I interviewed Aaron Margolis and Deirdre McGrath.
I’ve been watching a lot of Roy Underhill’s The Woodwright’s Shop, so I picked up his book Khrushchev’s Shoe and found this quote by David Campbell, “If you were placed on trial for being creative, what evidence of your guilt would the prosecution find?”
I like to think that my spoons, photos, and words would be some bit of evidence, but I know that there’s so much more inside me. The trouble is always the self-discipline to do the work. Being creative means putting your ass in the chair to write the words or pick up the draw knife to make a spoon and some shavings. It’s getting out in the best light to capture the photo. Not listening to siren’s call of a movie or checking social media every hour. That’s why I’m still pretty innocent when it comes to being found guilty for being creative.
The days after the Fourth of July bring elder flowers, so I made some champagne from them… hopefully!
I infused a few quart jars of sour cherries in vodka.It was a bumper crop this year!
I love cooking spoons.Here’s birch cooker and lovage.
Little spoons are my favorites right after the ever functional and humble cooking spoon.
I picked lots of black currants over the past week at Rush River Produce. It’s once of my favorite summer rituals, and I’m glad that we could still do it safely during the pandemic. I infused some in vodka and gin – my winter tonic – and used the rest for jam.
Late in the month, I was carving outside one night under a beautifully greenish orange tornadic sky. Thank goodness I had a glass of Modist Brewing New England Ale. A hazy brew for a hazy humid day!
Carving was good this month. I managed to get out almost every night after my son went to bed. The days were long, and the light was good. I had lots of lillac and walnut waiting to find their new form .