From Brigid's Hearth with Love

The weather here in northern Delaware has finally turned from scorching hot to comfortably seasonable.  We are still picking baskets of tomatoes, but the yield has declined just slightly.   As I process them for soups and sauces, my mind is already looking forward to Mabon and out annual trip to the orchard for glorious fresh Honeycrisps and Ginger Golds to turn onto apple sauce and pies. 

And, of course, summer’s end means back to school. My youngest and I visited her first grade class room, met her teacher, and signed up for after school activities.  For my three homeschooled boys, this week first week of school brought them back into daily math, and language arts, but it also means that they'll soon be out on Hawk Watch Hill at Ashland Nature Center participating in the annual migratory Monarch butterfly and raptor counts.   Hawks and eagles circle and stream--sensing the time has come to move south with the passerine migrations. 

The local countryside is transitioning as well. Cicadas crescendo everywhere. Bees and insects are busy among Goldenrod and Asters--flowers that make the end of summer and the beginning of the harvest season.  Late afternoon sunlight is already taking on the rich honey-gold luminescence you don't find at any other time of year.

And, after much weeding, thinning composting, and tending Solstice Moon Solstice Sun is almost ready for printing.  What a harvest it will be! 

 

 

There are many people who have supported us and I am grateful to all of you who encouraged us with words, thoughts, and donations as we worked to make this book a reality.

 

Special thanks to my daughter Ellen for being the amazing artist and person that she is.  There would be no book without her.  Special thanks also to my loving and generous niece Lauren Geaghan, graphic designer extraordinaire, who took over the task of making sure that Solstice Moon Solstice Sun is ready for the printer and brought us through this last leg of the pre- publishing journey.   And  thank you to Brigid, our patroness,  who inspired and tended our creative fires and guided the forging and crafting of our words and images.

 

As a special thank you for reading and supporting, here is one of Ellen’s stunning visuals.

 

Blessings.

PS Don’t forget the launch.  November 2, 2012—5-8 pm. Film Brothers Co-op.  2^nd & Market Streets.  Wilmington DE