[Belly Of The Beast Necklace — Autumn Bear — sterling silver, copper, coral, chrysoprase, silk and Oregon beach stone in ochre and striped plum]
Holy Coyote. I know that today is the first of November but I have one final thing to do before I officially summit the mountain of October. What a month it has been! A very good month of very good work, indeed. I am headed for Jackson Hole, Wyoming tomorrow on a business trip (with a bit of pleasure mixed in, to boot). I can’t wait to see those snowy Tetons, hug my friends, pet a buffalo and have a couple of rambles with the dogs in the woods there.
A handful of random informations for you:
1. For the last two weeks of my life I have suffered a total body poison ivy (or poison oak — we aren’t sure which…) attack! I had, at one point, a total of 21 patches of rash on my body (including the palm of one hand and the crease of one of my eyelids). It was awful. By nature, I am an itchy person, however, this is the itchiest I have ever been in the history of my life. I’m almost over it now. Yeesh. I thought I might perish. We don’t know how I came down with it or what the heck happened. I have washed all the clothing and bedding in the house TWICE now. Lord preserve me.
2. I made this soup yesterday and my golly, it is the best pumpkin soup recipe I have ever tried and let me inform you of the fact that I am a mighty fan of the pumpkin soup. Most pumpkin soup concoctions call for a vat of heavy whipping cream — not this one! It’s quite light, spicy and whole. PLEASE NOTE: I used an extra half an onion, 3 more garlic cloves than required, an extra teaspoon of cumin, a whole bundle of fresh oregano instead of dried oregano and in the future I WILL use two jalapenos instead of one…I may add carrots too. I have about 12 baking pumpkins I brought home from the smokejumper base in Washington which means I’m pretty much going to make pumpkin soup for the entire universe for all of infinity.
3. The studio is officially unpacked, fairly tidy, organized and ready for me to get down to business. Did I tell you I am sharing my building with a girlfriend this winter? She’s a painter and leather worker — truly talented and individual in her work. I have much respect for her work but I also love her as a person. I’m so excited about it. She’ll be in Nicaragua for a little while but once she is home in Idaho again, she’ll be working alongside me in the studio most days. I know we are both going to benefit from the creative energy and hum and thrum of each other. We’re not the neatest pair of people, the studio may burst at the seams from creative chaos. It’s still going to be awesome though. I can’t wait.
I really like my building. Working in the small space of the Airstream in the summer months helps me to deeply appreciate my workspace here in Idaho. It’s expansive, lit with huge windows and the ceilings are high enough that I can really wing my way around without feeling cramped. It’s good to be back.
4. I had my hair cut. It. Felt. So. Good. I think the last time I had it trimmed was April. Now I look like a demure lady wolf without split ends.
5. There’s a baby boom happening in Pocatello. I mean, some of our friends are having babies. It’s exciting. It’s also terrifying because everyone sits around and talks about how Rob and I don’t have a baby yet and how we’re going to have a baby any moment now…just pop one out…it’s all rather disconcerting. I stay cool as a cucumber when they all start talking like that. Babies are contagious. These will be the first babies in our circle of friends here which is why it’s exciting. It feels like a big life shift for us all. I’m going to host all the baby showers. No one asked me to, I demanded the honor. Which leads me to my next point:
6. I love our Idaho clan. Seriously. Everyone is just exactly who they are. It’s glorious. I thrive in the circle of our friends here. Thrive. And the girls are all so awesome, unique, confident and straightforward. I love ’em.
7. Stop motion with PAPER!!! Love that Laura Marling.
8. The weather lately:
Wild and awful. Lovely and dark.
9. I made this little lady…more on her later.
10. Have you checked in on Jonathan lately? Gosh. I think he is officially one of my very favorite photographers of all time. Brilliance, color, emotion, texture, honesty…everything I always strive for with a camera. Take your time looking. You will be moved.
I hope you are all better than fine. As always, thanks for being here.
X
Oof glad you’re almost over the poison ivy, if you can’t remember running into any I’d bet one of your pups got into some then rubbed the oils all over you…something to be mindful of! The hubby is very allergic so we are uber paranoid with the stuff.
I usually get poison ivy or poison oak by PROXY — from Robert or the dogs. I’m paranoid about it too but obviously something slipped past me!
What an awesome necklace!! So funny – I’m in the design stages of a grizzly ring – inspired by the salmon run at Brooks Falls. I get tied to the bear cam every year when it happens.
Pumpkin soup is a fav of mine. I am sadly married to a pumpkin-hater. When were were newly dating, I made a big vat of it and watched him grimly gulp it down. I thought he was a quiet eater – never guessed he was gagging! lol! Now, he just flat out refuses.
Poison ivy/oak is miserable!! I’m so sorry you had such a time of it! I can’t imagine having it all over!
Your hair is lovely. Every time I contemplate chopping mine, I just layer it. I’m scared. It’s been waist length for about 20 years!
Nighty night!xx
Bear cam! I bet that’s lots of fun!
It’s hard being married to a person who has different tastes. Rob detests tomatoes, especially if they come from a garden!!! I know! It’s absurd!
You and your Godiva hair…I needed a trim badly. I cut off 3 inches of dry scratchy stuff and it feels so much nicer. I am loathe to part with my long hair too. I love being able to braid it and pin it up into fancy swirls and whirls…
Oh you know I love that necklace and love this post! That last image fills me with such longing, I just want to ramble those hills. Thank you much for your kind comment, glad we found each other again. Happy Journeys!
Well THAT makes sense! You are the girl who married a bear! Thanks for being here, Milla. X
Those dark mountains and sky look like certain agates that look like mountains and sky…! 😉
x
True!
That necklace. I need to become independently wealthy and buy like everything you make in a year at some point. That is gorgeous – I love the berries with the leaves!
I know what you mean about the babies. Our friends group has jsut started to baby up the place and Jason and I DO plan to start trying soon, but it makes it so hard to hold off and budget and plan when I go see my friend and baaaaaaaaaby. Ugh. It is tough.
Glad that you are almost over that poison ivy! Never had it (I’m immune) but I remember when my brother got it inside his eyes and I would wish that on no one.
You are too kind. This was a fun piece to make…lots of delicate power and feathery weight to it. Really lovely.
You sound like baby fever! Something I have never suffered from. 🙂 I hope you get everything you want in this life.
I have some little spots of poison ivy breaking out still but NOTHING like what I had going on. It was truly awful.
PS INSIDE HIS EYES???!!! Ouch.
YES. It was seriously the worst thing I’ve ever seen. Not that it was super visually obvious, just that he was sooooo so so so so miserable.
That beautiful polished/grizzly necklace! I’ve been drawing bears obsessively, my default doodle, since I was charged for the first time few years ago- GORGEOUS. (And from one generally itchy beast to another- condolences on the poison whatever-she-was- it may not be a coincidence I moved where no volatile blister causing plants live. My childhood was coated in poison ivy sores and calamine lotion. Less because I ran through the plants myself, but more so because I slept with, hugged, carried, canoed with and generally never stopped touching my dogs- whose fur caught all the oils of all the wee nasties they ran through.)
xo Happy homecoming!
Ah! Another bear girl!
I usually get poison ivy and poison oak by proxy as well. Usually I get it off of Rob’s clothing when I toss things in the laundry. I’m hyper sensitive to it. He rarely reacts to it at all. It’s a tragedy. Being itchy, I mean. 🙂
I’ve been in that poison something movie- my heart goes out to you! I’m in Victor…the Tetons are nothing short of lovely right now. Grab a breakfast sandwich from Joe at the Brakeman- he’s the man!
I love Victor! Beautiful without the crowds! I’ll be sure to pick up a sammy at the Brakeman!
Oh goodness, I just did a whole body cringe when I read about the poison ivy. I absolutely abhor being itchy and I am in such sympathy for you and what whole body itchy must have been like! Ick. So glad to hear you are past that.
Can’t wait to try out that pumpkin soup…looks divine!
On the baby boom issue…in the exact same boat over here.
Hey cuz!
Please DO try the pumpkin soup. You will LOVE it.
Hope all is well with you and yours!
XX
So much beauty in these pictures!! The light in your house is amazing, the shadows and hues of blue gray in that image of you sitting in the chair…MAGIC I tell you!!!
The light in my house IS amazing. I won’t argue that. It’s good to be home and taking pictures of my stuff in my space. 🙂
You’re heading to J-Hole? Well crap, I could have met you at Pearl Street Bagels for espresso & tea and a hug. It’s so close… Well, we’ve still got arrowheads to find, next trip out, okay?
I picture you petting a buff! Ido! And blow a kiss to the mother teet for me.
X
I am. I thought to zip you a note about it but I’m pressed for time on this jaunt. Next time, I’m all yours. X
~So is the WY trip one of the things you’ve been so dramatically cryptic about as of late? 🙂
~For Chris and I, having his circle of friends baby-up has always been rather bitter-sweet. For a couple like us, who’ve chosen to be child free, it’s always been like waving goodbye. All of a sudden our worlds are monumentally different, and a crack appears and widens into a gulf. I am glad for them, but it’s one of those stark reminders of lives that take different paths.
~I must try the pumpkin soup, I have mass amounts of cooked squash in my freezer…even I can eat only so much pie.
~It’s good to see you at home and making again!
Dramatically cryptic!??! HA HA! No. Going to Jackson is like a 2.5 hour drive. No biggie. 🙂
I hear you on the baby path vs. the baby free path. I always wonder where Rob and I will end up…
X
Ooh, the perfect time for some bear medicine. I think this might be the first year since I’ve been here that I actually feel like hibernating during the winter (instead of the summer)!
Poison oak and pumpkin soup! Hopefully one is the perfect antidote for the other (ya poor thing)!
I hope you have a lot of fun sharing your studio space. I often think how much I’d love to collaborate with someone…to have someone to bounce off ideas, instead of talking to myself.
Safe travels and happy autumn!
xxx
PS. Seriously LOVE the last photo. It’s exactly the kind of desktop photos I have on my computer as I write.
Hibernation! That sounds nice… 🙂
I know! Doesn’t sharing work space sound nice? I can get terribly isolated here when I really bear down and work hard for days and weeks on end. Our friends stop by and pop into my studio space ALL the time, but it’s not the same as simply quietly working alongside a companion…or having little dance parties or making lunch for two in the afternoon…or sitting and sketching for a few hours with a couple pots of tea. It’s going to be great.
Thanks for the photo love. That was a special, stormy, dark night.
XX
Hope the itching has run its course. I’ve been there too, and the antidote I used was jewelweed. Picked it, crushed it, and rubbed it on the rash. It worked!
PS…loved the photo of the mountains and clouds. What I wouldn’t give for just one little cloud down here!
Jewelweed! Brilliant!
I wonder if it grows here….I’m going to google it.
Mountain + Cloud = We were socked in for a few days. It was wild and beautiful.
Thanks for being here!
Beautiful post!! and hope you´re better 😉 share the video…love it!!
Have a nice days beauty!!
Thank you, darlin. X
holy coyote.
HOLY COYOTE!
such a long-winded and well-photograph’d post, indeed, my wee elven wolf!!
miss you. love you.
HA!
I love that saying. I use it frequently now. It always makes me giggle.
Love ya back!
X
In the depths of summer I pierced Polar bear after Polar bear, hung them with sliver moons and stars…I long for snow. Always. I too was born under the Aurora Borealis amidst a January storm. It’s in my blood. Grizzly’s scare me like no other bear…You’ve captured the fearsome nature; my fear is like the deranged {fur} edges.
I just moved studio. Basement to living-room. Friends will have to drink Guinness {or maybe coffee} next to the drill press…I need the window, scarce Winter light, more than a pretty entertaining space…
These photos inspire me so, so much. Thank you Jillian. xo
{ps. Have you heard of Sanders Bohlke? You must listen. He is my constant whisperer these nights, I wake singing him. Search and Destroy or Fighter Pilot -with Sleeping Bulls version…Let me know…}
I, too, long for snow. Always.
Jackson had lots of the stuff and I drove through a gentle blizzard on the way home and felt so relieved by the weather and the bitterness of the wind. I love all the seasons but winter is my very favorite.
Grizzlies scare me too. Very much.
I have not heard of Sanders Bohlke. I will look for him now. Thank you for mentioning him and thank you for being here!
X
I seem to be one of those folks who is freakishly immune to poison ivy….!….
Did you know that in many Native American mythologies, Bear is the spirit that will carry what you need?…a good fishing trip, tie a fish to his back…a good bird hunt…then a feather….
You know how much I like it when you tell stories…:)…this a a beauty, babe….!
xo
!!!
LUCKY you. It’s awful stuff. I am freakishly sensitive to poison ivy and poison oak. In point of fact, I was given a steroid shot for this all-over-body-breakout and it DID NOT HELP!
I sure like this mythology of bear you have shared. You know, I’m not actually really up to date with the trend of animal shamanism that seems to be sweeping the world right now. I make animal jewelry because I think animals are beautiful and I admire how free and wild they are. I like to make my own stories with the help of animal forms because my own stories hold meaning for me. However, every time someone takes the time to share a mythology with me, or a legend…I nod my head and say, “Well! That makes pertfect sense!”
🙂
Thank you for your steady kindness, friend. I always love your love.
X
Uh huh, stunning photos again!
Pumpkin soup sounds good! I really need to give it a go aswell. I’ ve been crazy about tomato soup lately, but a bit of variation would’nt hurt.
Shared workspace/studio sounds good too! I’d love to work side by side with someone creative and nice myself. Sometimes it gets a bit lonely (for me at least) on your own.
Have a lovely coming week ms Plume!
Looking foward to your next post allready 😀
Thank you!!!
THIS PUMPKIN SOUP IS INCREDIBLE. Please try it.
Shared workspace: I know just what you mean. I am very much looking forward to sharing space this winter. It will be wonderful.
Thanks for being so sweetly here. X
your energy and passion and zest for living is contagious! i leave your posts feeling one of two ways: i either need to go for a walk or sit quietly to meditate on what you’ve said, or i need to bounce up and get busy making something! truthfully, there was a little of both in this post. I have had the same feelings lately regarding collaboration, especially after being so isolated the past two months. i ordered a copy of twyla tharp’s “the collaborative habit” for a penny on amazon since I enjoyed “the creative habit” so much. i’m anxious to read more and figure out how to attract some good collaborative work into my life!
can’t wait to hear more about all of the creative irons you have in the fire and see some gorgeous photos of jackson hole and the tetons– so glad you’re back home!
xx
J,
Music to my ears!!! To hear that this space affects you in such a way. 🙂 I didn’t know Twyla had a book on collaboration! I may look into it. Maybe there is another copy for $00.01! I’m going to check.
X
I love this: “Wild and awful. Lovely and dark.”
Because it is exaCTLY how I feel about the world when it looks like that. I feel blessed to be able to see beauty and feel happy about the outside in all seasons and shades.
P.S. I just discovered Annie Dillard last week and I’m captivated! I now see so much of her in your writings 🙂 lovely.
I know. I penned those words and then sort of sighed to myself because they are perfectly apt.
I like it when it is wild, dark and ugly. And I like it when it is soft, bright and light. I want it all. I want too much.
Annie is one of my heros. I have many literary heros. Most of them write personal essays, prose or prosaic poetry…they’ve all been huge influences…or perhaps they haven’t been influences…it’s hard to say if I write the way I write because of what I have read or if I read what I read because of what I like to write…do you know what I mean? At some point, all of that has become seamless…
I’m glad you found her, she’s probably changing your life, too.
X
Your words and pictures are always so calming to my mind – my spirits lift every time I see a new post, thank you! I especially love the mug next to your bodum press – I’ve been making a lot of mugs lately, and that one looks lovely to hold :).
As for babies, the fever has been with my friend group for a while, and although I love little ones, my temperature remains at normal levels. ha!
SWOONABLES! Love every. single. bit. (of course!) XO
Oh goodness me! This post is just chock full of glorious moments and beautiful, delicious things! I have a few pumpkins given to me by a farmer friend, may just have to try that soup of yours… And the WEATHER!? That mountainous photo… WOW!!! May I pin/repost? Just fab!
As always, I am inspired by your work and I love that you shared moments of your studio space. Can’t wait to see and hear more about your painter friend as well!
I am sure that there is more I could comment on, but I will leave it as such.
xo
hi jillian 🙂
i am just loving your words and work…i have such fond memories of visiting you with jessie.
i’m so delighted that you feel the baby boom as i have a little olive of my own now. you are such a generous soul… your girlfriends are blessed to have you host their showers. many blessings and love sent from vancouver. xgrace