When Franca was here, we rented a car and took a drive around the island. Southwest of the island is an area called Farangas with its somewhat sauvage landscape. There are many villas hidden on the hills but one villa that’s not so hidden is the House of Kakti. It is quite unique because of its incredible cacti garden.
If you are interested in renting this villa, go HERE.
Every summer while on Paros, I try to make purses using my household trash.
“Clean Clutch”
front
back
This is a little clutch made from a transparent detergent bottle. I cut the bottle open then used scrap materials to crochet the missing part. There’s a flap that opens on the front kept in place by velcro.
“Piselli Purse”
Another plastic bag purse. The base is from heavier plastic whereas the “ruffles” are from flimsier bags. It’s named “Piselli” (peas) because of the pea picture from a frozen food bag appliqued on.
“Chupas Bag”
On one of my walks to Krios, I found this deflated plastic football and decided to transform it into a purse.
Not liking the brown, I sewed on strips of plastic from garden dirt bags. The rest was made from plastic bags. Maybe when I get back this spring, I will make some additional changes.
our terrace as seen from Niki’s Pension
As Ungaretti would say, “here we are like leaves on trees in autumn” (si sta come d’autunno sugli alberi, le foglie). Our terrace, now cluttered by leaves that have fallen, reminds me that change is inevitable. Why is it that this impermanence makes me melancholy?
One of my favorite places in the Whole Wide World is our terrace here on Paros. I like to go there first thing in the morning with my coffee and our cat, Volver. Sometimes I take a book or hand sewing hoping to be productive . But, more often than not, I just sit there and absorb the atmosphere as if my body were a giant sponge soaking in plant vibrations.
Everything that exists vibrates. But not everything vibrates with the same frequency. Some frequencies are good for us, others bad. The vibration of plants is so good for us that it’s often used as a means of healing.
Since prehistoric times, plants have been used to cure people. But plants not only cure the body, they can cure the mind as well.
For example, plant scent has been used for centuries to cure mind and emotion. Ancient Greeks wore rose garlands as a remedy for headaches. And rosemary to strengthen memory.
In 1798, Dr. Benjamin Rush documented how working with plants helps improve the conditions of the mentally ill. He called it horticulture therapy. And today many hospitals and prisons have gardens for the purpose of recuperating what has been lost in terms of both physical and psychological health.
So, even if I sit on my terrace and apparently do nothing, I am practicing eco-therapy, biophilia, and eco-psychology!
No wonder my terrace makes me feel so good!
I’ve already written about our terrace HERE.
Volver on the terrace
Related books I hope to read soon: The Earth Has a Soul: C.G. Jung on Nature, Technology & Modern Life + Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature-Deficit Disorder + The Voice of the Earth: An Exploration of Ecopsychology + Nature and the Human Soul: Cultivating Wholeness and Community in a Fragmented World + Ecotherapy: Healing with Nature in Mind
Related links: Sheriff donates produce from jail farm + The Garden Project
My neighbors and I have a habit of giving our unconsumed food to one another when we leave. This year, when Rita left, she gave me onions and garlic and butter as well as her wine in a box. After we finished the wine, I decided to use the box for a purse.
First I papier-mached the inside with flyers from the grocery store then covered the outside with fused plastic bags. Some hand and machine stitching was needed for aesthetics and pragmatics. The handle is made from crocheted shopping bags.
The name of this purse is Del Cecco as some Del Cecco pasta packaging somehow creeped in. Thanks to my consumption of wine and pasta, I was able to make this purse!
Kalo Mina!
Our Parian stay has come to its yearly end. Balcony curtains, throws for the terrace sofas, hanging baskets have all been removed. Last minute repairs, plant pruning and superficial cleanup are almost done. Our summer home is heading towards hybernation.
Transitions are difficult for me. They make me feel like I’m in apnea and I hold by breath while living in between Here & There.
Spring 2014
Fall 2014
On my Wish List of “Things I Would Like to Learn” is, in the top 10, that of learning how to affront transitions with elegance and style and, above all, tranquility. Which means learning to be more flexible from within. And detached.
Will I ever learn?
The Narrative Within 