Stephanie's Studio

I've been waiting for this post for a long time. It shares the growing journey of my urban garden. Hubby and I in Grant Park, early Spring. We've got the idea... This compost has been in development, maturing behind our home, for many, many years. We needed to pick out loads of refuse, stones and so forth before getting started. This is a close-up of the compost, still laden with leaves and twigs before being broken down, as well as rocks, and other things we didn't want to be a part of the planting. Lots of juicy worms were in here, to stay! Late Spring Broom Corn, because you know you always need a nice handmade broom around, as well as other seedlings, waiting to get planted.  Gorgeous David Austin, Olivia Rose. This rose was selected for its name, in relation to my daughter, as much as for its beautiful scent and form. Sumi-e ink on Mulberry Rice Paper Painting by Stephanie Rose Bird c. 2017. Feeling inspired by all the planting!...

Magick and great ashe stems from engagement with plants. Over the years I've come to regard them as a reservoir of healing, font of wisdom and source of creativity. Healing with plants is an important facet of holistic health. Herbs are quite capable of gracing the mind, body and spirit with age-old energetic insights that lead to wellness. I've written a good handful, maybe more, of posts about gardening. Gardening as a pastime, a pleasure, a metaphor and a space for cultivating hopes and dreams. Do you remember when I shared the post  Seeding the Snow ? That was in March and I was so relieved that spring was actually going to show its face after a long, hard Chicago winter. Still, winter was unrelenting so it seemed as though you'd have to plant in the snow. The snow didn't want to make an exit. Then there was this post called  Weeding , which focuses around the activity of gardening as a form of mind/body/spirit therapy. When I wrote "Weeding" I was s...

I’ve been enjoying a little quiet time and am now going into full play mode.  The weather has been fantastic for a few weeks and it has taken my mind away from writing and blogging and more into the natural world.  I have been working nonstop on my oil pastel abstractions, which feels good.  I moved back into my studio and hung them up.  It was so good to see them all on one wall, hanging up together. I have been observing the sun at sunset—we’ve had a few huge and spectacular ones recently and last night I was reflecting on the moon.  This month’s full moon is Seed Moon and she looks promising.  Seed Moon reminds us to take stock of our dreams and desires and plan for the near future.  Obviously, it is also a reminder that it is time to plant physical seeds for herbs and plants for the summer and fall seasons.  I like to set this time aside also to plant metaphorical and metaphysical seeds. So, I have been putting things in place for summer, ...