a love list for july
We had to say goodbye to our beloved Woody this month and that has changed everything. We are grieving his absence and life without him stills feels surreal.
Once when he was very young, not even a year old, we took him on vacation to a dog friendly BnB in Asheville. There were two large dogs who lived there and Woody was instant friends with them. His whole life, he was a friend to every dog, cat, rabbit, and human he met.
The BnB was in a beautiful natural setting with a large garden and yard area to roam in and woods up the hill. We were sitting out in grapevine chairs letting Woody explore when one of the big dogs took off across the grass and headed up to the hill, to a clearing where there was a trail. Woody ran along right behind him. He was off on an adventure to explore the woods with his new friend.
When I saw him at the opening in the forest, ready to disappear into the trees, I called his name.
He stopped and turned to look in my direction then came back down the hill to join us, but for one split second he looked back at the trail through the forest, dreaming.
I hope this is what the gateway to the other side was like for him. A doorway of beautiful trees, cool shade, and a trail filled with friends to greet him.
The Sacred Feminine exhibition opened at the gallery at Christ Church during this month’s Gallery Hop. It was a good evening, so good to see this work on the walls. And we dined outside downtown with friends, which we hadn’t done in a long time.
I had opportunity to get out into nature with hikes at Raven Run and Shaker Village with Mandy. I ate a wild blackberry.
Tracy and I have gone on walks with Rocky on the mulch trails at Ashland in the evening.
I went to a Renaissance Fair with Mandy and my brother’s offspring.
Our neighbors gave us a beautiful collection of perennials in honor of Woody, so we went to Michler’s to get advice for planting them. We’re going to build a raised bed and make him a memorial garden.
I bought a camping loveseat for me and Rocky in hopes that he will be able to sit outside with me without having to be in my lap…but, we’ll see.
I took a lot of solace from the trees and moss this month.
This is the Love List
Read, Watched, Consumed
I’m loving this podcast about Buffy St. Marie.
I loved this episode of Decoder Ring. I don’t know why the American mall is such a fascinating topic to me, but it is.
This was suggested to me and now, I suggest it to you. Important stuff.
If you live in the US and you’re not reading Heather Cox-Richardson’s newsletter, I recommend it. You can subscribe to it here.
A Reflection for Dark Times, with Tara Brach
“My Spirits are Low”: Nervines in Appalachian Folk Medicine
Wouldn’t you love to find one of these?
Beautiful action.
Paper towels are extremely upsetting to me, but I’m also not fond of dirty dish towels hanging around in my kitchen. This month I started using these and I love them.
I’ve been thinking about taking a break from social media marketing, promoting, etc. I’m re-calibrating. I thought about Susannah Conway’s August Break and found out she’s suggesting we revisit the prompts from 2016. So, I’m probably going to be posting to those prompts on my studio Instagram next month and giving myself a little breather.
I’ll see you there, and I’ll see you in August. (Tomorrow)