Sunday, June 22, 2008

mixed bunch

Tasha Tudor died the other day at 92. I picked up a cookbook written and illustrated by her not too long ago, but I've loved her illustrations since I was a child. We used to live not too far from her, but I never saw her in person. A friend of a friend acquired a loom from her, but that is as close as I'd gotten. She had a love of corgi dogs, and lived an anachronistic life, according to her own pleasures and rules. She had two husbands, but divorced them both, I believe, saying one of them didn't like hard work (I'm sure she said it more wryly). I think I'm going to try to find my own inner path, and listen more closely. I try and rush through to "get it done" and don't think of the process. Oddly, I do get very zen about housework and cooking . . . I must channel my inner hausfrau rather than my inner artist . . .



I've also been thinking about dentists; Kimy mentioned the other day on my post about the dentist that she had suffered trauma as a child at the dentist, as did I (I think I've written somewhere about being chased around the office as a child, with the dentist wielding a syringe filled with Novocaine . . . frightened out of my wits ). Surely we types deserve a day (Dental Anguish Day) or a support group (Tooth Gnashers)??



Anyway, I'm working hard on yet another text, L is excited and nervous about college week in the city, and I'm excited as well, as I hope to meet up with another blogger . . . And I forgot to mention that the other evening at dusk, I went out onto the deck, to enjoy the cool after the hot day. What did I see in the back, near the edge of the woods but a young doe. She looked right at me, too, and stood nibbling at a few leaves, before silently disappearing into the gloom. Perhaps this sighting has some portent? I hadn't seen her before, nor have I since.


These photos are of some of blooms around my yard; we've got lots of butterfly-attracting plants. The milkweed is indeed a weed, and pops up in the middle of the lawn now. We've got butterfly bush, and butterfly weed. The caterpillars will enjoy the leaves, too.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beautiful. I love butterfly bush and anyother plant that draws butterflies in.

Bobby D. said...

Beautiful garden pics. A long while ago I briefly had a big book about tasha-- it showed her garden and the somewhat dim interior of her house, which she tried to keep very very old fashioned. She hid her toaster/blender under a cozy or a tea towels, and I thought her house looked very sweet. I think she had oil lamps and such to keep the atmosphere such so. She seemed very interesting.

blackbird said...

Love your new clock - and the flowers...I was just thinking about Tasha Tudor the other day.
What a brilliant woman she was.

mouse (aka kimy) said...

the flowers are beautiful.

sorry to hear of tasha tudor, we have loved her books and illustrations. she most certainly lived a long time - 92! I hope she had a good quality of life during her later years - that is the biggest thing in my mind. quality over quantity.

I hope you get to meet ched! she's the best!! tres fun!

I don't know if I want to be reminded of my dental anguish - when I was a kid I actually had a dentist who had a syringe in his office used on some type of large animal and he joked and said if you weren't good he'd get out the big shot..... now a days that guy would have been sanctioned somehow but in the 1960s people just thought he was funny. I didn't think it was funny then or now and he's probably responsible for my bad attitude about dentists...

lettuce said...

how weird about the fawn - didn't ched also see an unexpected/unaccustomed fawn in her garden this spring? maybe it was the same one....

i know just what you mean about the rushing to get things done. But I spent yesterday taking far too long to repair a peg bag (crocheted from plastic bags) but just relaxed and enjoyed the process, sitting in my garden, not trying to rush...
I enjoyed the time and was kind of pleased with myself!

the buddleia is beautiful. what is butterfly weed, i don't know that i know that one.

ruby-crowned kinglette said...

well, i understand now your reluctance about going to the dentist... my childhood dentist was a lovely man, who patted our face and was a loving man - not so great at the dental work maybe, but certainly someone who made going to a doctor seem almost a treat.... consequently, i love going to have me teeth cleaned or worked on - you do need to come to seattle to see my gal...

and, i don't know about tasha tudor except her name... but it is nice to finally be at that age where making your own rules and living by them seems the smartest thing to do, not the strangest. i am going to start today.

-s

Shammickite said...

test

Shammickite said...

Sorry about the previous message, I was testing if I could leave a comment, as I tried earlier and it didn't work.
I'm back from England, and I will be posting pictures soon.
Meanwhile I've been checking to see what I have missed on your blog.... love the butterflies and the dragonflies, and the pic of your mum and dad.
But I must know, what happened to the Dog?
And you make your own pasta.... wow! bet it tastes great!

lorenzothellama said...

What lovely photos of your flowers!
I get very zen when I am gardening, which is what I have been doing non stop since I got back from my travels!

angela said...

Your plants look so pretty and very photogenic...just had a butterfly come into the house but by the time i'd reached the camera it had fluttered out again..

"Inner hausfrau":))

Middle Ditch said...

You've got a lovely garden.

Linda said...

I remember her drawings too-I had a book I used to look at when I was young. And I thought her name was incredible. Sad to hear she has passed on.

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous: that spiky orange flower . . .