"Rest is not idleness, and to be sometimes on the grass on a summer’s day listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means a waste of time."

 ~ John Lubbock ~

The arrival of August finds my thoughts turning to autumn even though there is still an abundance of summer to come.  Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote so eloquently of this time of year:

“Alas for the pleasant summertime!  In August the grass is still verdant on the hills and in the valleys… and yet in every breath of wind and in every beam of sunshine we hear the whispered farewell and behold the parting smile of a dear friend.  There is a coolness amid all the heat, a mildness in the blazing noon.  Not a breeze can stir but it thrills us with the breath of autumn.”

If you would like a lovely read some summer afternoon as you sit on your porch with a glass of lemonade, seek out a copy of Hawthorne’s “Mosses From an Old Manse” (1854) and read “The Old Manse”. 

So, while I am looking forward to the arrival of autumn with all its delicious enticements, I shall embrace this month and every breath of summer left in it!

"There is no other feeling like what is caused by this faint, doubtful, yet real perception – if it be not rather a foreboding – of the year’s decay, so blessedly sweet and sad in the same breath."

~ Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Old Manse" ~

Early Work Mercantile

 Take a peek at my Early Work Mercantile page where you will find a bit of handwork featuring the design “Tansy ~ Yarrow ~ Rue” as well as a few dried yarrow bundles from this year’s harvest.

Fancey Blackett Returns!

The arrival of August puts me in mind of the coming months wherein handwork is such a pleasant way to pass the time. And if stitching is your thing, what better subject to stitch than Fancey Blackett?  The newest design in this series finds the good Miss Blackett presenting her little friend, Marigold, with the perfect pumpkin!  “The Perfect Pumpkin” is available in mailed and e-pattern (instant download) format.  Links can be found below.

Until next month, my friends, I wish you all the joys this lovely month has to offer!

~Wendy~