Blog Archives

Legos and a Labyrinth

6/27/2021

Heritage Museums and Gardens

Our next stop was the Heritage museums and gardens with over 100 acres of gardens and nature trails! The antique auto display, From Carriage to Classic: How Automobiles Transformed America, featured 26 cars from the late 1800s to the 1960s. An 1899 Winton Motor Carriage, 1910 Sears Model P Surrey, and a 1915 Ford Model T Roadster Pickup Truck were a few of the vehicles on display.

Labyrinth

Lego Insects

Chasing a Windmill

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The Sandwich Glass Museum

6/27/2021

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The first stop was on our trip was Sandwich, the oldest town in Cape Cod, founded in 1637. We toured the Sandwich Glass Museum, founded on July 4, 1825. Deming Jarves, a merchant from Boson, opened his factory, originally featuring blown glass, and shortly followed, in 1827, to include pressed glass.

Antique hand blown glass decanter

Antique lacy pressed glass

Lacy glass, featuring intricate dots, hearts, garlands of foliage, etc., was developed to hide defects caused by early pressing.

In the 1840s to 1850s, technology improved and the lacy patterns were no longer needed,

The Sandwich Glass Museum has an extensive collection of glass, including blown and pressed pieces, both plain and decorated, created over 62 years. The factory closed on January 1, 1888, due to financial difficulties from completion from other factories and a worker’s strike. The factory buildings were torn down in the 1920s and 1940s. A bronze tablet marks the location.

Viewing the glass, and the information on the text through out the museum, gives a fascinating view of the part glass played in our history. Featured pieces range from practical every day wear to elegant, extravagant creations.

In addition to the displays, every hour on the hour, there are demonstrations of different glass blowing techniques. The gift shop features contemporary glass for sale with a wide range of variety and prices!

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Magnolia Collage

6/25/2021

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Preparing Sage Bundles

6/4/2021

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Salvia officinalis

Gender: Masculine
Element: Air
Planet: Jupiter

The sage is ready to harvest so I've been making Sage Bundles. Sage and other herbs, such as red cedar, have been burned by cultures and tribes through out the world for thousands of years. Sage is most often associated with Native American Indians, yet not all tribes participate and the uses may vary, or even be taboo, depending on the time of the year and the tribe's beliefs.
Burning sage, or smudging, is purifying, cleanses the air of bacteria and repels insects, can improve your mood, the quality of your sleep, and more. I'll go into more detail about the numerous benefits and how to use them when the sage bundles have dried. This post gives directions for creating them with the sage in your garden or purchased. I like to make my own so I'm sure of the quality of ingredients.

The first step is growing the sage. It is best gathered in the early morning after any dew evaporates. Trim into 5 or 6 inch lengths, being sure to leave half of the plant so it will remain healthy. Remove any discolored or wilted leaves,

Once the herbs are harvested, spread them out on cloth or paper to dry for 24 hours to begin the drying process. I use burlap but newspaper, brown paper or muslin will work. Turn them over several times to begin the drying process

Divide herbs into bundles. Measure pieces of natural colored twine or string 5 or 6 times the length of your bundles. Place the stem end of the sage over the center of the twine and tie a knot, wrapping several times. Cross the string in x patterns as you work up the bundle toward the top of the leaves. Tie securely. Trim the stem ends. Hang the bundles in a dark, dry area and allow to dry thoroughly, about 4 to 6 weeks. When mine are dry, I'll post on additional benefits and how to use them.

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