it’s finally september. the heat wave has broken, and we are treated to cool mornings that feel thrilling! it’s getting dark earlier, and the afternoon light is beginning to change. inside the idea shack, the golden light of hot summer days is giving way to silvery glow. here’s some of the beauty…
one thing that has struck me in the idea shack this past year is the wonder of the green window. the idea shack is basically dark brown inside because of all the old wood. in summer the pokeweed and morning glories grow right outside the windows. when the sun shines through the leaves, it makes a glowing chartreuse rectangle framed by warm dark brown wood. i find myself staring at this wonderful color and the patterns of the leaves, studying the exuberance and chaos on the other side of the glass. i marvel at the life pressing in on my ordered, quiet world.
it’s good to study flowers. even if i don’t draw them, sometimes i just stare at them for awhile, admiring their expression and gesture and colors. just studying them brings some peace and calm. try studying some flowers soon.
we returned from a trip to the beach to find everything well watered, but overgrown. vines had climbed inside the idea shack, and morning glories were twining their way around everything. we can’t really get excited about whipping it back into shape in this heat. besides,it’s a great habitat for butterflies!
well the garden finally put out enough stuff for us to cook a whole dinner – just in time for mr. green jeans’ birthday. we had fried okra, creamed corn, sliced tomatoes, pole beans, and biscuits with country ham. yum!
i’ve been going to edisto island for 20 years, and every year i go to george and pink’s produce stand. off the main road and down a long sandy road canopied by ancient live oaks dripping with spanish moss, pink sells locally grown everything . she always remembers us, and we look forward to visiting. now she’s expanded to homeade jams and pies. so much southern food to feast on!
my dreams of flower abundance are finally coming true, so now it’s time to get drawing! mainly, it’s a lot of looking and studying and making mental notes about each kind of flower; how are the petals shaped? what kind of veins do the leaves have? how do the leaves come off the stem? lots of studying, and then some drawing. flower portraits on paper, then watercolors, then plates… from studying beauty comes creating beauty – everyday.
i discovered the cutest farm stand right down the road. every morning they pick what’s ripe and put it out, so it’s really farm fresh. in case i don’t have enough, now i know where to get more!
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