Dormant

It has been a while since I've written a post, and I have a few things I'd like to share with you:

• Bryson and I have recently implemented a new rule in our home. On Tuesdays, we unplug our internet and spend the whole day away from the rest of the world. Although it was strange at first, it is something we both truly look forward to.Instead of scrolling through Instagram posts, and escaping through YouTube videos, we play cards.We ski, we laugh, we eat candy, we clean the house, we clean the car and the smeared dog noses and cat noses from the windows.We reconnect.

• We have been taking full advantage of the last bits of snow. Walking through these wild places, following deer and rabbit tracks. breathing in the cold and crisp winter air, and feeling the hairs in our noses stick together from the cold.

• Trout is growing like a weed and he and Ruby have truly become best friends.

• We have welcomed two new chickens into our home. Their names are Moose and Goose and we love them dearly.

• I have been experimenting with some new pieces in my studio and planning for a possible market season, Covid depending.

• Bryson and I are planning a move in the fall, more on that soon.

• I have been having a tough time with my anxiety lately.

I've been told by a few people who follow my blog or Instagram account, that they admire my lifestyle, and to be honest, I feel as though I am a constant work in progress.

There are times where my mental space isn't the best and needs work, and there are even times like this past week where crippling anxiety has kept me from living normally.

In times like these, I feel scared to share how I truly feel because I'm worried I will be perceived differently.Like my life won't seem as idyllic as it might on social media, and people will lose interest and think that they can't escape to my platforms for a dose of positivity.

As I write this, I'm starting to feel a bit better. Today truly feels like the first day of spring here on the property. We can hear all the snow melting and water dripping, and our road has become incredibly slippery.Thigh-high snow has settled down to knee height and this has all reminded me that much like the seasons changing, things take time.

When I find myself in a pit of anxiety, it helps when I compare myself to a seed.Sometimes I need to lie dormant during the winter months, so I can find myself planted in enriched soil and drenched in water and sunlight when spring arrives.

It's ok to hide away, to feel anxious, or sad, or lonely, or uninspired because, in time, those feelings pass. They always do.

And in fact, we should normalize and share these feelings because they are so incredibly common.

So here I am, telling you that I'm not feeling great, I'm doubting myself, and my anxiety has been really bad recently, but I am working on it, and it's going to be ok.

I hope you are all doing alright during these strange times, but I think we are starting to see a light at the end of this winding tunnel.If you ever feel as though you need someone to talk to, I am always here to listen, and please remember, spring always comes after a dark cold winter.

talk soon,Chloe

♥

Leaning Into Autumn

It is tremendously beautiful this time of year.

The quaking aspen turn to gold and the morning air is more rejuvenating than any amount of coffee.

This is our second autumn on this property and I seem to fall more in love with the Cariboo seasons every year. If you'd like to see what it looks like in the autumn here, I have uploaded a new Youtube video on my channel.

I've been enjoying making silver and taking on commissions over these months. It's so refreshing joining someone in a project and hearing their perspectives and ideas for a piece. Thank you to everyone who chooses and has chosen me to create a piece.

It's good being home and preparing for the winter. We've switched our summer wardrobe for our winters and have started prepping the chicken coop and airstream for the cold months ahead. Soon I will turn over the soil before the first snowfall and let the hens scratch the garden earth to their heart's content.

We are now on a small holiday and will be going off-grid over the next few days while visiting Bryson's mom. She has three goats, three horses, a beautiful flock of hens, and has recently adopted a new shepherd/collie mix pup into her pack. I just can't wait for Ruby and the new pup to meet!

I'm hoping we can go for a ride or two while we are there. The arid sagebrush landscape there is just heavenly.

I'll be back in the studio this coming weekend and I am so looking forward to seeing what inspiration this week of family and the outdoors brings. Until then, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your week!

Talk soon,

Clove and Hound

xo

Mosquitoes, Storms, Sun, and, Silver

I've been living in our cabin by myself for the past month.

While Bryson has been hard at work finishing school in the Okanagan, I've been busy on the ranch working on silver, our garden, and doing daily chores to keep myself busy.

My neighbor Marion has been great company. If you follow me on Instagram, you'll know that we have been on daily adventures together. Canoeing, mushroom picking, strawberry picking, getting eaten alive by mosquitos, taking care of our landlord's animals while they were away, and sharing stories over cups of tea and homemade brioche. She is a true dream and is also an incredibly talented seamstress. You should definitely go check out her Etsy!

The land is so alive here! Everywhere I look are daisies, Indian paintbrush, wild sweet peas, camomille, tiger lilies, and mushrooms galore! It's been a rainy summer with types of storms I had never experienced before. I have seen countless bolts of lightning, and Ruby has howled back at all the thunder that roars our way. We also experienced an unbelievable hail storm which I will never forget as it destroyed half of our garden.

I've also visited my family in both Kelowna and Vancouver. My mom and sister are both in the process of moving and have given Bryson and me some beautiful things to complete our home. I feel so so lucky driving home from a trip with a car full of vintage goods from my family! I think my favorite additions have been the new seafoam chairs my sister gave us for our dining room. They are just so dreamy!

Today the bedding is drying outside in the first summer-like day we've had in a while, I am packing my things, and tomorrow I'm driving back to the Okanagan to see my love.

I'm in desperate need to feel his hugs and breathe in his scent. He is my happy place and always will be.

I'm going to take a bit of time off and enjoy everything coming my way for the next little while. Soon, I will start sharing more of my life, studio, jewelry making process, and inspiration on Instagram, Youtube, and this platform. I absolutely can't wait!

I hope all is well with you!

Let's talk soon ok?

♥

xo

Son Of The Lake

I continue to learn from the land here in the Cariboo more than I ever have before.

♥

The other day while catching up with my mom on the phone, I was telling her about all the birds I've held in my hands over the past year and a half of living in this wild country.

I told her of all the moose and bears we've seen.

Of all the beavers we've seen slapping their tails on the surface of the water and the grouse we've heard drumming in the groves of trees.

Of the long, slippery, and frisky sons and daughters of the lake we've caught and taken to our table.

The list is long and mighty and I think she could hear my smile the whole way through.

We have officially moved into our new cabin on the property and had our internet hooked up last week. It feels good. It feels spacious and it really feels like home. We have enough room in our kitchen for all our canning supplies and I'm so excited to gather foods and our harvests and begin preserving them. Our pantry will slowly fill with beautiful glass jars full of tomatoes, garlic, cucumbers, rosemary, jams, jellies, radishes, and onions, all from the growing season.

Today was the first day I set my fingertips to silver in what feels like a very long time. My new studio space is so warm and bright and my face still hurts from smiling while doing my work. I can't wait to share my new pieces and my new studio with you!

In other news, Bryson and I have somehow ended up with a rooster!

Bryson's mom bought herself some hens and was able to get a free rooster for our landlords while she was there. Margot and the rooster will be coming our way mid-month and we are both excited and a bit apprehensive about adding him to our flock. Our girls are so very independent and I'm worried he will get a bit picked (pecked?) on. He's a black silkie and is going to hang out with our girls until our landlords are able to get hens of their own. It's a bit tough this year finding laying hens during the pandemic so he may end up sticking around for a while and who knows? We might fall in love.

I think we are going to call him Jack, but we've got to meet him first. I promise to post all over social media when he arrives!

We also have another visiter, Miss Ivy the barn cat. She has been paying us visits every evening since we moved into this cabin.

If you follow me on Instagram, you'll see that we snuggle just about every night on the porch. She is such a sweetheart and having her around has been such a treat. She and Ruby are still getting used to each other, but I have faith they will be friends eventually.

With the move, we moved our garden bed over to the new cabin. Last week, we harvested our first radishes and ate them all for breakfast. I have never tasted something so spicy and delicious in my life! The colours were so phenomenal! I'm excited about our garden this year as I'm growing things I've never grown before but my pride and joy lies in our sunflowers...

May they grow so tall, they fall over from their own greatness!!!

Amen to that!

xo

Changes

Like a faithful pony, I bear an optimistic heart.

One that reaches for the light even in times like these.

Times of uncertainty, of human against human, of change and confusion.

I reach for the light.

♥

Last we spoke, Bryson and I were heading to the Okanagan for the better part of the year.From January - March we were living with my sister and her family on their property in a camper while Bryson advanced his studies as a paramedic.We made new friends, started climbing again, and took advantage of the conveniences of the city. It was a seamless transition for us really.

Much like the rest of the world, in mid-March we had to change our plans.Although we were unsure of the future with Bryson's classes, we decided to head back to our home on the ranch for the time being.This unexpected change in plans was met with an equal feeling of excitement, confusion, and disbelief. We were so mentally prepared to be in Kelowna for the better part of a year and going home felt strange, especially for Bryson who was mid-way through an intense program.

But as easy as it was to find our rhythm in Kelowna, after a few weeks back home, we fell back into the rhythm of the Cariboo.

Bryson returned to work, I continued with my silver commissions and started our garden, Ruby was over the moon to be back on the acreage, and it was such a great feeling to be reunited with our hens who had been so well taken care of by our landlords.

It's easy to say that we all find such a deeply rooted joy here.

We are surrounded by Indian Paintbrush, wild violets, tiger lilies, ravens, owls, and snakes, toads, deer, bears, moose, hare, and sandhill cranes.

Everything that inspires us most is right here in these hills and valleys we call home.

I'm sure like many of you, I have set some goals for myself during this time of quarantine.

Since arriving back, Bryson has been helping me train as a trail runner.It is something I have wanted to do for years and years now but always questioned and doubted my abilities.

With a load of encouragement from my love, I've learned to lean into the discomfort of the cold air in my lungs and trust the uneven ground beneath my feet. It has become a meditative experience I've never known until now and for this, I am so grateful!

We also have some exciting news!In a week or so, we will be moving to the larger cabin next door to us on the property!Our lovely neighbors are moving into town and asked us if we wanted to move into their cabin which sits about 40ft east of ours.We will have two bedrooms, a washer and drier, a proper freezer, and two floors.Although we are very sad to see our neighbors leave, we are very excited for this change!

I am so looking forward to moving my studio space into the second bedroom and photographing our new home for you to see!

Bryson is returning to school in Kelowna come the end of June, and I think I'm going to stay here in the Cariboo during that time. It is all still a bit uncertain and the feeling of loneliness is creeping in slightly but I know we will both be ok.

I hope you're all coping through this time of uncertainty and know I am always here if you need to talk.

I'm here to listen.

I am going to go tend to my garden now, bend my back to the rich soil, get my hands dirty, and sing to all of our sunflowers and collard greens.

—Stay tuned—