Whose woods these are...

...they came to know.
our fieldwork with India is done and it was a profound experience for each and every one of us.

16 women came to learn and soak in what India offered us.
as the days stitched together so did our relationships with each other.

the weather was perfect.
walks in the woods and fields were part of the course line.

and each glorious morning our first event was to open the bundles from nature we had created

and dyed the day before.

here is just a part of one morning's presents.

quietly...both alone and perhaps with a walking mate we wandered

the paths on the farm, sometimes to gather windfall, sometimes just for mindfulness

there is a large stand of milkweed in the far field that my husband and I have preserved for 16 years

to help the monarchs in their life cycle

it's always a joy to find the caterpillars getting ready to make their chrysalis while feeding on the leaves. to learn more about the cycle read here

the days passed, each beginning with opening bundles from the prior days work.

India read us a poem while Luna enjoyed a wild apple

Luna became quite fond of India early on,
in fact she loved the bundle ceremony especially. she couldn't wait to get
to the workshop each morning!
as bundle sticks fell to the ground on unwrapping she happily took them and chewed on them.
then she would rest

making friends was the running stitch between everyone.

 Kalie offers her paw

we shared stories and conversation

sometimes no words were needed

India fetched more goodness for the dyepots

pieces drying on a fence line after unbundling

a bouquet of St. John's Wort and a cheerful string of marigold buds

adorn the barn to dry

          a piece of wool dyed with eucalyptus

after dying our small pieces we started to stitch them together to form a visual

memory of our week

contemplative moments

wild clematis along the trails....fragrance to capture your heart

and as our last day waned, we shared our stitched stories in progress, set out on the fencelines.

the colors we gathered from nature showed the coming of autumn; golds, browns,

 some gentle reds and oranges and still tinges of green.

each of us was proud and awestruck.

our farm was made even more precious with India in our midst.

and each of us who came to learn went away with an intense joy and also

sadness that the week was over.

Long Ridge Farm is on India's wandering list.

a home away from home.

Luna is delighted, as are we.

and yes, she will be back next year to teach.

if interested, sign up on my mailing list for future information as it unbundles!