Willow Harvest -- Autumn Edition

You know how it is when you've "always" done things a certain way. For 10 years or so, I've cut my willow in the spring. It was timing that worked for various storage reasons. But I'm going to be leading a trip to Ireland next April. So I needed to get my harvest done this fall.

Last summer, I was talking with a friend about all this, and we hatched a plan. Her youngest is out of school and last spring she retired from coaching high school athletics. With just one full-time job now, she'll have more time to make baskets again. But her willow patch is small, and it takes a few years for new beds to become really productive.

This weekend, she and her husband came from Michigan to cut willow. With four of us cutting, a job that usually takes me about a week was done in less than a day.

With two extra pairs of hands and an extra dog to keep Scout entertained, a job I usually enjoy was more like a party. Just imagine a party where instead of dancing, people do hamstring stretches.

I kept as much willow as I'll need, and sent the rest home with Carol. My guess is she'll have 8 to 12 hours of sorting and bundling to do, but enough willow on hand now that she can feel free to explore a lot of the ideas she's been working on in her head. And my willow beds are ready for the next growing season to begin while I'm visiting The Burren, the Aran Islands, Clare Island, Donegal and Belfast.

At the end of the day, the dogs were tired and so were we. But it was a good tired.

And now, let it snow!

Soon To Expire -- Brewed Dyes & Discounts

Oops! I've been so focused on preparing for the natural dye workshop I'm teaching this weekend, I almost forgot a deadline. And it might be worth $300 bucks to you.

Thrifted men's camel hair coat -- deconstructed, washed & ready for natural dye workshop

If you're thinking of joining me for the Local Color: Ireland trip April 19-30, 2013, you can save up to $300 if you act by November 5. You get a $150 discount on the land portion of the trip if you make a deposit by that date. Celtic Journeys can negotiate a better rate on our lodgings if they're confirmed in November, and they pass that savings along to you. Also, if you pay in full by check instead of credit card by November 5, there's an additional $150 discount. The booking form is at http://www.celtic-journeys.com/locolreg.pdf. If you have any questions, please let me know or contact Maria Flynn Conway at Celtic Journeys.

Today, I did send a heads-up to folks on my email list. (If you're not already on my list, you can sign up here to get those emails. It's a bit different from getting these blog posts by mail.)



In the email, I included a couple of the interesting Ireland links I've been collecting. The Burren is one of our first destinations in Ireland, and the Burren land trust video above is fascinating. April should be a great time to see wildflowers there and elsewhere in Ireland. Here's a list of what might be blooming during the Local Color trip. And here's a list of some traditional Irish dye plants, which includes their Gaelic names.

And now, I really must go finish prepping for this weekend's workshop. These students get the last jug of raithneach (bracken) dye brewed from fresh leaves.

Raithneach a.k.a. bracken dye

After this weekend, I'll be using the bracken that went into the freezer for winter dyepots. And Bill will be getting back a shelf in the homebrew refrigerator.