At the risk of confusing you all greatly, I must inform you of the current transition I am tackling in case there should be long and wide pauses in various types of communication! I’m moving! We’ve lived in this little Methow home for three months now and a few days ago the owner, who happens to be a fisherman in Alaska in the summer months, announced his impending return. We hummed and hawed a little about what the heck to do with ourselves and made the decision to stay in the valley as long as we can this fall, as long as RW can work, probably until very late in the month of October. The decision came as a great relief to me as I just began to settle into life and work here and didn’t feel prepared to make the big journey home, as much as I miss and love Idaho. I’m a little tornado of packing-ness, collecting our various piles of things and shuttling them over to the other side of the valley, up a mountain, down a very winding road, alongside a cliff, over a large bump, to a beautiful douglas fir and ponderosa pine forest where a very little cabin exists in practically perfect sweetness and is really, in every way, ideal for this little goldilocks! It really is quite small, the downstairs must be slightly over 100 square feet with a fairly good sized annexed bathroom and a wee ladder that goes upstairs into the loft where there is one bed that is just right. Little cabin in the woods is rather isolated and the forest is some kind of gleaming quiet, the light trickles down through the conifer canopy like arpeggios. All is peaceful there, except for the bear. He’s noisy. That’s not a joke. Little cabin in the woods comes with a rotund black bear who has been dipping his nose in caramel. He’s the cutest thing. We had our first meeting yesterday. I must have scared him because he ran directly up the side of a mountain slope and that couldn’t have been easy running. Nothing I love more than a spooky bear — it means I probably won’t be eaten.
I do confess, I worry I will be lonesome in this location. It’s in such a silent, isolated nook on the mountain and seems to take fairly enormous effort to get to, or even find! I supposed I will have to be the sound, the color, the zingy little human, the texture of life there in my forest. That said, the Airstream cannot make it down the gnarly road that leads to this bitty abode and I’m going to have to park my big, silver studio at the base which means I’ll be commuting to work for the next couple of months. Robert is dubious, but I know I’ll love an eternal, wild bike ride every morning. I can already tell, I’m going to write deeply in this little wood as well as make wonderful photos. I feel so lucky to be moving into such a quaint space, right when the forest is going to begin to prepare for the long sleep of winter. Come the gold and crimson, set me whirling.
The summer truly feels as though it’s winding down now, or being gathered up and compressed into tight ravels, a fuzzy ball of yarn. The sun slants are growing soft, curving, tinged at the edges with blue. There’s a delicious chill in the morning air and I warm my hands on cups of tea and coffee. I’ve been wearing little wool sweaters, boots, I’m shifting into richer colors, I think about wearing fingerless gloves as I type this. At night, I’m sleeping under two blankets instead of one, Robert is away and there’s nothing to keep my feet warm, deep in the sheets and quilts — I read later than I should, because lamp light is cozy, and night comes earlier than expected. The deer will unveil their antlers soon. Canada geese are on the river. Are you ready for a shift in seasons? I’m not sure I want to stop swimming in lakes and rivers, growing flowers, riding my bicycle through the nights with starlight as my crown, with my long hair whispering on bare shoulders, with night bugs crooning their creaking melodies, and the river waters holding the edges of everything in perfect order.
I was COMPLETELY mesmerized by your post today. I usually am. I just love your style of writing. It’s soothing and intriguing and creates a beautiful image in my mind. Good luck with your move and your time in your wee cabin in the woods!
Cristen!
Gosh!
Thank you for being mesmerized — that encourages me to write, write and write some more. Thank you so much for reading, and for all the luck.
X
Poetry…pure and simple! I wish you nothing but the best of luck with your move to the little cabin in the high woods! Many good thoughts coming your way!
Thank you, Anita!
X
I am ready for the shift …this is my favourite season change
wasn’t the moon gorgeous last night
i hope you had a good view of Her…she was stunning
that cabin looks like a dream…WOW
wish I could pop by for tea and talk : )
i so understand the unsettled feeling of isolation, but I also feel this is coming to you for a reason right now, there are some deep soul stirrings taking you into this new season and this place is the perfect place for you to extract them…whether is be through word, art or just stillness and solitude of you with your Spirit
Indeed this is a special time for you Jillian, sink in and let yourself be carried
xo
love and light
ps am having a fun giveaway over at my space…wanna join? xo
Oh.
Cat.
That just made me cry.
Because you are right, there are deeper swirls swirling at the moment. Thank you for being here.
I did see the moon the other night! I watched it rise and then I watched as it poured blue, crystal light in the high windows of the bedroom here, all night long. I felt washed by it. It was beautiful and platinum bright. Wasn’t it?
I just adore living in the woods, don’t you?
I don’t know if I do!
I’m a northern great plains woman, and a Rocky Mountain woman secondly. I’ve never lived in thick timber like this ever before — even in Alaska, the trees weren’t this dense and tall. The cabin is in a really steep walled valley as well so direct sunlight is very fleeting during the day. I’m wondering if it will be too dark for me? We’ll just have to see!
XX
I hope you love it! The trees make me feel warm and cozy. Especially on a crisp blustery Autumn day. A fire in the stove, a cup of tea, my golden retrievers, and a great book… Perfect!
you are such a beacon of light that beauty and goodness follow you wherever you land.
[i love the colours in these photos and the canada gooseness of your presence.]
I love The Maytrees. I also love the idea of your living in a cabin in the woods. I’ve always thought of you as a grown-up, stylish Laura Ingalls.
ENCHANTING!
LOVE.
How are you liking the Maytrees? I loved it when it came out and haven’t heard from many other people who read it. So unexpected for her, I thought.
i’ve been completely transported by your words today. i think you’ll do a good job of being the sound and vibrance in those woods, but it sounds like it will be good for you too to commute out each day. i am welcoming the shift in the air, the feel of summer winding up. warm tea and wool layers sound perfect, especially when the sun still shines in the crisp afternoons.
Having lived in a concrete jungle the whole of my 30 years, I like the idea of living in the woods but I suspect I’ll jump at every sound of nature at first, and the blackest nights would probably take some getting used to, (night time has always been tinged with orange!).
I hope you love it, and I wish lots of luck with the transition.
I can’t wait to see what you create while you have the woods for inspiration.
I love the change from Summer to Autumn, the colours are so rich and vibrant.
I’m so very much looking forward to more pictures of your new surroundings!
I feel that being a bit isolated forces a person to really meet themselves. I wonder if that’s why so many people are unnerved and discomfited by it. Grow, baby, grow.
Love ya.
I’m glad, too, dear brave Goldilocks, that you “probably won’t be eaten” by the spooky[ed] bear!!! (Perhaps forgo the porridge, though!)
It is a different kind of lonesome, being enveloped by trees, isn’t it. I feel it, too, the sounds and quiet of a forest… It is the similar, somewhat melancholy, feeling I get when we are hunkered down in winter, blanketed by snow. I love both, but know I couldn’t live the entire year that way. I think that’s why I love the roar of the ocean and rumbling thunderstorms…they don’t drown out our inner world, but they stop them from being too quiet.
(Also explains why I can’t meditate for beans!!)
Wishing you peace and love in your little cabin in the woods!
xxx
I woke early the other morning, chilled but too sleepy to do anything about it…and it made me smile. Best time of year is coming!!
The forest and the cabin will be your temple.
Can’t wait to see your new pictures and I hope you’ll love this time.
XO
How beautiful of a setting is that?!! It is perfect, and I would ADORE to live there!! I can’t wait to see what silver beauties trickle from your fingers thanks to this new space of inspiration 🙂
And yes… let the fall begin! I am thrilled to note the chillier air in the evenings and mornings. I feel like I come alive in the fall. Apple picking, red sugar maples, cider, hay rides, hot cocoa, sweaters and boots… I cannot wait!
I feel like I am totally lost. I have quite a bit to catch up on!! I’ve missed reading your blog, and even writing. Hope to catch up soon.
I love the little cabin! Sometimes I feel our little cottage is a tad too big for me (it’s 900 sq ft with a loft) and I would want something smaller, but then I love the soul of this house. This house has good bones. I am a total mountain girl, although our mountains are the Appalachians (my hubby is from the Rockies). I love being in these woods. It can feel isolating at times, but I am so thankful for friends met online and spaces such as yours to envelope the quietness. Plus, I have two boys, so it’s not quiet often! Looking forward to autumn and to more of your pure poetry (and your art!).
How can I describe your style? Richly mystical? Probably doesn’t do it justice, but I love it so. You see and portray things deeply and beautifully and that’s a real gift! And that emotional attachment to color — I can tell it’s true! Can’t wait to see what pours out of you in that little cabin in the woods.
you are soooooooooooooooooooo lucky!
This was an especially nice post. I can so see the light trickling down through the conifer canopy you wrote of. The bear just makes it even more perfect!
I am a city girl with a country heart. I love all the places you live, each one brings it’s own beauty and uniqueness. how fortunate you are to move like this and just breathe it all in. I wish you well in your little house in the woods surrounded by those glorious whispering pines. It is Spring here in Australia and I am waking a little earlier each day to milder days and a little more sun on the skin… something you are saying goodbye to..the world we have is such a marvel.
Jenni
beautiful, just beauty-full. Goodness Jilly-bean, ‘knowing’ you is like watching the story of a character from the richest novel come to life! I love reading your world, seeing, hearing, feeling it in my marrow! May that stillness of a deep wooded quiet draw you nearer to beauty of the Divine presence.
xo
mel
needle and nest design
…annnnd then I was thinking how wonderfully ironic it is that you are SO secluded there – and yet have hundred of our ‘eager eyes’ watching over your shoulder as your adventures unfold! We’re all there in the woods with you. Grateful for the vicarious ‘ventures. ;o)
This says “Speak Your Mind” so here goes. It must have been a real shocker to be uprooted just as you had settled in a spot. You are really a good sport. Do you get snailmail in The Methow?
How lovely! I am with you on not being ready for summer to be over. Here in the Pacific NW this morning I had to wear a long sleeved tee while puttering around the yard with the pup. The air had that crisp, chilly feel of fall and I immediately thought, “Oh no! Its too soon!” Ah well, once its colder I can have a fire so there’s that.
Enjoy your little just right cabin and stay safely away from that bear!
I was reading this today, in the country, wearing your Furling Lichen earrings for the first time. I was thankful someone gets to live this life somewhere on earth and that I get to read about it. The earrings felt like a tangible piece of that magic. Thank you lady! Please load us up with plenty of autumn photos!
Lucky, lucky you. And lucky us; thank you for sharing this!
p.s. I love Dillard – how are you enjoying the book?
wishing you nothing but but warmth and coziness as you settle into this new space, a new rhythm. and yes, i do hope you’re inspired to write more, especially about autumn making its way to you. we won’t be feeling it until late october and i’m already eagerly awaiting her arrival.
ps: the maytrees! loved it.
Best of luck in your move across the valley… it sounds like a snug and cozy cabin for the impending Fall. I adore Fall and do feel a shift in the air even here in VA. I noticed some ivies turning rich red as I drove to Warm Springs the other day… I love the way you write!! It is such a delicious treat to read your posts- thank you for sharing your world.
I’m so happy for you. 🙂
Can’t wait to see what blows your way.
Oh my goodness! That is the best cabin ever! So fairytale-ish! Trust you to find it . . . and a bear oh my. I am so pleased he is shy! I would be afraid to go outside otherwise, but then hopefully soon he’ll be hibernating. I cannot wait to see the beauty you will capture in this place. Oh – and your last sentence is killing me in the best way x x
I’ve read your blog for awhile and this is my first comment. I see myself in you (when I was a young woman). You will love your life in the woods when you are older and look back, you will wonder then how you managed. The sounds, smells, beauty of living there isolated on a mountain are each things you will relive for the rest of your life no matter where you are.
Sweet plumage cottage carriage…life well-loved : ).
i am reading annie dillard too; first time for me. pilgrim at tinker creek — she kind of blows the micro/macrocosm of my wee brain. love it. when you write like this about the solitude you will have, the warmth creeping in your hands from your mug of tea, the sweet smell of the forest… something in me wells up & says ME TOO. i want to be in a wee cabin snug in the towering trees by a little stream… with a crackling fire. & some long conversations into the twilight hours when the last embers of the coals die down. i know we would talk & talk & talk. can i come soon? can i come stay for a month?! xxxooo
Oh my darling. I’m hugging myself with delight that you are there, and we get to come too. Thank you. It’s wonderful.
Thank you all so much for the beautiful thoughts you have shared here! For anyone who asked how I enjoyed “Maytrees” — I liked it very much. It was certainly a little unexpected, for Annie, I mean. I think the style of this little novel reminded me a bit of Anne Carson’s “Autobiography of Red” — quite stunningly written, full of exquisitely shocking moments. Just wonderful. Wonderful.
this is quite random, but i really love the boots you are rocking in the photo with the flower pots, what brand are they?? currently trying to hunt down the perfect pair of boots, let me know!
Frye!!! I’m glad you like them. I do too. I have five pairs of Frys (oh my gosh…that’s a lot) — they are really well made and everlasting.