.grit.

As the snow falls here (and falls and falls and falls) I am tucked safely up in my gable room with a cozy candle to keep me company and a pile of embroidery floss on the table in front of me. Through the window I can tangibly see the snow accumulating on the roof of our neighbor's house. What was once a slate-colored asphalt roof is now fuzzy with snow and crisscrossed with squirrel tracks.

Luckily, I beat this snowstorm home from work - last week I sat in traffic for over an hour just trying to get home. Phew, I've been busy this weekend and I wonder if all of this creative energy isn't a result of my mind attempting to distance myself from the nasty conditions outside. My garden has been in my thoughts and it sprung onto paper yesterday afternoon as I was doodling a few pictures.

I've always been interested in the goings on under the soil. We always see the beautiful flowers above the earth, but it's what's beneath it that sustains all of that color and brilliance. The soil can be dark and wet and yucky, but it is also filled with rich nutrients, crawling insects and woven through with roots of all types. There are many riches buried beneath the plants in my garden.

Stitching the soil has been my favorite part of this project. I went and bought an assortment of embroidery floss. Matte, silk, variegated, metallic - I'm excited to work them all in.

If you can see the dirt in your neck of the woods, trust me - you're lucky!