Soft Petals in the Snow

(From the original blog dated February 16, 2014)

It snowed again last night. Cape Cod has always been known for its mild winters, but the frigid temps and blizzard warnings have made this winter one for the record books!

Yet in spite of the beauty I knew to be waiting outside,  I had a huge pile of work in the studio that needed to be done. Hats were ready for their final handstitching, photos were waiting to be edited for the next Old Friends hat auction.

And then I heard the mew. My Marmee was talking to me…

My husband calls her “Soft Petals” which describes her to a T. Without a doubt Marmee is the sweetest, most connecting creature I have ever known. And she was talking to me, giving me that look. The look that says,

Come follow me…

I followed her into the living room, and I knew what she wanted. I got the stool out, opened the front door, and up she hopped.

The cold wintry air swept into the room and I could see that it excited her as much as it did me. I have written about Marmee being my muse, this Milliner’s Muse. Its uncanny how often she senses when I need to stop, when I just need to take a moment and do something different.

Like opening the front door…

Looking down at the fence below, seeing the way snow falls and clings to it, making patterns that are magical in their ordinariness…

Or looking up at a sudden twitter, sensing movement somewhere in the trees…

Discovering amazing creatures that you won’t find anywhere else, right outside our door…

Soaking in some warm sun, all the while listening to the drip drip drip of melting snow…

Surrounded by the beauty of Cape Cod, even the Cape Cod right outside my door, I could easily have spent the entire day in the studio. I was all set to do just that.

Until a gentle mew pulled me away, encouraging me to see the world for a little while through her eyes.

And as I headed back to the studio that afternoon, I worked along better than ever. Dreaming of the chickadees, the frosted fence, the icicles dripping in the sunlight. And my sweet Soft Petals in the snow…

Thank you for visiting me here at Hats and Horses…

‘Til next time,

Sally