fanciful fennel

Lately my weekends have been aimed at living a simpler life. Weekdays are for getting lost of computers and over-stimulated by the technology age that surrounds us. Come Saturday, my activities shift. My phone is rarely looked at. My computer goes untouched. My foot hits the terrain and my eyes roam the bushes for plants. Plants rich in color.  It is a meditative activity, creating with the hands with what comes from the Earth. No machine, no internet. It is a path toward awareness and a step toward an intentional life.  

I suppose that when most are given a bushel of fennel - they transform it a savory dish. However, I'm the exception. I use such edible plants  in dye vats. About 1 hour into soaking the feathery leaves, the aroma of licorice begins to lingering through out the house. It is a pleasant alternative to the biting and invasive smell of fermenting indigo. After the 2 day dye process, the faint mint color appeared on the silk. Almost like a misty spring morning. To see the dye recipe visit Wild Color Workshop

Middle Creek Bridge on the Cumberland Trail 

Naturally dyed silk with fennel, turkey tail mushroom, pokeweed berry, + goldenrod