i collect letters written by strangers. i have fat little clutches tied with tattered ribbons. and ragged folders with pages of different sizes and different handwriting. i have bought them online. i have bought them locally. i've bought some because i fell in love and some i bought thinking i'd use in collage, but then fell in love with them and couldn't.
one little bundle of letters is a lifetime worth of letters. the first letter is june of 1904, from walter, a newly ordained anglican minister in kingston ontario, to his mother in new brunswick. his father is also an anglican minister. there are no letters from his mother, but several from his father. and very quickly there are letters between his new fiancee, florence and his father, by way of introduction. they are very formal and the handwriting is calligraphic. and suddenly the letters move to the 1920s. they are to and from phyllis, walter and florence's only child who has gone to toronto to study music. and letters to florence and phyllis from walter when he is away. and then there are letters of support to florence and phyllis during walter's illness, and then of sympathy after his death. it is the story of a life. there are recital programs and report cards from the university of toronto conservatory of music. the last letters are dated in the 1950's from florence to phyllis, in a shaky hand and signed 'mother'. the story is loving and touching and you feel thoroughly part of their lives.
i have read through this collection dozens of times in the 18 years i've had it. after i moved to portsmouth village, i noticed that the family from these letters also lived in portsmouth village. which delighted me. there were photo enlargement envelopes from peter's drugs, our neighborhood pharmacy that has been owned by the same family for generations and generations. but i'll never know how it took me so many years to notice that the return address, properly written in the top right corner of so many of the letters, was 53 mowat avenue. the address of the house that is my studio is 55 mowat avenue. it's like my little life on this little corner in portsmouth village knew the neighbors from a lifetime ago.

this morning is a little dreary and gray. i have squares calling to me from the studio waiting to be fashioned into quilts, but i am slow getting started. i had a delightful bath with one of the cocoa butter bath melts from liv simple farms. i hope to live in this cloud of lavender all day, with silky smooth skin and a sunny disposition. and it's not just me in love with these products. i've had several people this week mentioning to me how addicted they have become to livs stuff, how much better their skin is feeling from the soap and how fresh their homes are smelling. i hope liv will come and be part of another sale with us.
so, the dishes are washing and edgar has eaten and there is thunder rumbling through the sky again. i'm heading to the studio and the day is underway!

when i heard the sounds of thunder in the night, i was confused. i jumped out of bed and ran downstairs. i thought the rumbley shaking was the sound of edgar losing his footing and taking a terrible fall in the room below us. but happily i found him sleeping soundly under his quilt on the sofa in the living room, completely unphased. when i got back into bed the sound began again and only after the 3rd or 4th time did i recognize it as thunder. and then the room was lit white with lightning and the house shook some more. it was quite a wild night storm. i'm not a worrier. but for some reason lying in bed with the night exploding around me, i started to worry. the power of the lightning, the thunder shaking the windows and the downpour of rain....the storm was scaring me. i started to worry about the studio roof. my parents barn. finances and taxes. my parent's upcoming trip. tom's parents who are on their way to australia. maybe it was because i awoke with a start of worry about edgar. but it was certainly a relief to wake up and find the worry gone. the rain is still falling and it looks like the day will be a gray one, but my little world is back to normal.

3.30 am is a magical hour that is both late and early. i'm never sure if it's night or morning. edgar got me up a little while ago and despite my exhaustion the past couple of days, i haven't been able to get back to sleep. the moon is huge and low and tilted on it's 3/4 side, hanging in the trees by my window, flirting with me. i can't seem to look away.
yesterday after dinner we headed out on a walk. a fast paced, we need exercise, sort of walk. along the water and through the buildings i adore. but when we reached lake ontario park, we found it fully under construction. this park is an untouched piece of beauty that has been my favorite destination since i was a child. the lake, the trees, the little round bathroom buildings, the long house. and the remains of a tiny amusement park with rides and mini golf that was there for 50 years until 7 or 8 years ago when it was dismantled and moved to a dusty and exhaust smelling property just off the highway. i thought my heart wouldn't recover the day i saw the little roller coaster and giant slide and bumper cars coming down. but now, after years of getting used to the park without the kitschy cotton candy stand and merry go round, i think they are constructing a high end urban landscape. the loveliness will be interrupted with stone work and fountains and it's all breaking my heart all over again.
my camera went with us last night. and i've posted photos of our walk on foblographie. you can link through to have a peek.

tonight was our first barbecue of the season. steak and roasted potatoes and salad. i came home from the studio to a busy kitchen, phish pouring out the open door on to the porch, and tom readying dinner. there is a pattern of summer already blending into the evening. calm and endless. and even though the trees are empty still, they seem somehow summery. we are heading out to walk along the lake. an evening tradition we are attempting to build. a little movement and sunlight and time together. an after dinner walk. it's a good way to welcome the warmer weather....a barbecue and a walk.

the ground is covered with little yellow crocuses. they have worked their way up through the mud and dirt and tangle of last years weeds and sit enjoying their moment in the chilly sun. we saw them for the first time on sunday after our sale. we were exhausted. i think i was more tired this time than ever. the combination of losing an hour to the time change and working to get prepared put me into a dazed stupor of exhaustion. and we saw the crocuses as we walked around the corner to our neighborhood pub for some dinner. i love that crocuses always surprise me. i catch my breath a little when i see them the first time. every year i believe we must be so lucky to be getting them so much earlier this year, bright against the mud and snow. our first little patch of color. my mother made a tiny posy with them and tucked them in a little bottle for our mantle.
thank you to all of you who send such lovely wishes to me and our studio. and to those who are near enough to come out and make our sales such fabulous days.

spring is just around the corner. the clock moves ahead this weekend to give us extra light in the evening. i'll miss it in the morning, but i know it will catch up soon. the spring energy is taking over. i'm getting impatient for summer already. i've been sewing tunics all week. really getting into it. the collection is full of varying sizes and fabrics and colors. they are fresh and comfy. and reversible. perfect as the warmer weather approaches to wear as a flirty little dress. but i see them worn with jeans and flip flops. and also as the perfect bit of color thrown over a black turtleneck and tights.....perfect combination of sleek and funky.
liv came by tonight to set up for her part of our sale on sunday. a table full of buckets of soap and all her other lovely products. the entire little house is pulsing with lavender....it's wonderful.
we'll be open from 10 until 4 on sunday march 11. at 55 mowat ave in portsmouth village. the weather predictions look amazing. while you're out enjoying the day, drop by the studio to check out all our lovely products and the new items we've been working on the last couple of weeks. and you can head down to the lake for a stroll.....don't forget to bring bread for the ducks. we'll see you sunday.