Time to yourself is precious when you are a parent.  Especially stolen hours in nature on a Christmas afternoon.  There is nothing like clearing your head of the city and all it’s various stimulus.  This time of year is all about willow.  We are wallowing in it, at the beaver dam, on the coast and in our secret sag ponds.  The low winter sun brings out the willow color spectrum in a manner that takes my breath away.  If I were to be a plant the willow would be a tempting incarnation.  Not to mention that if I were lucky enough I might even be immortalized as a basket.

Parenting is selfless.  For days, weeks, years on end we shed all manner of introspection to nurture and raise our offspring.  I had a little time to myself this weekend to paint and putz and do what ever I darn well pleased.  It occurred to me that perhaps it was high time to take a self portrait.  As soon as I woke up this morning I made Ryder go out to the garden and take photos of me.  I wanted to capture “me” at my least self conscious.  My early morning visit to the garden is the place where my self comes out.  It is a time and place where I am unhindered by a day of thoughts, interactions and expectations.  I am my biological self here, the me that can’t separate itself from petals, chlorophyll and dew.

My second agenda was to document the skirt.  I’d seen this daisy fabric quite some time ago and really wanted a gardeny, vintagy wrap skirt made out of it.  I mean what gardener doesn’t want to wear her garden all the time?  The skirt was supposed to be simple to sew, but it turned out to be tricky.  Bertie was kind enough to help me with it and I can’t thank her enough for more or less sewing it for me!   Aside from the daisy and squash blossom vibe of the fabric, I had hoped that the 50’s shape would play down my length and feminize me a bit.  While I am wearing it I feel very swishy and Alice in Wonderland.  However, when I saw the photos I realized that I simply am what I am.  Perhaps I should be less self conscious of my wingspan and consider myself lucky that I have arms which can retrieve almost anything that might be hiding just out of reach in the summer garden.