entwined

inspired - oh my Michelle your paintings are so beautiful - her blog & etsy shop

This early morning, second cup of coffee in hand, sun just beginning to announce her presence I checked my email & smiled a big wide grin. This virtual world we live in - it's amazing how our lives become so entwined. Let's see if I can explain this in a way that doesn't leave us all lost.

les cast of characters

Moi - blog writer, foodie, lover of cats, creative empire builder, etsy purveyor, floral freak
Storbee - brave, handsome, Brooklyn born, beeg, blag, Dominican cad - his blog
Marie - Wooman of Storbee (otherwise known as Don Estorbo) & gardening/food blogger extraordinaire - 66 square feet + 66 square feet food
Chickory - Ande Cook, incredible artist, lover of chickens & dogs of nature & beauty - her blog
Rachel - of Slow Lane Life (although not mentioned specifically in the email I'm sure she is implicated in some way + thus also entwined in this tale of kinship)
John - does not have a blog but leaves a wonderful trail of regular comments & occasional emails with all mentioned above. Also a tres grand patron of the arts & has been my best etsy shop customer - purchasing several originals (turns out he's also bought from Ande/Chickory)

Back at the time of Canadian Thanksgiving I wrote a post about our (the Prince & my) most excellent heart healthy feast. John left a comment announcing that he would like to recreate my exact menu, especially the stuffing, when it came time for his American Thanksgiving (I commented back that I would send him the secret Maritime ingredient - summer savoury with recipe & promptly added that to my must-do list. Meanwhile over in Brooklyn at 66 Square Feet Marie (& Beence) were planning a small trip away and were looking for a beeg, blag, cad sitter for the Thanksgiving weekend (sigh... time spent in Brooklyn in the company of the D. cad a job I myself tres covet & am determined to have at some time in the future). Turns out - John signed on as Storbee's long weekend cat seeder (I missed this post somehow?). Still following ?

So ... while I'm madly making sure that my package of Maritime/Canadian contraband summer savoury (avec recipes) with appropriate card & note is mailed in time for John to make his Thanksgiving stuffing he unbeknownst to me (because weirdly I missed that one blog post) is madly packing & getting ready for a wee trip to Brooklyn to stay with Storbee (lucky John). Way back ages ago a bunch of us blog friends & acquaintances participated in a swap Ande of Chickory sent me a package of goodies and in that package a set of gorgeous greeting cards with her amazing painting/illustrations. Knowing that John hangs out often at Chickory I thought I'd send him an Ande Cook card with the contraband, note & recipes & I DID MAIL IT ON TIME (many will scoff in wonder at that declaration but 'tis true). On another loosely related note Marie (who often comments here at 29 Black Street) chose my botanical peace notecards last year for an article she wrote online 10 Great Gifts for Gardeners & John purchased the original gouache painting Botanical Peace which was reproduced on said note cards. Freaky

here's the email I received this morning from John

Dear Susan,

Now here I am, all ready to receive gifts from you to ferry to Estorbo, such as catnip (isn't "contraband" code for catnip?) and other assorted Northern goodness… Checked my mailbox late tonight, and sure enough, there is something squishy inside that stiff cardboard envelope… And even when I pull out your packet, I say to myself, yep, catnip for Estorbo… But not. I'm leaving that summer savory in my bedroom. I will definitely cook Susan's Best Stuffing for Christmas with butter and sausage and the pumpkin pie, both sound wonderful.

The chickory card could not be more perfect. I have a small pond in my back yard with feral ribbon snakes, they come for the frogs, circle of life thing, we each move quickly in opposite directions as soon as we see each other. I've learned I can jump really high when properly motivated. Also bird feeders with cardinals, a special spot for crows (anti-hawks, and I like that they collect shiny things), and a dry corn stand for squirrels. That covers your card except for the fish and bear. I have chickory's Blackbird on a white wall going from my kitchen to the living room. Very bright, saturated palette, zings on that wall. It is a small world.

Oh, and before your package arrived tonight, I was packing for Brooklyn and set out that geranium card you sent me a while ago. I plan to make it a thank you note and leave it with Marie.

Regards, John

I implicate Rachel of Slow Lane Life because I'm quite sure she was the original thread that began all this beautifully entwinement. It makes me feeling incredibly happy & tres grateful ;-)