…by sweetness.
In a previous post, I briefly acknowledged my desire for writing with proper pen and ink, and for making that ink myself and storing it in a stone inkpot. I yearn for a simpler life, to be the farmer’s wife churning butter, baking and sewing all day, and for a time when beautiful penmanship was valued and it took weeks to receive a handwritten letter sealed with wax and delivered on horseback.
Well, just the other day, a lovely parcel arrived from dear Celeste. Atop the contents, a little note:
And what do I find?
A perfectly beautiful stone inkpot, a handcarved bamboo pen and a packet of ink tablets. Heaven! Thank you so much, Celeste!!!! Best mail day in recent times, especially since I also received a real, live handwritten letter that day, too. 🙂
I only wish I felt up to playing with these treasures right now, but I am recovering from a really intense oral surgery today…my jawbone splintered a bit when the screw was put in, and the pain and swelling are more than I expected…a lot more. It feels like someone is pulling my tongue out with pliers while simultaneously squeezing my sinuses in a vice and we won’t even talk about the puffy ‘walnut’ behind the surgical site. I never take painkillers. Really, never. We just called the dentist for an emergency prescription. Only what was left of my li’l bro-in-law’s vicodin stash got me through the afternoon. Rather than sleep, I am updating and applying. There is only so much sleeping I can pretend to do.
Am hoping I will be up to bringing the progeny to tomorrow’s parkday…but it’s not looking good.
I don’t think he’ll mind as much as I, however, as he has a shiny new Papa-built see-saw…
And he hates it. Can’t you tell? Ha.
It has morphed from see-saw to balance beam to scale to ramp to roof to chair…a most versatile and engaging piece of equipment.
As requested, I had planned on sharing my GF pizza crust recipe in this post, but it’s going to have to wait…I am reaching my threshold with looking at this screen for a bit, but I do plan on posting it. Perhaps I might really sleep right now if I let myself.
I’ll leave you with the latest incarnation of the fiber I dyed with acorns this past fall and with oak galls more recently…
Acorn-dyed organic merino top, merino locks, and oak-gall dyed tussah silk noil and suri alpaca, rainbow sari silk and naturally white suri.
Thespunmonkey's Blog 
I remember making walnut ink with a friend when we were young. We would walk home across the park, we weren’t supposed to, to find the walnuts. I think my container molded, or got thrown out. But years later I picked her up at the airport after she graduated college and we were hanging out in her room and there it was still on her desk!
OUch! Your poor mouth 😦 What a sweet, sweet gift, that teeter totter idea might be borrowed here and I love that squirrley yarn. Beautiful!!
wow. that yarn is fantastic, and I love all that went into it. I had no idea you could do all that!
Your surgery sounds like a blast 😉 I am sending healing vibes your way.
And that see saw is genius! my girls would love one of those and I can guarantee that it would never, ever be used as a see saw, but made to do all those things your little guy thought up. Looks like fun. And well-timed, too.