Greening

I really do have a good explanation for my nearly week-long absence this time. (And perhaps even my spotty posting in the weeks preceding...) We have been planning a rather ambitious car trip, which amounted to nearly 20 hours of driving in two stages to reach our ultimate destination. The reason? A family reunion in Arkansas. You see, I haven't seen my family in several years. Time, distance, two pregnancies, two babies, and my fear of flying; these things have been obstacle enough over the last few years to prevent my extended family from even meeting our two children. We've made the long ride to Kansas City many times, but never the extra 7+ hours to Arkansas.

So here I sit, in a hotel suite. Or, as Zoe has coined it, our "Ho and Tell" room. She's pretty determined to use the moniker, despite any correction from us. The first day of driving was mediocre. Zoe tolerated it fairly well, but Miles does not cope with confinement. When he was not sleeping, he was often crying. He was so overjoyed to finally arrive at our destination where there was seemingly limitless floor space to crawl and explore. Zoe was thrilled to see Baba and Papa, and then Nana and Patti.

Both portions of the trip have flung us weeks forward through the season. We left Colorado in the late cool season, and we arrived in Arkansas to verdant green and muggy air. It was hard to pack knowing that the nights do not really get cool here. In Colorado's May, we are comfortable in short sleeves in the day but add a layer or two as the evening falls. Being here does remind me how I love green. The lush and saturated hue tints everything; reflects on brick and glass and penetrates the thick air.

When I first visited Southern Colorado, I remember a disappointment with the lack of green. My uninformed vision of Colorado was one of green forest, bright fields, tree-covered mountains. But the mountain foliage on the Front Range is drier than that. Evergreen and the sparsely-leafed Aspen cast the land with more grays and browns. The arid earth is covered in drab sagebrush and tumbleweed, juniper and pinion. I eventually grew to love the flora of my new home, but this return to my native verdure reinvigorates my eye.

During the car trip, I had an idea for the blog which I am excited to explore. I would like to share weekly technique tricks for beginning sewists. I hear of so many friends who are excited to start sewing but don't know how to gain knowledge. They might not feel like they have the time to attend classes. So I'll post weekly on a new technique, with photos, and accept comments on that post for suggestions for the following week. Inspired by a friend's frustration, look for a post tomorrow on how to easily turn narrow items right side out. In the meantime, have a beautiful Saturday.