A Girl

The tree has entered my hands,
The sap has ascended my arms,
The tree has grown in my breast -
Downward,
The branches grow out of me, like arms.

Tree you are,
Moss you are,
You are violets with wind above them.
A child - so high - you are,
And all this is folly to the world.

-Ezra Pound

so lovely.

Charlottesville has been quite kind to us.
With its round mountains and forever flowing fields we can't help but to jump in the car and follow the sun.
We've come across the most wonderful small towns with all the charm and beauty you'd expect them to have. I've started both my job as a florist and my studies as an herbalist since I've last written and it truly couldn't be going better.

Last week I spent a day getting to know the Elderflowers, eventually making them into a delicious syrup used throughout the fall to ward off the illnesses winter brings. And in the shop I made my first bouquet. A day surrounded by roses and fennel, sunflowers and lemon leaf. It was incredible.

Yesterday we got on the road to a nearby historic village. Much to our surprise it happened to be on the day of a great festival. With drinks from all over the world and the most friendly of people. We talked to a man for a full hour, just on the subject of Irish fairies and selkies.

I am truly loving it here. As the days go by my heart gets fuller and fuller.

Our new home truly is everything we dreamed it would be.
We live in an old Victorian house on a historic avenue. The house is surrounded and shaded by tall old oak trees. There are 11 of them just out my window. They are scattered to their own areas and look very much like tall old kings guarding something sacred.  The shaded yard is covered in acorns and happy squirrels. Sometimes at night you can here the acorns drop on the tin roof of the porch, then quickly after, you hear a squirrel scurrying over to collect it. Rabbits hop up and down along the white fence, and Ravens are everywhere. I have never seen so many ravens. They are beautiful in their silken black cloaks with hints of metallic blue shining from their wings.
I suppose I should start a new series of paintings. Of squirrels, rabbits, and ravens. All posing in front of tall oaks and a very old house.
One of our favorite places is a little sitting area in the long front yard, nestled under 1 tall trees and a big gardenia bush. Many a breakfast and afternoon tea will be had there and I'll be sure to lay out some rabbit food so that maybe, one day, they will join us for tea.

so here we are...

Charlottesville, Virginia.

I sit in my new home of 3 days. Boxes everywhere, only a few things unpacked. The floors have been taped down with brown paper and little dots of red and green paint have splatted on it here and there. The cat is enjoying the crackling of the paper beneath her paws as she takes the long walk from her bed to the bowl of cool clean water that awaits her.
We are a family of 3. My husband, myself, and the Cat. And we've all arrived in Charlottesville for some very good reasons.
He, to study the beauty of the written word, of coffee shops, and old bookstores, of theater, and of croissants.
I, for the study of plants and herbs, of ballet, and wet paint, of trips to the farmers markets, and antique shops, of lace, and most of all, flowers.
and the Cat.. for the study of naps, of figuring out which window gives just the right amount of light, of squirrel watching, and late night adventures while the whole town is asleep.