The way one looks at distant things.

For you are only one thing among many

And whoever sees that way heals his heart

Without knowing it, from various ills –

A bird and tree say to him: Friend.

Then he wants to see himself and things

So that they stand in the glow of ripeness.

It doesn’t matter whether he knows what he serves:

Who serves best doesn’t always understand.

See also: A great poem you get when you google “memento vivi”: a selection from “Genomic Vanitas & Memento Vivi” by Bruce Beasley.

This pretty much says it all.  Since I took this picture one folder has made the jump.

I visited Rannoch Moor on Tueday 22 July.  I was leaving Pitlochry for Edinburgh and was invited by a woman I met in the youth hostel to drive through the moor first.  It was absolutely lovely.  My trip didn’t include enough time outdoors — July was archives, cities, metros, trains — but this day made up for it.

This is the first quilt I’ve actually quilted myself.  I tried quilting a couple of years ago and I didn’t like it, but I was trying to execute small, perfect stitches.  Letting myself make larger, folksier stitches (largely inspired by Jude) has made it into an enjoyable task.  This is for FLL for Father’s Day.

Melissa came over the other night and we decided to analyze this quilt a little bit.  Blues and grays indicate the sea; the triangles look like waves or sails.  Icons on the fabric include eggs, Celtic knots, parrots, and trout.  Seems random, but to me this quilt is about the mother-like ocean, beginnings, mysteries, instinct, and, in sum, the basics.  More when this is finished.

The second picture is probably gratuitous, but it shows the yummy, bubbly inside.