Hillbilly Basket

Suddenly my world is perfect. Yesterday was the first truly dry day here at the cottage and I have been lovin' every minute puttering around the garden. I'ts got my juices goin' deciding what seeds or starts to plant where in the garden and even poured over into other creative projects. I pulled together some items around the farm, chicken wire, twigs and even some rusty metal and a big old rusty nail.

I present to you my whacky Hillbilly basket!

I'm thinking a trio of plantings for this darlin'. Shiso, basil and peppermint.

Oh, and I also gathered more sticks and twigs to make a trellis for my Scarlet Runner beans. Woodoggie! I'm on a roll.

God bless you & your garden, friend!

Desperately Seeking

Trillium Ovatum
A Northwest Native Bloom

When I spot my first Trillium around our wooded home I am elated because it is a sign that Spring has firmly taken hold and the bonds of Winter have been broken. But it is still to soon for it's arrival and in the meanwhile I have been busily planting up this years order of Northwest Natives. This Pre-Spring weather is the perfect time for planting the Natives and when I get my hands in the dirt, it gets me desperate for Spring.


We have had such compliant weather lately, and it was a gift when I went to planting. No sooner did I pat the soil around my new purchases and in rolled dark clouds showering my newly planted selection of goodies. I beat the odds and it felt glorious.


This year I planted one Western Hemlock for an evergreen distinction amongst the plentiful Douglas Fir. 4 Pacific Rhododendron at the entry of our drive with a few stems of Rosa Rugosa near our mailbox. Further up our drive in some humusy forest soil I planted 2 Pacific Dogwood, 2 low growing shrubby Kinnickkinnick higher up in the rock garden and 4 Twin Flower, another short but trailing ground cover by my little woodland greenhouse. Lastly, I planted in our small lower pasture in it's boot sucking marshy area, 4 Native Willow. It should quickly provide for me plenty of material to practice what I learned from the basketry class I took two Springs ago.

I'll be keeping an eye out for the Trillium on my ramblings and when I find it you will be the first to know.

Basketry

I have long endured the playful teasing of family and friends about my slightly hippie leanings. That's why I didn't share with ANY of them about my basket making class. So I will blog about it safely here,now,and when they see my cool basket?.. They're gonna love it!

I was glad for the beautiful weather on this particular day as we enjoyed having an outdoor class hosted by Kookoolan Farms. Kookoolan Farms is a wonderful local family farm where you can find pasture raised organic chickens, eggs, raw milk and other goodies. Their cheesemaking classes are really popular in the area. I'm thinking homemade mozzarella, mmmm.....another class!

Our instructor, Margaret Mathewson of the Ancient Arts Center, also an adjunct professor of Oregon State University, begins by teaching us about the gathering, stripping and soaking of the willow bark. Basically,basket making starts with the same method most of us learned as children when we plaited construction paper strips. It's the same concept. I felt safe at this point. Until I started to weave the sides. Oh no,all I could see was a bunch of pokey strips going everywhere. And I was supposed to make some sense of all that? Ugh.
Just a scant three hours later, I finished my pouch type basket. I was thrilled! But not so much about my basket as knowing that my brain, when coaxed, can still learn somethin' new.

At the beginning of class I was told we would have enough time to make two baskets, the pouch type and a flat bottomed one. I was happy just to finish my pouch one!

This nice lady was our star student. She already made her pouch basket and was finishing up a flat bottomed one here. I was walking around massaging my fingers and rubbing the kinks out of my neck.



We enjoyed a nice little lunch prepared by Farmer Chrissie. Saffron Chicken over puff pastry, tossed greens, and homemade ice cream. All using Kookoolan Farms organically grown meats, veggies and raw milk products. Delightful.

My finished basket.

Not bad for a beginner. See those little holes? Their not supposed to be there. Basketry takes a fair amount of hand strength (and brain strength). You are constantly tugging and clipping,to keep it all snug.

When I got home I was checking out the limbs of the old walnut tree out back of our place. I still want to make the flat bottom basket. Soon,before I forget.