on patience

The wave was in this week...with all the rain we'd had.

The North fork of our river system,

a beautiful place.

I calmly bask in our afternoon mountain sun,

sipping on tea packed in a thermos.

Contemplating the fact that,

even the end of june,

It's still not quite summer here....

the puffy coat is still in the quiver of acquirable layers...

and I am in hand warmers meant for brisk-ier days of Montana.

But today,

 that's just fine with me.

Everything in time.

Right?

Not a bad time to meditate on this elusive virtue called patience.

Patience has never been *my* virtue.

Most certainly not.

But today is a practice in meditation.

And a breath of fresh mountain air. 

My man runs the river,

the one that only swells at the perfect amount of rain and run-off, 

on a board not quite for him,

lapping the elusive wave,

over and over and over again,

swimming the eddy

and then hiking the bank back up. 

Talk about patience.

....

A beautiful place to meditate.

Taking patience lessons from the old furry man.

And the one in the wetsuit.

....

Shop Update

Coffee on the porch,

with a collection of lovelies,

and some much needed sunshine after this 6 days of rain!

Shop Update Today!

Buds and Blooms,

Sunshine and Summer...

Of Reaping and Sowing, a Necklace

I must'v taken apart this necklace, like, at least 200 times....

No kidding.

Things came together, and then came apart.

Things fell together, and then fell back to the beginning.
I fell short of finishing,
and then fell close to tearing it apart,
and starting all over again.

I broke stuff.
Melted stuff.
Scorched stuff.
I cursed.
I almost cried.
I ran the gamut of emotions when one puts something into the universe,
and the universe just slaps it out of your hands,
and says "NOPE".
Try again.

In the last few months, I've applied some new rules to myself...

one of which is....

nothing is perfect.

As a critical and sometimes overbearingly introverted Virgo,
who sometimes takes perfection to an unhealthy and spiral-ey place.....

this is not an easy one.

Not. One. Bit.

But it has given me some peace in places in my life I least expected it.

A garden planted does not necessarily mean a good yield.

A house built doesn't necessarily make it a home.

College does not equal success.

Money does not equal happiness.

Happiness does not equal easy.

And hard work doesn't always pay.

But, at least for me....

Meaningful work matters.
The call of creative work, regardless of the outcome...
matters.

The act and propulsion of forward movement.

The work done to get there.
No looking back.
No second guessing.
Just what. it. is.

This Neckpiece is all about work...

the literal and multi-layered experience of applying yourself to your one and only life.
And for finding where that work can take you.

To reap what you sow.

For this season.

And the next one.

And the next one after....

This piece, along with many other silver-y musings from the garden,
will be in the shop Tomorrow, Friday 6/20.

xo Erin

After the rain

A lovely Monday morning break from the rain

has left all the flowers aching for a quick photography session...

and I can't help but oblige.

There's lots of pink on my bench lately, 

beads and wire mostly....

rose quartz and other lovely stones in shades too yummy to be rocks...

And the echoing pink of these peonies has me in a early summer trance.

All petals and pods and leaves and buds and blooms.

Because, What a truly lovely time of year....

What lovely life it is to wander the flowers of a garden

with a warm cup of coffee steaming in the cold of a wet morning.

What lovely contemplation these flowers seem consumed by....

when, truly, is the best time to bloom?

And I can't help but answer,

"Any time, little bud.

Any time is a good time."

....

SHOP UPDATE,

with all these lovely pink petal-y things....

FRIDAY 6/20.

It's gonna be a good one : )

Monday Tunes

To Monday....ya'll....

to the studio...

18K and Opals awaiting....

Get some!