Evelyn R. Swett Photography
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Curiosity: An Invitation & Choice

11/5/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
Banana: Look at Me! Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Colors.
Textures. Shapes.
Invitations to pay attention.
Picture
Balanced Greens, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Gorgeous Garbage. Mixed
up and mingled.
Picture
I Voted, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Curious
about time & the
need to document how I
use it...Fear emerges: Will we
have the time we need?
Thoughts shift. 
Picture
The Executive Calendar, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
If my daily 
calendar is empty, did

I exist? If we live without record,
do we exist? Or, is there something more
powerful I don't yet understand that
connects us to the spirit of
things & not things
themselves?
Picture
Yellow Rose Petals, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Trump's
election sparked
my initial focus on compost.
Since then, the pile has shifted from
metaphor for America (a diverse soup), to an 
invitation to explore my relationship
to just about everything and
everyone...including
​myself.
Picture
Tea Cup in Sharon, VT, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
So I've
been hanging
out with tea-cups
submerged in ponds and
feeling the power of
moss while in
prayer.
Picture
Moss & a Prayer, Fall 2020 Photo by ERSwett
I wonder:
Will I take this invitation
to change, to emerge from this time
with renewed interest in what's possible? Or
will I hold on to what I know & to
what feels safe because
​I am afraid?
Picture
What's This? Fall 2020, Self Portrait
For me,
​it's a choice,
& fear is not an option.
Picture
The Choice is Mine to Make, Fall 2020 Self Portrait
2 Comments

What's With the Smile?

10/21/2020

3 Comments

 
Picture
At the Club, 1984 Photo by Steven C. Swett
Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
A dress
worn to a party
in 1984, re-imagined &
transformed
, becoming muse &
metaphor ​in ​2019. With text from Walt
Whitman's 
poem, This Compost &
embroidered ferns traced
from actual ferns
in 
​my garden,
Picture
Reflected Ferns, May 2019 Photo by ERSwett
Picture
Embroidered Ferns, August 2019 Photo by ERSwett
it took
over a year,
for the dress and
the woman to emerge -
smiling. ​
Picture
Selfie, May 2019
Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
Always smiling.
Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
"I am
terrified at
the earth," but I
drink my demitasse
and smile. Really? Is that all?
What an incongruous
sham!
Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
But am
I allowed to show
fear or anger? Do I even know
what ​these emotions feel like? And if I
can't show them when no one
is looking, will I ever
be able to be
​real?
Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
I've
buried them
for so long, always
hiding behind that ​smile.
Don't get me wrong. I've only
recently understood how beautiful it
is. But just as the demitasse is a

curious distraction, so is
a smile 
a fabulous
​cover. 
Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
It
was
only after
these exploratory
photo shoots in Maine that
I started to go deeper. If I am going
to re-imagine my relationship to everything
and ​everyone, including myself,
I'll need to accept that it
won't always be
​pretty.

Picture
Self Portrait, Fall 2020
3 Comments

Why be a Photographer?

10/7/2020

7 Comments

 
Picture
Water 3, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It's the light...
Picture
Water 4, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
...and the shapes.
Picture
Water 6, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It's the
mesmerizing interplay of
water & 
wind...
Picture
Water 7, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
...and
the ongoing
invitation to get lost
in the moment while falling
in ​love with the
wonder of
​it all.
Picture
Water 11, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Sometimes
I have to get lost in order
to find what I
need.

Picture
Water 8, October 2020 Photo by ERSwett

How
are you getting
lost these
​days?

7 Comments

Healing in the Garden

8/27/2020

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Picture
Monarchs on Joe Pye Weed, September 2020 Photo by ERSwett
It's true!
If you plant it,
they will
come.

Picture
Raised beds, 2010. Photo by ERSwett
At first,
back in 2010,
I loved straight lines &
beds high enough to deter
our ​new puppy. All I wanted was to
grow lots of food as efficiently
​as possible.

Picture
2013 view looking south with rain barrel experiments in view. Photo by ERSwett
By 2013,
the compost had
moved out; 
Three layers
were too hot & dry; And a new
north-south alignment 
just felt better.
Picture
2015 view into the garden with grapes finally taking off. Photo by ERSwett
Over
time, the ideas in Toby
Hemenway's book
 Gaia's Garden, 
transformed my thinking, inviting experimentation
with fewer paths, more curves & the
integration of pollinator-
friendly plants.
Picture
2016 experiments with mounding and soft edges. Photo by ERSwett
My family
thinks it's crazy to
redesign the garden every
few years as each one seems pretty
cool, like this rounded mounded central axis
filled with a mix of annual vegetables and perennials.
But for me, these changes reveal how this garden was becoming
more than just a space to grow vegetables. It was
a safe place for me to connect with and
explore the power of the
earth herself, this
thing called
Gaia.
Picture
2018 abundance. It turns out, though, that I prefer bush beans. Photo by ERSwett
By 2018,
cucumbers emerged
from beneath pole beans, borage
invited pollinators, and there was hardly a
need to water, as the composted and well-shaded
soil sustained itself throughout the summer. I had finally
created my own 'Gaia's Garden' paradise.
So it seems strange that I would
take it apart & essentially
start over.
Picture
Garden redesign in progress, September 2018 Photo by ERSwett
But
that's just
what I did, creating
a circular space aligned with
the quadrants of a compass and based 

on historic herb garden designs.
I didn't know what this
new space would
be like...
Picture
Completed garden redesign, end of September 2018 Photo by ERSwett
...until
I planted the
echinacea and finally
understood that gardening is not
about how many peas I harvest. For me, it's
about how I can heal myself so that
together my garden and I
can help heal the
earth.
Picture
Abundance 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Summer Reading

In addition to re-reading Gaia's Garden, these others books have also captivated and inspired me this summer. It feels as if the earth is in all of our hands right now. Digging deeper is the only way to go.
​

Drew, Sarah Gaia Codex
Hemenway, Toby Gaia's Garden
Jewell, Jennifer The Earth in Her Hands
Kincaid, Jamaica My Garden (Book): 
Penniman, Leah Farming While Black
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Energy & Edging

8/16/2020

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Picture
Our 'new' front yard garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Welcome.
When I walk into
our 'new' front yard, it's
like magic. The granite pavers
guide me past the front
door and around
​to the back,
Picture
Our 'new' side garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
where ​pungent
SummerSweet and cheerful
purple Coneflower (echinacea) beckon.
"Come," they say. "You are
​safe here."
Picture
Echinacea (Coneflower) Photo by ERSwett
And I am.
Bees frolick and
I feel a warm embrace
not just from the plants, but
from all the people who guided
me to this time and this place. It seems
hard to believe that in the midst
of a global crisis, I have
​found such joy in
​the garden.
Picture
Calvin lounging in the sun, early May 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Just
three months
ago, Calvin and I sat
in our front 'yard.' Still early
in the COVID crisis, we were eager
to be outside. For me, though, this space
between our house & the road
was not a calming
​place.
Picture
The front yard, early June 2020 Photo by ERSwett
In fact,
it was unsettling.
Perhaps it was the abrupt
contrast 
between the lawn & the
trees or maybe it was 
the way the lawn
just headed off 
into our neighbor's
property, 
carrying my
energy 
with it --
away.
Picture
A work in progress, June 2020 Photo by ERSwett
But with my
son ready to help,
we gave new form to this
part of our yard. By mid June
there was a layer of
healthy soil &
​mulch.
Picture
Gro-Low Sumac, Detail August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
By mid July,
I had planted the
hillside with a cool mix of
native plants, including Gro-low
Sumac and Joe Pye Weed. In the process,
I co-opted some more of the lawn,
which really is just a nasty
water hog that 
has 
​no nutritional
value.
Picture
Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochium purpureum) August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
The more
I walked among this
increasing variety of plants,
the more grounded I felt in every ​way,
not just because a formally neglected place was
getting attention, but because it was
coming to life - the winged
creatures were
showing
​up.

Picture
Scented Geranium, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
But
even with
this beauty, there
was something missing.
The more time I spent in this
place, the more I realized that it had
​something to do with the
flow of energy.
Picture
The original brick edging, July 2020 Photo by ERSwett
From prior
experiments, I realized
that it was all about 
​edging and
the clear definition of boundaries. T
he
bricks that had been in the front of the original
bed for decades were not strong enough
to contain the power of what
​
this part of our land
was ​becoming. 
Picture
Granite pavers - getting started, late July 2020 Photo by ERSwett
So,
it was with
great enthusiasm that
during the last week in July, I
carried one hundred pavers from a pallet
at Gardener's Supply in Lebanon, NH
into and out of the car, slowly
laying them into the soil,
and in the process,
transforming
this place.
Picture
The edging in place, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Our
initial design
did not include edging
material nor did it include this
connection between the front and back
yards. But this mix of stone and
diverse plantings created
an increasingly
​dynamic
space.
Picture
The view on a cloudy day, edging and all, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Power
emerges when
when there are natural
connections among people, plants
& place. Earlier today, 
I could almost hear
the 
conversation between the two varieties of
SummerSweet, one in the front and
​the other 
along the north
​side of the house. 
Picture
Summersweet, Ruby Spice, Photo by ERSwett
Picture
Summersweet, Hummingbird Photo by ERSwett
It was
as if Karen
who introduced me
to "Ruby Spice" in 2016
was actually talking with Kelsey,
who, working off what we already had,
integrated "Hummingbird" into the
front design in 2018. Together,
in 2020 they provide a
mid-summer
​banquet.
Picture
First Monarch of the year in the Hummingbird Summersweet, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
I love
​how these various

groundcovers, shrubs and trees
embody the positive spirits of the many
plants people throughout the Upper Valley who
nurtured them so that someone like
me could come along and
use them to create
a garden.
Picture
Various rocks, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett
And
now that
garden comforts​
and inspires because of
how a few 
small stones in various
shapes and sizes can contain a mix of plants
while also enabling 
life-giving
energy to flow.
Picture
Our front garden, August 2020 Photo by ERSwett

Local Resources

At one time or another, Kelsey & Karen worked at Henderson's Garden Center in White River Junction, VT. The Garden Center is run by Sylvia Provost, who always has amazing ideas and plants for any project.

Permaculture Solutions, LLC Karen Ganey shares her creative gifts through consultations, design and installation. 

Gardener's Supply, Lebanon, NH A friendly place to find native trees, shrubs, perennials and vegetable starts.

E.C.Brown's Nursery, Thetford, VT A welcoming place to find native trees, shrubs and perennials. 

Ongoing inspiration from friends at the
Hanover Garden Club and colleagues on the Sustaining Landscapes Committee in Hanover. 
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Rootbound

6/12/2020

4 Comments

 
Picture
Rootbound Photo by ERSwett
This
is perhaps
the 100th shrub
I have planted in our yard
during the past decade, and this
tight tangle of roots gets me every time.
Not all plants are so completely
ensnared, but most ​seem
to be at least this
rootbound.
Picture
Sometimes
aggressive action is
necessary because it is
absolutely essential to free the
roots from themselves. If they remain
entangled, the shrub will never
be able to settle into
its new home.
Picture
Earlier
today, when
I held this particular
plant and gently worked to
free ​the roots, I thought of how
hard it has been to liberate myself from
the constraints I created as a result
of ​expectations of all kinds,
some from within &
some from
​family.
Picture
Once
I hit 50, though,
my confidence with clippers
increased significantly in the garden and
in my life. Experience showed me that it really
is OK to cut free some (but not all) roots
in order ​for a plant, or for me,
to grow.
Picture
A plant
will thrive in 
its new home when
its roots are free & it has the
water & nutrients it needs. As I write,
I am increasingly curious about what roots I
may choose to cut so that I can participate fully in
conversations about climate, race & our
nation's structural inequalities
that limit our collective
capacity to
thrive.
Picture
Who knows
what ​beauty will emerge
from this call to dig even deeper?
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Easter Signs, 2020

4/9/2020

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Picture
Jammed Singer, Damned Masks 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Last week,
I'd had enough.
While attempting to
make masks, my sewing
machine jammed, a sure sign
that it was time to stop, and when I
tried to stitch the outline of a photograph of
myself onto that silk dress I've been
working on for a year,
it was a mess.
Picture
The Misshapen Hand Photo by ERSwett
I was done.
We'd been home
together for almost a
month and I was frazzled. So
first I took myself for a walk and
called my sister. Then, when I got home,
I made pizza, got out some wine and shared
my exhaustion. "What can we do?" my son asked.
How cool is that? We then created a plan for who would
cook which night; We talked about Mom's limits...
and there are many. And, by the end of the
meal we got it - We are definitely in
this whole weird Covid-19
thing together.
Picture
Pizza Dinner with Wine & Good King Henry, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Even
so, I still felt
untethered on Easter,
so went for another walk, but
longer this time, and wondered if I would
experience any signs to guide me,
this being a mystical time
and all...and sure
enough...
Picture
The People's Car, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
First,
there was
this VW hubcap
just sitting on the railing.
VW - Volkswagon - A car for
People. OK. Got it. One reason this
crisis is so hard to manage is that it impacts
all of us, but some more than others.
Actively helping those in need
doesn't feel like enough.
There it is, that nasty
need to do more,
always do
​more.
Picture
Rusted Iron on West Wheelock Street, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Next, 
this rusted
handrail, unloved
and imperfect, but still
able to provide support. To me
its textures and shadows are captivating
and reassuring. Perhaps this time is forcing me
to confront my own perfect imperfections
and celebrate this undeniable fact
that I can't not see beauty
even in worn out
things.
Picture
Water Management, Dartmouth College, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
And then
there was this
green sandbag with
its mate up the hill -- one
a snake, the other a donut. They
clearly serve a purpose, having something
to do with water management, but there in the woods,
coming up from the Connecticut River, they
seemed so strange. The first bright
green on this early
​spring day.

Picture
Blue New York Times, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
At this
point, my walk
had become it's own
kind of Easter Egg Hunt, but
instead of colorful eggs, I  found random
objects, each of which felt like a
sign, because I was on a
search and there
they were.
Picture
Pink Ribbon, Pine Park 2020 Photo by ERSwett
This pink
ribbon, so bright
on the forest floor, but
there, communicating something
to someone, perhaps even to me -- Beware,
I'm here - Don't trip? But instead, I got tripped up by these
mysterious marks on the trees. Are they part
of some game, or do they have
great significance? 
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
The more
strange markings
I witnessed, the more
amused I became. Here I was
hoping for 'a sign' and I got way more
than I bargained for. Is it true that Signs, of
the mystical kind with a capital "S," are only as
meaningful as we make them?  Signs appear because
​we look for them when we need them. In this
case, it seems, all these colorful signs were
merely there to remind me that I am
in control of how I interpret not
just these markings, but
this crazy time
​as well.
​
Picture
The Green Poop Bag, Hanover Golf Course, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
And then,
when I emerged
from the woods and was
on my way home, 
this green doggy
poop bag was swinging in the wind on these
bright red twigs. Really? Clearly this is
a sign that sometimes there
are just weird things
blowing in the
wind.
Picture
Co-Exist, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
Maybe
it's just that
simple. I am being
asked to co-exist not just
with my immediate family, but
with the all of it -- the mysteries & the
uncomfortable realities of being
human on a planet that is
struggling to support
us. In the midst
of it all,
I seek meaning
and relevance. It's why I
take photographs. It's why I share
my work and my ideas on this blog. Because
for me, it's spiritual. Just as there is power in the way
compost emerges as nutrient rich soil, there is power in
showing up & trying to make sense of ourselves
and our circumstances, with all our
abundant and colorful
imperfections.
Picture
Beets & Lettuce, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
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On Grief & Gratitude

4/4/2020

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Picture
Womanswork gloves in the garden at home Photo by ERSwett
All in a
day's work with
my Womanswork Gloves.
Still March, and there I was, out
pruning and clipping and clearing. I did,
indeed, feel like a strong woman
building a gentle world and
this oregano shoot
a gift from the
powers at
be.
Picture
The first oregano Photo by ERSwett
A moment 
of gratitude, when
minutes earlier I'd been
grieving the latest reports on 
Coronavirus cases spreading around
New York, moving north toward
Boston, slowly making its
way toward us.
Picture
Faulty exposure #1 Photo by ERSwett
Seeking
something normal,
I collected compost from
Umpleby's Cafe and Bakery in
Hanover and came home to process
it. But when I downloaded the photographs
from what had been glorious Compost
Compositions, I saw that something
had gone terribly wrong
with the exposure.

Why now?
Picture
Faulty exposure #2 Photo by ERSwett
Was it
me? What
happened to my
trusted Fuji camera that
it also messed up the images
I captured at The Lebanon Landfill
earlier on that same day. What's going on, I
wonder, profound grief emerging not
just at these 'lost' images, but
at so much right now, for
so many people in so
many places.
Picture
Succulent inspired by my mother-in-law & Voice Message by my sister-in-law Photo by ERSwett
Then there
is gratitude for my
sister-in-law, Katherine,
whose recently released book
of poetry, Voice Message, captures her
profound grief at the loss of her 21 year old
daughter almost a decade ago and the loss of all
that might have been, but can't be because of a single fall
on a single day on a ski hill far away. I can't read
more  
than a poem or two a day. It's
just too 
intense right now
with this virus...
Picture
Chanler & Sarah, Easter Day April 4, 2010 Photo by ERSwett
...and my
own two children
at 
home, both approaching
twenty-one, but not there 
yet. We
are not meant to be 
together right now.
They 
are supposed to be with their own friends,
like 
Rachel was all those
years ago.
Picture
Here we are. #frontstepsproject by Etna, NH photographer Kata Sasvari
Instead
we are together.
As they mourn the loss
of a graduation or a 20th birthday
with friends I think about all the different
kinds of losses and can, I think, finally comprehend
that grief in all its forms is real, but that
ultimately, some is just so
much more profound
than ​others.
Picture
Grief & Gratitude at the Landfill - - Sad at all the discarded stuff but glad for the amazing people who show up every day to take care of it. Photo by ERSwett
So while
I grieve for the
loss of images from
the landfill that I will never
see, I am grateful not just for those
that were on my other camera, but for
the knowledge that I can always go
back another day and the crew
will be there making more
mountains out of our
trash. It will be
 different, but
the same.
Picture
Glad for quilting supplies I've never used April 3, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
A lost
child can not
be retrieved. So when
my husband told me that babies
& other young people are now dying from
Covid-19, I experienced more grief, but am grateful
for 'Woman's Work,' like tending the garden or sewing cloth
masks that will protect us from ourselves (lest we touch
our faces) and each other, (lest one of us is sick
and coughs). It is strange to protect
ourselves from ourselves. At
this moment, though,
what 
else is a
mother
to do?
Picture
Remembering how to use a sewing machine April 3, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
So, I
sew masks
out of repurposed
​boxers and favorite old
floral flannel PJs, which were
buried at the bottom of our rag pile
in that funny drawer beneath our dryer
which we so rarely open, but which
is, at this moment, proving
extremely helpful.
Picture
Re-purposing PJs into 9" x 7" 'sheets.' Photo by ERSwett
And while
I sit and sew, I
think about Katherine
transforming her grief into
poetry. While I can never know
what she has experienced, I embrace
this time with my children and the chance
to channel my current angst. Who 
knew old cotton rags would
offer this opportunity at
this particular
moment?
Picture
Pleats in cloth masks Photo by ERSwett
It turns
out that making
masks is harder than I
thought. What I am creating
looks nothing like what I see on all
those YouTube videos. Then I ​remember
that we are in a time of crisis, and I
am doing the best I can with
what I have, where
I am.
Picture
Recycling Center, Lebanon, NH April 2, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
The other
day at the landfill,
I had two cameras, so
even though the settings were
off on one, the other was just right.
Using the tools at hand, I was able to capture
the eerily empty six-foot social distancing spaces at
the recycling center. In a time of crisis, I think
it helps to have guidance whether in
the form of a spray-painted
box, or poetry in a book,
written by someone
you love.
Picture
My son working at home April 2010 Photo by ERSwett
It does feel,
though, that mothers
and mother earth have super-
powers in their abilities to hold and
sooth pain &, by doing so, nourish that pain
so that it can transform into whatever
it is meant to become, in all
its tactile, fragile
​beauty. 
Picture
Calvin the dog, curious about the new office and the return of Our Lady of Perpetual Transformation Photo by ERSwett
So here 
I stand in my
new office space,
created yesterday so
that our basement can be
a hospital if & when we need one...
And here beside me stands
my lady of perpetual 
transformation.
Picture
Me and My Lady - perpetually transforming Photo by ERSwett

#frontstepsproject is on Instagram

@Katasasvari can be found on Instagram & on the web

Voice Message by Katherine Barrett Swett - - Please order through your local independent bookstore. I ordered mine through Still North Books in Hanover, NH

If you can, please support those in your life who needs it...whether it's the person who cares for your loved ones, cares for your home, or cares for you. Venmo and a simple old fashioned check work wonders.
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Settling Into a New Routine

3/19/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Dartmouth Green -- Empty Photo by ERSwett
Welcome to
the first day of Spring.
We woke to a light dusting of
snow and are a bit disappointed by yet
another cloudy day. But it is, after all, March in
New Hampshire and we are experiencing 
a global pandemic. So the fact that
​The Green is empty and
stores are closed
is real.
Picture
J. Crew Closure, March 2020, Hanover, NH Photo by ERSwett
So too
​is compost.
The narcissus may
be done, but they are still
making lemon curd at Umpleby's
and we are still eating bananas. In the
midst of disappointed teenagers
at home, I return, as always,
to the colors, shapes &
textures of my
​compost
​pile.
Picture
Yellow Narcissus & Lemons, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
My gratitude
for this pile is deep.
Year after year it transforms
waste into nourishment for gardens
while at the same time inviting me to be
patient, get my hands dirty, and
remember that sometimes
life is really messy.
Picture
Coffee Filters, 2020 Photo by ERSwett
As if by
magic, though,
creativity emerges over
and over again out of the apparent
mess. It should be no surprise to you, then,
that I have more photographs of coffee filters. Who
knows how long the supply will last, but they
are such a simple way for me to connect
with my sister, Sarah Swett, who
keeps making things out of
​these funny pieces
of paper.
Picture
Finding Joy with Coffee Filters, March 2020 Photo by ERSwett
And in
the process,
I pay closer attention
to what was once just another
part of the waste I collected each week
from Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe
in Hanover, NH. Coffee
filters, it turns out
are beautiful.
Picture
Pile of Filters Photo by ERSwett
For me,
It's so much
more than textures
& subtle muted
tones.
Picture
Coffee Filters Smiling Photo by ERSwett
It's all
about how
these filters seemed
to talk to me earlier today,
and made me laugh as I folded
them & prepared to mail
them to my sister
in Idaho.

Picture
It all
seemed 
so funny, how
I packaged them up,
but am waiting two weeks
to send them, for fear I might have
The Virus and might unknowingly mail it to
my sister whose husband has cancer and definitely
can't get this thing. So once again my compost
and all its associated projects invite
patience and humor. This
really is all quite
messy...
Picture
Coffee Filters Folded and Ready to Ship Photo by ERSwett
...and
beautiful,
because even
though we may be
thousands of miles apart,
we are together, exploring these
funny pieces of paper and
wondering what will
emerge from it
all.
Picture
Our Daily Grapefruit Photo by ERSwett
So after
I finish this blog
post, I will go upstairs to
cut our daily grapefruit - one for
each member of the family every day for
as long as supplies last. During times of stress and
uncertainty, I like routines. I like this habit of culling & cleaning
coffee filters to send to my sister. I like making something healthy for our family
on a regular basis. And I like making sure ​we laugh about the fact it's a
Thursday & my kids are eating breakfast at 2 pm just when
I'm having my mid afternoon snack.
It's all
part of a new routine and I'm
OK with all of that...
Picture
Kids at Home March 2020 Photo by ERSwett
...because 
it is March and
even though it seems dark
and gray and lonely to be stuck at
home, I know that the bulbs will emerge
from the frozen earth & spring will
come, because that's nature's
routine, and I'm good
with that.
Picture
Today's view in my studio. Photo by ERSwett

PS
It is still
Women's History
Month...so let's support 
each other as much as we can
from afar. For inspiration of all kinds,
check out my friend Jennifer Jewell's Podcast
Cultivating Place - - The January episodes were all
about the therapeutic and spiritual capacities
of our gardens - in all their forms.
We
need that now, more
​than ever. 
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Unfiltered & Full Circle

2/28/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Coffee filters & peas from Umpleby's Bakery & Cafe in Hanover, NH Photo by ERSwett
So here
they are. More
coffee filters. In the
raw, straight from the pile
and into the bucket.
Salvaged once
again.

Picture
First rinse, still in the 5-gallon bucket. Photo by ERSwett
I wonder
if the original
cup of coffee or frothy
cappuccino was as compelling
to look at and as sumptuous to smell as
these filters getting their
​first rinse?
Picture
They are just so cool. Extraction from the bucket. Photo by ERSwett
I love
working with
these strange pieces of
paper. When we have coffee at our
house, which is rare, we use a French Press. So
for me, these are an entirely new material which have, until
recently, just been part of my decomposing compost.
Now, though, with my sister's inspiration,
they have become yet another
invitation to explore
our material
world.
Picture
Unfiltered coffee filters ready for final rinse. Photo by ERSwett
When I 
take them out
of the 5-gallon compost
collection bucket and move them
into the rinsing tub in our sink, these dirty
filters become precious materials
filled with creative
​potential.
Picture
Everything needs a bath once in a while. Photo by ERSwett
These 
coffee filters
are soft between my
fingers when I pull them out
of the tub and hang them up to dry.
Once on the rack, all I notice
is the play of light on
their textured
fiber.
Picture
Coffee Filter Abstraction Photo by ERSwett
All I
want to do
is move in closer to
explore these materials about
which I know so little. Once again, my
compost invites me to consider more than meets
the eye. While I have an idea of what my sister, Sarah C.
Swett
, might create out of these filters, their
back story, like so many back
stories, remains a
​mystery.
Picture
Colored coffee filter fiber created by Sarah C. Swett Photo by ERSwett
Clearly,
this narrative
is unfolding as I write,
Sarah's imagination leading her
and my investigations taking me where
they go. But here we are, unfiltered, making it
up along the way. It does seem, however, that ours is
a circular narrative, filled with the ebbs
and flows of our lives and
curiosities.
Picture
Hand woven bracelet with coffee filter fiber & more filters ready for repurposing. Photo by ERSwett
Stay tuned for ​more...
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