creek bubbles under ice, with an edge that forms and reforms overnight.  I look to see the shapes of leaves and grass in flowing water under the clear ice. I love the thick coats of fur on my cats, the stacked-full wood shed, the splitting block, the cold maul, which also serves to split a big squash, which I like to roast and eat, in winter, with butter.

I like my new, highly visible,  lime-yellow down jacket.

Happy winter solstice, and remember the ones who've left us. I light a candle for them in a
mason jar, when the sun goes down, and put it in the frozen fern bed beside the sauna.

14 comments:

Alice said...

Needles all dangling down…what a funny image! I'll sing along with you. Fox Went Out is a favorite around here, or was when the children were little. They couldn't pronounce "chilly," so it came out "tsilly, " and I still think of it that way. Happy Solstice to you.

Susan said...

Alice, haha my favorite line in my favorite song I used to sing with my kids,too

Anonymous said...

Happy Solstice to you Susan!
Seeing your snippet of weaving here.... I tried a variation of your scarves, minus the cross, in some old Harrisville shetland I had on hand. Was not a tight weave, so that I could full it a bit without turning it into stone.
Was a bit concerned that the different rose path variations would shrink and full differently.... and they did, but not disastrously so.
I wove it for my daughter Lilly for Christmas..... when I showed her your scarves she oohed and ahhed over them. and said that some of her favorite weavings of mine were my early samplers, done in the 70s!
Did I take a photo? Of course not! Silly me. But hopefully the kids will take a group photo on Christmas..... wearing their new scarves. If they do, I'll post it.
...... and now you have me singing :)

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

Happy Solstice to you, Susan.
You didn't fall down and break your crown--I love it.
And the image of splitting a squash
and eating it roasted with butter.
Thick fur coats of the cats.
Looking beneath the ice and seeing
the shapes of leaves.
The starry sky at night.
Do you see Orion? My favorite sky.
I love winter up north too.
A cozy one to you!

Susan said...

Julie,
I'm glad you wove it and I'd love to see how it turned out, especially on that Lily. You've been weaving for a long time, like me. I love to weave this way, deciding which way is the next at every turn. It's exciting. And I always make new discoveries, even though it's usually just going down the same old rosepath. I'm nothing but happy at my loom.

Susan said...

Dawn, You're such a cheerleader. You cheer me on!
Thank you. I appreciate every bit of it. Yes, Orion, and Ursa Major (Big Dipper, and Little Dipper) I love that word, Dipper. Orion is comely, huge, and bright. The 7 sisters, just visible to me, nearby, the Pleiades.
I hope to go up to Northern Sweden or Finland to see spectacular Northern Lights some winter.

Dawn of LaTouchables said...

...so do I, Susan. The Northern Lights--now that would be something.

Judith said...

very evocative post......happy times......I'm so glad to look forward to 2015 and to the hopes that there will be many more stories to enjoy

riverweave said...

Love that song. Your new blog header is cool.
Like you! Have good winter holidays. See you soon.

Jenny M said...

Your words conjure up the beautiful images of what you see in your part of the world....the opposite to where I live, where the Summer warmth is building up to what will become looong very hot days. I love seeing your weaving. Thank you for sharing your photos and thoughts with us.
Seasons greetings to you from Melbourne, Australia.

Suasan said...

Thanks, Kathy, and Judith, and happy to have such good friends as you,

Jenny M, One thing I love about www is seeing that side of the world, like stepping through the looking glass where everyone walks around unaware that they are upside down, down under. With different constellations. Like looking at my own living room upside down, imagining the ceiling is the floor, in an alternate reality. It's pleasantly upsetting.

nursedragon said...

Did you ever have another Sno Crush event? I love looking at the photographs and reading about it.

Avalanche Looms / Susan Johnson said...

Nursedragon, Sadly, no. I'm not very good at arranging events, though when I do, I'm usually happily surprised by the way it turns out. I'm glad you liked the pictures of it

Lesley said...

Hello,
Just found your blog and I have had the best time ever, looking at your beautiful photos and your fabulous work you do.
I have just started weaving and you are a total inspiration..

Thanks soooo much.

Lesley