Textiles and Tea, Freecycle and toes

Textiles and Tea this week introduced weaver, painter, clothing designer, Chickasaw member 

her family can be traced back to the thirteenth century in Mississippi.  Her fourth great grandmother was a child left behind after a battle, collected and cared for by Chickasaw people, grew up with them, and married into the Chickasaw people.

She has produced authentically styled Chickasaw costumes for historical productions, on a Smithsonian fellowship, has had work shown in the New York Met, and has costumed a production planned for 2024 with a symphony orchestra, at Carnegie Hall.

She's also been a production weaver of wearable art. Her painter training and eye shows up as you study her work. She's taught many Guild workshops over the years, and has recently cut back on her projects for health reasons. Not that you'd notice!

It seems appropriate to honor a native American's talents this week, instead of the fake history we've been taught around Thanksgiving.  Where I live was the home of the Lenni Lenape, and I  thank them when I go out walking daily on what was literally their home territory. The six lane Route One, a mile away,  was before the seventeenth century advent of the Dutch, an Indian walking path between waterways. 

Back home, in the process of laying a simple table

 for our Thanksgiving, I found I could part with a couple of things. These linen napkins I turmeric-dyed and stamped using my hand carved stamps were nice,  but not needed

And this six cup porcelain teapot is a bit too heavy for my wrists now. I put them on free cycle and they were literally gone in half an hour to a very happy  lady.

Thanksgiving celebration this year is less work for me than usual. But first,  I have a footnote (!) about fitness and aging. 

I've been working on that toe raising exercise to maintain my walking, the one I showed you  recently on YouTube. Yesterday I found I can raise my toes, i.e. stand on my heels,  without support. First time evah. I've always been able to raise my toes, but never without support. Just shows! 

I still don't have the core strength any more, since I turned 80+, to get up from the floor without supports. Back in my 70s I could do that, and various other things. Now, though I'm fitter than most, in fact I've outlived almost everyone I knew in my age group, there are still things an octo can't manage that a septo can. Enjoy what you can do while you can!

Happy day, everyone, I hope your plans are good this week, with or without Thanksgiving.