Happy Solstice!!!!

A Happy Solstice to Everyone. It's another winter wonderland here on this the first day of winter. After the ice storm last week, then 2 inches of sleet on Tuesday, we received 15 inches of snow on Thursday. Today it is snowing heavily in those big, fluffy, drowsy flakes and is piling up even more. We probably have gotten another foot of snow. Soon, the winds will be picking up and causing white out conditions. I'm glad I have nowhere to go today! As we celebrate the longest night and welcome the return of the sun in anticipation of the days getting ever more daylight, it's a good time to reflect and then to turn our thoughts to the future.

Here's a piece I stitched a few years ago. A very wintry piece. Around the edge is written: "Neath blue sky and mantle of white, the heart of the land pulses with life". Serendipitous for today.

Ice Storm

On the December full moon - the Longest Night Moon - we got hit by the big ice storm. Freezing rain, sleet and snow fell with temperatures hovering at the freezing mark. Ice accumulated at over 1/2" and covered every surface. At 3 a.m. on Friday, December 12, power went out amidst the sound of tree limbs cracking. The temperature went down to 13 that night. The next day dawned pale and cold. It was like a crystal wonderland outside. The ice wreaked havoc, but the crystalline coating was breathtaking. Everywhere hung icicles. Every surface was encased with thick ice. Branch, limb, leaf, wire - all in suspended animation within its frozen wrappings. The day was gray, still and freezing. Temps never got over 22. We heard that most of the northeast was hit by the storm and a quarter million people in NY state alone lost power. We got a kerosene heater. On the way to the store, we noticed a huge amount of trees downed and blocking roads, toppling power poles and anything in the way. Friday night the temps got to 10. We heard on the battery-powered radio that it might be the middle of next week before rural areas (read Huntersland, NY) would get power. So, Saturday morning, we made a 5-hour round trip to the nearest store that had a generator in stock. DH hooked it up and it worked great. We were able to alternate running a space heater and lights to running the freezer (filled with organically raised beef and pork and lots of veggies from our garden) to the radio. Saturday night dipped down to single digits, but it wasn't too bad inside and no pipes burst! Sunday the sun was shining like crazy and as the temps made their way into the mid 20s, some ice started to break up from the wires. We ran to our youngest son's house (he still had power) and took a shower. Came back home and ran heaters and such some more. The sun shining on the ice-covered hillside really was amazing. Then, bless National Grid, power was restored to our house at 2 p.m. 2 1/2 days of no power in such cold temps was more than enough for me! We are astounded at how quickly the crews restored power, although we realize many are still without power. The magnitude of the storm was huge. Kudos to National Grid and all the hard-working crew!

2009 Herbal Study Program - makes a terrific Christmas present!

This is our wonderful herbal study program! If you would like to pay using a credit card via PayPal, just email me at bpills@midtel.net for details.

2009 Green Spiral Herbal Study Program

A Common Sense Approach to Incorporating Herbs Into Your Everyday Life

Many of us remember the time when grandmothers had the knowledge and skills to keep their families healthy through good nutrition and simple home remedies. The time has come again for us to recall that wisdom and incorporate it into our lives. Discover how easy it is to bring that genuine experience to your everyday life -- wrap your hands around a steaming mug of herbal tea; ease a headache with natural relief; or soothe your skin with an organic salve.

Through the Green Spiral Herbal Study Program, you will learn to identify, grow and use herbs for their nutritional, therapeutic and creative benefits. You will create herbal preparations for personal use. Come to Dan and Betty Pillsbury’s herb farm in Huntersland for 42 hours of instruction from April to September and learn about herbs.

The focus of this program is to learn about herbs in a friendly, caring environment. Class size is limited to allow for meaningful interaction.

The curriculum includes, but is not limited to information on:

- Identification of cultivated and wild herbs

- Growing herbs organically and gathering wild herbs ethically

- Preserving the harvest

- Herbalism terminology

- Herbal tea blending

- Poultices, soaks and compresses

- Medicinal infused oils and vinegars

- Salves and creams

- Cooking with herbs

- Infusions and decoctions

- Tinctures

- Syrups

- Herbal first aid kit

- Materia medica

- Herbal strategies to improve your health

Class dates:

Sundays: April 26, May 31, June 28, July 26, August 30 and September 20.

Class Times: 9:00 to 4:00

Students are expected to arrive on time, participate fully and remain for the entire class time.

Physical Requirements: Students should dress for the weather and be able to tolerate outdoor environments as herb walks will be held rain or shine, heat or cold. Proper foot wear is needed. Part of each day will be spent indoors.

Absences: Any student with more than one day’s absence will not receive a certificate of completion. No make up dates are provided. If we must reschedule a class, we’ll do our best to find a time convenient for all students. However, we reserve the right to make the final choice of dates. If a student cannot attend a rescheduled class, no refunds will be given; but upon request, we will issue a credit voucher for the value of the rescheduled class. The amount of the voucher may be applied to tuition fees of any future Green Spiral class. Credit vouchers are good for one year.

Tuition: Tuition is $750. This works out to less than $18 per hour! A $150 non-refundable deposit is required with registration. The balance of $600 must be paid prior to the first day of class. Should a registered student not begin or complete the program for any reason, Green Spiral assumes no obligation, financial or otherwise.

Meals: Students should bring their own lunches. Herb teas and snacks will be served at no charge.

Supplies: A supply list and directions will be sent upon registration.

Call Betty at 518-827-8730 or email bpills@midtel.net to register.

www.GreenSpiralHerbs.com

www.GreenSpiralHerbs.blogspot.com

Another Paisley

My dear friend, Margaret, and I have a little paisley challenge going between us. We alternate finding a basic paisley outline and see what we can devise. Here's my latest. The teardrop paisley cabochon I found at The Pink Bunny in Wichita, KS, when I was teaching there earlier in the month. That was a great retreat by the way. Val has already decided to do it again next year and has asked me, Judith Montano and Carole Samples to return as teachers again. I highly recommend this event! I bezeled the cabochon with beads. I couched the gold beads in the scallops and added rose montees. The outline is stem stitched in a #4 Kreinik braid. Then, 5 mm flower beads were added around the edge. The points to the left are wired ribbon leaves done in a peacock blue. I added hand charms to the inside. Bugle beads make up the semi-circle. A swarovski marguerite is the center of the semi-circle. The background is a Hoffman bali fabric.

Crazy Snow and How to Pass the Time

Saturday we got 2 1/2 inches of rain. Sunday was incredibly gorgeous - sunny and 60. Monday was 40s and drizzle. Today? Snowing heavily with a predicted 12-16 inches and winds to increase to 50 mph. If you don't like the weather, just wait a minute and it will change. So, seeing as I was snowed in today, I had a studio day. Don't get enough of those.

I'm calling this "In An Autumn Wood". It's was fun doing a fast project. It's 9 inches square. Every now and again I need instant gratification, as so many of my projects take the better part of a year.

Frosty nights!

Well, the frost was on the pumpkin this morning. Night temps have been in the low 20s for the past week. Here's a photo of Grootendorst roses hit by the frost.

And as it is getting on towards Halloween, I thought I would post a pic of my crazy quilted witch's hat. It is a Crabapple Hill pattern - that I had to tweak of course. It's actually a pillow rather than a hat to wear. I thought it was highly amusing. I've had that fabric with the eyes on it for some time, just waiting for the right project. There are two sayings embroidered along the brim: "If the hat fits" and "Member in good standing of the Black Hat Society". Now, where is my cauldron and broom?

October's Bright Blue Weather

October's Bright Blue Weather by Helen Hunt Jackson (b. 1831)

O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October's bright blue weather,
When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair
Later aftermaths are sowing;
When springs run low and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiselessly in the bush
Of woodsd, for winter waiting;
When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers hour by hour,
October's bright blue weather,
O suns of skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October's bright blue weather.

Amen, sister, Amen! We have had a glorious streak of weather here and autumn is dazzling! On Saturday, Green Spiral Herbs vended at the Schoharie Old Stone Fort History Fair. Sunday, we vended at the Catskill Ginseng and Medicinal Herb Festival. It was a terrific day out. Lots of people buying our herbal stuff and enjoying the weather and speakers at the event. A reporter from the Catskill Daily Mail interviewed me and a few others. Here is the article http://www.thedailymail.net/articles/2008/10/12/news/news3.txt We bought a few more ginseng roots to plant on the property. Monday was my birthday and DH took the day off work and took me on a lovely drive to look at the gorgeous trees. He made me dinner of bacon-wrapped scallops and spinach orzo. Delicious! We spent time in the garden, collecting more seeds (culver's root, black cohosh, Korean angelica, feverfew, meadowsweet and a few others), harvesting more herbs and doing some general fall clean up. Yesterday would have been my brother's birthday (he passed last year). I wished him a happy birthday and felt his presence with me as I gardened. Today, 125 garlic were planted. I harvested more dill and coriander seed and comfrey leaves. There is a patch of nettles that were just coming up, so I picked those as well. As long as nettles are young and tender, they are good. I started putting sand around the base of the lavender plants (we planted 500 in mounded rows earlier this year). The sand will reflect light back onto the plants and keep some weed growth down. I picked a few leeks to make potato/leek dinner for tonight. I love autumn!