Clara's Window

Boy that went fast. I'm staring across the pond at a band of trees that have already turned deep red. The ferns in the field have all died back, even the goldenrod is done. The summer visitors are long, long gone. And my onions - the few that managed to grow during what was a very dry summer - have all been cured and stored away.

I'm feeling rather like the garden these days, a bit spent and overrun, tired from a full summer of bloom and ready for a spell of restorative dormancy. Just a week ago, I bundled up my new baby book - of which I'm extremely proud, but aren't we always? - and sent it off to my editor in New York. This step marks the beginning of a whole new flurry of activity of a different editorial nature, but the core birthing process is complete.

Time has become mine again, but it'll take a while to replenish my creative well. Taking time to walk, knit for myself, bake beautiful treats, and be with friends, that will get me there.

I don't know about you, but there's much to look forward to this fall. My father and his wife are coming for a long-overdue visit, then I get to spend time in Rhinebeck with some of my very favorite people (and fiber-bearing animals) in the world. Then, dear friends from San Francisco come for a celebratory birthday visit (not mine), and finally, the piece de resistance, the KR Retreat. I feel lucky and grateful.

And as for today? It's Thursday, traditionally my day of rest. Would anybody like to join me in making some homemade marshmallows?