Thursday 11 July 2013

more green

i am on Madeline Island
midst fields of green but slightly nervous to tread in them
having already been attacked by the dreaded chiggers
not to mention ticks literally raining down on me
every time i am foolish enough to set foot under a tree.

there are big ones and little ones

those little ones at the bottom are particularly insidious.
apparently they like to attach themselves to gentleman's vegetables.
they are hard to spot and can give you Lyme disease.
i am very glad i am not a boy.

green abounds in our samples
 in the instruments we make
to apply proteins to our pages
and on a hill
though there is less of it on the other side
a little way down the road i find peony heaven
so far we have limited ourselves to using colour
literally gathered within 500 yards of the cauldrons
after class hours i play music amplified by a jug
which is a good deal cheaper than extra speakers
every bit as effective
and amusing to look at.
the Madeline Island School of Arts prides itself on its food [on the website at all events]
but does not provide evening meals.
for those of us without transport [such as yours truly]
this has meant a simple diet of corn chips-washed-down-by-gin for supper.

this evening i discovered a clean cauldron in my digs
and cooked soup [lentil+potato+squash+corn] for my students.
in the absence of herbs [none that i could find at all events]
i flavoured it with peanut butter, garlic, chili and maple syrup;
dressing it with a mix of yoghurt/green onion/lemon
which some of us also anointed with Tabasco.
it sounds vile but was actually delicious.
sadly the visuals did not match the flavour and so i shall spare you an image.

and now
i have to get back to my sewing. i have a Fall collection to construct
so every non-teaching [waking] moment has to be put to good use...

21 comments:

  1. lyme disease... shudder..... my bestest gal pal (and traditional blacksmith to boot) contracted s-lymes (as I call it) almost 3 decades ago.... she was pretty much the first case confirmed to have been contracted in australia and longest living survivor (don't let well-meaning medicos tell you it doesn't exist in oz..... IT DOES!) watch for the tell tale 'bullseye' rash pattern in the days/weeks following a tick bite (f#%&$**ing s-lymes!)...

    ** ps sorry for the s-lymes rant and educational extra.... I . HATE. TICKS!

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  2. Ingenious amplifier, necessity etc.

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  3. What about stitching the little buggers into the silk and then boiling them??

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  4. What about stitching the little buggers into the silk and then boiling them??

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  5. I was going to say something similar to isobel. Could you try them as a poor man's cochineal? wonder what colour they would give.
    Sandy in the UK

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  6. Soup sounds great..but the corn chips and Gin dinner also good:)

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  7. Look at those green colors, must be something in the water. Lovely prints and patterns. Enjoy island life - despite all the pesky little bugs! XO

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  8. What a wonderful day....the fabrics are spectacular...and the lushness is so welcoming...except chiggers stink. Peace, Mary Helen Fernandez Stewart

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    Replies
    1. actually they suck. or bite. or something. vile things. thanks for swinging by

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  9. Put fingernail polish on the chiggers. that works.

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    1. now seriously....do i look like the kind of gal that carries nailpolish?

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  10. I am smiling. Ticks,chiggers,and gin - oh, my! I like your spin on things

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  11. Oh those verdant colors! and those darn ticks. I remember Eleanor McCain giving us Tick-checks in TN at Shakerag. You certainly know how to use what is at hand to make a good soup.

    I write this as I watch my beloved try to start the mower to cut the small patch of green in our yard. The machine is winning and not responding. I think Geo. needs a gin right now.

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    1. I feel like that after mowing, Christine ;>]

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  12. I want to eat that soup, with a side of corn chips n' gin, while listening to *jug* music!
    Aside from each of the assorted annoyances, that is some great green (etc.) happening.

    "Gentleman's vegetables"??? ... now THAT is a new one (well, not they, themselves new, but the expression - you know what I mean ;>]]

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    1. ...i'm quoting Jeremy Clarkson [of Top Gear]

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  13. Beautiful print magic happening. Its crazy there's no provision for dinner! People need kai. Those ticks are disgusting. I'm going to try the jug trick out right now. X

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  14. ticks..... they don't mind a bit of oyster too not just vegetables...loving those greens :)

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  15. These are amazing India..I am so inspired by your eco prints! "Gentlemen's vegetable"...teehee..

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  16. re: ticks and those veggies...tis true. i can say no more. (egad, i have strange knowledge)

    and ticks are vile scourges that suck. in the most despicable sense. i note the summer by berries or bugs; have you yet experienced deer flies?

    anyhoo, you have a wonderful sense of the absurd and the clever that i so enjoy.

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