Sinking in...

We had a bit of rain yesterday and I stood by the open front door looking out the summer screen. The sound of each drop had a lightening effect on my being, and the smell of the earth and grass and trees was prominent as they soaked up the water. The sound and scent of the woods was very calming and I was soothed by the hypnotic rhythm of nature's shower. Soul refreshment.

Because I lived across the street from a park in NYC I would get a hint (just a hint) of this heady organic smell when it rained there, but it doesn't compare with the undiluted experience up in here in the country.

And the stars at night! Praise be, what a wondrous spectacle. The awesome beauty of the Milky Way is so utterly enchanting and trance inducing it makes me want to stay up all night just to stare. In the very darkness of these country nights our galaxy is luminescent beyond imagination. This is one of the things I missed most while living in the city. The stars at night. All that beautiful star dust.

Daylight these past few days has illuminated this glory out in the front yard:


And this sighting:

Isn't s/he just gorgeous in his/her red coat!

On the fiber front I'm crocheting a square every morning while I have my coffee on the front "porch" and will have another row to add to the afghan this weekend. After that it will be down to 2 rows to completion. Golly! That's exciting.

I'm back at the loom on a regular basis now and it feels so good. I'm undecided whether I should share the project as I proceed or wait until it's all finished? Hm...

I was excited to spy this out front (and there's more of it on the other side of the stump):


I will try to identify it on the web and see what color it may produce. There's a range of color to be got from mushrooms and fungi. This could get very exciting! The NH Sheep & Wool Festival is this weekend and I'm driving down tomorrow. I may come back with some fleece in need of coloring! :happyhappy: