Sunday Summer Snippets
As I write this, I find my eyes drifting out the window to the meadow across from our home.
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I feel the pull of the big blue sky, I hear the tall blades of grass sway andscrape at each other like windchimes, the horses are snorting and pulling upclover, and as the sun sets, the insects, frogs, and birds fill the air like a twilightsymphony.
Our place isn't huge, but it's hard-working.
Our chickens are busy laying and scratching at the earth, Ruby is patrollingthe grounds, and our garden is drinking up water and sunshine. I'm absolutelyamazed at how much our garden grows overnight.
While my mom was visiting in May, she bought me a flat of pansies with aunknown brassica seedling hanging on the tray for dear life.
We planted it with the strawberries and I eventually transplanted it into ourlarger garden bed once the frosts had passed. Within two months ourvolunteer seedling had grown into a whopping 8 pound head of cabbage!
We are beyond thrilled with how many meals we can make from this deeply layeredbeauty.
Our other plants are also flourishing in our mixture of top soil and three-year-old horse manure.
Our landlord calls this mixture "Cariboo Gumbo."
We have 10 cauliflower plants, 3 tomatoes, 3 zucchini plants, 3 differenttypes of squash, the most ridiculous amount of lettuce I have ever seen, potatoes, strawberries,cucumbers, 2 pepper plants, garlic, dill, parsley, and sage up the wazoo!
It's brings me so much joy to step out every morning with a cup of tea in handto survey our little cultivation.
There is nothing better than eating what you grow. Add some organicallyraised laying hens to the mix, and you're set for the summer.
Everyday is Eden here.
We spend our days swimming in the lake, picking wild strawberries at our feet, andgoing to our local farmer and artisan markets. It is all just too heavenly.
On another note, I wanted to apologize for being MIA recently.
I've been focusing on creating commissions for the past few months and have alsobeen spending a lot of time with family.
Recently I had an urge to take some timeto step away from posting on etsy, and all my social platforms to map out some intentions andgoals of mine.
For now, these are some I feel comfortable sharing:
1) I've decided to completely strip the airstream. we are talking down to the bones.I want to free little red of old insulation, clean up any possible mouse droppings in the base of the camper,seal all the leaks, strip the red paint down to the aluminum, re-paint her (little blue? Little sage green?), and create a versatile open-concept space I am proud of.
2) I'm going to really focus on posting more etsy shop listings.This is going to include both silver and other pieces of my art. It is time to get rid of theselimitations I have put on myself and share my creations. There are so many beautiful things happening in my studio!
3) I am going to begin following a passion of mine I have had for a while in the coming year!I'm not quite ready to share exactly what this passion is, but I promise I'll let you knowonce it is all coming to fruition. I hope that is ok with you. My intentions are pure in all of this.
I honestly have so many dreams beyond these goals of mine. I better get cracking!
Thank you for your amazing support and constant love on this platform.I'll be listing some new pieces on my shop very soon!
I hope you pop by!
Until then, thank you for being in my world and as always, May You Be Loved.
xo
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Birth Day
I write this post as I turn 27 years old. I have been brought breakfast in bed by my love, and later today I will saddle up and head into the trails of the property with our friends on horseback.
Rain or shine.
I hope Ruby will find us another skull.
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Springtime is truly a dreamy season.
It's that time of year where the creamy greens and muted yellows pop up in the tallgrass that sits in the field across from our cabin.
That time of year where I listen to the grouse pound their drums deep in the forest grove.
Where I watch the snow melt and reminisce on the freedom that winter always brings us.
It's that time of year where farmers are busy pulling lambs, kids, and calves from theirmothers, to watch them moments later roam their lands by their mother's feet.
We were recently invited to Bryson's coworker's farm to be a part of theirgoat's laboring and birthing.
I'm lucky to have witnessed birth two times now.I watched my sister bring my nephew earthside last year on April 5th, and this year amother goat and her farmer bring a buckling earthside on the very same day.
The complexity and purity of birth is something I believe everyone shouldhave the opportunity to be a part of.
It is so simple. It is so beautiful. And that is how it should be.
Spring is the time of year that reminds me to trust in what is.To watch everything grow and develop as it should, and trust that the same is happening to me.To allow and accept the natural things coming my way, and to be earnestly and honestlyexactly who I am called to be.
Find that trust within yourself, hold it. If it feels right to you, it is.
I trust that my 27th year will bring about big changes in my life, and allow me to seek outwhat I want most.
Do you know what I want?
I want to put on my favorite jeans, belt, and hat, saddle up my horse and ride her throughthe tall grass into miles and miles of untouched lands.
I want to watch the sunset over the hills and valleys of sagebrush like a cascade of fire.
I want to drink up that light.
I want to collect eggs from the henhouse every morning with a cup of tea in hand,and name all of my chickens after the freshly grown herbs in my garden.
I want to cook our catch of the day over an outdoor fire and spend all of my time with my dogand my love.
I want to be thankful for all the things that matter, and brush off all the things that don't.
I just want to live my life and live it well.Live it, as who I am called to be.
It's ok to want what you want and be unapologetic about it.It is truly ok.
I trust that you know this, deep down in the marrow of your soul, let that feeling beam brightacross your face and truly feel it.
I love you. I believe in you.Now go forth in all you do.
xx
Chloe
The End of the Drive
In air like this, I feel myself reborn. In this cold, crisp, dry air, oh I feel it to be true.
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We packed and tarped the last of our things in the back of the pickup, and left Vancouver in heavy rain.North and north still, we made our way into the dry teal and tranquil tan of the sagebrush lands we now call home.We're good on the road together. We listen to podcasts, sing, talk, and kiss Ruby's head as she peaks out between our shoulders to look at the lights of the log trucks rumbling by.
At the end of the drive is our cabin, surrounded by the warm creamy hues of dry grass spilling in every direction.
Here, you can feel it all.You can hear the cabin creak and sing as it shifts in the wind.You can hear the swooping of ravens and other bird of prey above you while wandering through the trails.You can see the breath of the horses as they sigh and snort in the cold air.You can feel the drumming of grouse as they prepare for flight.You can smell the warm woodburning stoves of the neighboring cabins.You can hear the cracking of ice below your feet as you dare to step onto the barely frozen lake.You can taste the scent of pine as you cut down your own tree for Christmas.
It's all so alive here and I can feel my soul growing.I have plenty of stories to share already.
I will be stocking my shop again soon after finishing a few commissions for Christmas.I can't wait to create for you in this new space.I hope that when you wear these pieces, you carry with you a reminder of all that has passed and is to come.All of the joy, the sadness, the adversities, the victories, the greatest efforts of love and life.You are of pure silver and flame. You are loved.
Thank you for all of your support through this part of my journey as a silversmith.You have allowed me to pursue this medium as my profession.With every solder and saw, you have made me a better person.I pinch myself every day and I owe you for that.I am forever grateful.Thank you.
May You Be Loved,Always
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Over The Cattle Guard
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Over the cattle guard is a sunset filtering through smoke and flame.
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For Thanksgiving long weekend, we rode beneath the dry arid sky.
Five hours, three horses, two mules, and four pups weaving in and out of birch and pine.
We stopped for a few moments to stretch our thighs. We warmed our iced fingertips by the campfire and our souls with swigs of rum.
Ruby was truly in her element running with the pack, occasionally leading us along the trail. Seeing her gallop through the open meadows surrounded by bright yellow autumn leaves was truly a sight.
She is more than I could have asked for in a companion and my heart is so full.
I hope all of my Canadian friend's had an amazing Thanksgiving surrounded by those you love most.
Many exciting changes happening in my little world.
I cannot wait to fill you in!
xo
Nomadic
LET'S FACE IT, I OWE US ALL A REAL POST.
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I'm so sorry it has taken me such a long time to write a true post on this platform, there really is no excuse.These past few months have been so incredibly full and I've spent my days well. In the sunshine, eating good organic food, and hopping from one body of water to another. It's been absolute bliss.Autumn has arrived here, and I can feel the cold dewy air seep into the marrow of my bones. If you know this feeling, you know.The north has been calling to us, so last week, Bryson and I drove for over 2,000 km to Bella Coola and back again in 6 days. We made a few stops along the way including my family cabin, and our friend Kris' beautiful acreage surrounded by hay fields and bands of wild horses. She was all too kind with letting us stay in her beautifully comfy guest bed and cooking us an abundance of amazing plant-based meals.Ruby is such a great road trip pup. She rests, checks in on us, and watches what goes by with the occasional bay at the passing black bear or doe along the way. Her love for exploring new places makes me feel as though we were truly meant to find each other in this life. I've also found out that she loves running with horses but is also very aware of their strength and size so keeps just the right amount of distance. Every morning we would walk with the ruby and the horses, and I couldn't help but feel that this is where she belongs. I can't wait to begin creating my own homestead and rescuing every farm animal I can.You can see all the pictures from our trip below.My studio has also been calling my name these days. It has always been my place of solace but recently, I've actually kind of been avoiding getting down to work. Not because I don't wish to work with silver and flame, but because I've found myself really nervous about putting my pieces online for others to purchase. I've had to force myself to sit down, push my silver aside and focus on writing what has been stopping me from pursuing this dream of mine. Over the past couple of weeks, I've come to realize that my hesitation is due to my own self-doubt. I'm constantly questioning myself.
• Am I a good enough silversmith?
• Are the pieces going to provide others with the comfort and inspiration intended?
• Is my packaging going to protect each piece and provide my customers with something more to look forward to?
• Am I ready to put myself out there?
The questions go on but the truth is, I'll never know until I try right?
♥ So here we go ♥
I've arrived back in Vancouver from the most beautiful, reinvigorating, and re-inspiring road trip and it is time.I will (finally) be stocking the shelves of my Etsy shop later this week!There I said it, now I HAVE to do it!Thank you all for bearing with me and trusting in this process of mine.I will let you know the moment they are up and ready for you.To make up for my lack of posting, I've also made a video of our trip up north and it brings me so much joy to watch. You can find it at the bottom of this post. It's so fun living a bit of a nomadic lifestyle these days before Bryson and I figure out our next move.
I hope you are doing well and I really look forward to the next post.
Always
xx
