honey harvest

Many are or have recently finished harvesting their honey for the year. Who doesn't love honey? Or the magic and interconnectedness that bees readily display for us?  Bees and honey have a rich history in human myth, symbolizing the highest of virtues, the mystical and the divine, making this harvest time abuzz with naming inspiration.

If you haven't already seen this Kinfolk "Honey Harvest" video, or the documentary on Colony Collapse Disorder, Vanishing of the Bees, now is a great time of year to experience (or reexperience) them.  

Here is my list of bee and honey inspired names for those of you moved by the history, process or symbolism of one of nature's most symbiotic and rewarding relationships. 

Bee related:

Bee (and all the ways to get to her: Beatrix, Willabee, Phoebe, Elisabeth, Roberta, Tabitha, really any name with a B and E sound)

Buzz (so many great B names to get here: Barnaby, Bellamy, Balthazar)

Queenie (from Jaqueline maybe? I bet there are lots more names that could lead to Queenie, as well.)

Deborah

Delphi (the priestess at Delphi was often referred to as the "Delphic Bee")

Demeter ('queen bee' of the Milissae goddesses - latin word for 'bee')

Rhea (part of the Milissae goddesses - latin word for 'bee')

Cyble (part of the Milissae goddesses - latin word for 'bee')

Abelard ('Bee' or 'Abe') (meaning)

Ambrose (patron saint of beekeepers)

Beckett (beehive)

Beebe (bee keeper)

Honey related:

Honey (or names that yield the nickname, such as Heloise, Henriette, and Harriet)

Honeydew

Melisande

Melina

Jarah (boy) (meaning)

Madhu (Hindu "honey")

Hachi (Japanese "honey")

Miel (French "honey")

Harvest related:

Anonna

Demeter (she's also a goddess of the harvest)

Harvest

Flower related (some of you may know exactly what type of honey you have, but here are some of the most common sources of nectar for our winged friends):

Acacia

Aster

Bloom

Blossom

Blueberry

Clover

Dandelion

Lavender

Linden

Margosa (or Neem)

Meadowbloom

Nectar

Pine

Sage

Tupelo

Wildflower (I love this for a middle name)

Wild

What else am I missing?  I know some of you bee/harvest/moon/myth/sacred geometry loving readers have more insight!

images:  1. Sumarian cave painting  2. Egyptian painting via beelore.com    3.  sacred geometry and bees

bookmarkable roundup

It's been a while since I rounded up the bloggers I've featured through my Bookmarkable column at Design for Mankind into a name list.   Spanning a season's worth of posts, here are some interesting and infrequently-encountered names that follow alongside the blogs and work I've featured there (needless to say, I'm a huge fan of the blogs and work of those featured!):

Milena (image one)

Nina  (image two)

Alyce (image three)

Belinda (image four)

Signe

Yui

Ilsa

Youngna

Lola

Osma

Love seeing these all together in one list. Any favorites readers? 

Please remember these are the names of real people who  interact with us, so let's keep it positive - thank you!

images: one by Milena Silvano (from a Katelyn's A Dinner to Dye for), two courtesy Mondays Projects, three by Alyce of First Came Love, four by Belinda of Alchemy

sweet boy

I don't post about men, their work or their names as often as I focus on women, it's true. So here's one splendid male name on one beautiful new babe. Congratulations, Stephanie and family!

image: by and courtesy of Stephanie of Dores

Sally Rothchild

For my last post on our vacation in the Catskills, I'm turning to what I consider our official final experience of the trip. And man oh man, I couldn't have dreamed up a better ending. My mother used to collect pottery from each of her trips, and each time I visited home we'd go hunting for new pieces together (my favorite piece now was once her own favorite piece - one we found together when I convinced her to try thrifting). Though I was completely satisfied with our time in the Catskills, I was slightly lamenting having not found a pottery piece from this region of New York, so rich with artists.

Almost to Woodstock, on our way home, we drove by a sign reading "Pottery Studio" and yep, pulled over in two seconds flat. I thought it was a store/studio, but it turns out it was actually someone's home and studio. As I approached the door of the studio,  Sally Rothchild greeted me from the front door of her home (likely a bit startled).  I apologized and explained my mistake as I headed back to the car, but Sally invited me inside her Studio and then kindly welcomed me to photograph and write about it.

The kiln was full of her young student's work, she explained, like the cat toward the front of the photo (love).   Don't you just love it when a master of her craft shares her knowledge and inspiration (particularly with eager and open little ones)? And her studio was in an abnormal state, she said, as most of her stuff was off for a show.  But I found it beautiful and perfect - full of the process, work and love behind those stunning end results.

Sally, a mother of teenagers (with whom she regularly swaps music), has been a potter since she was a teenager, herself. She moved to the area from New York City, where she ran her business for years.

The pieces I bought from her are well used and loved, our favorite being the berry bowl, chipped from it's maker's testing and use.  She was a bit reluctant to sell it due it's "damage", but when I explained that the maker's marks would only add to it's charms, she was happy to pass it on to a new home. We've used it almost daily ever since. I continually find new and interesting dimensions to her pieces, like the way the color on the inside of a cup shines an iridescent purple in the light.  I imagine these little gifts will continue until each piece is as intimate as a twenty year old blanket, and even then new appreciations continue to arise, don't they?

Sally: a beautiful name. one of my favorites, actually. I've never met one I didn't instantly love.

Thank you, Sally Rothchild, for sharing your work and space with me, and for giving me the most perfect and meaningful ending to a such a memorable and special trip. Your grace and gentle manner continue to resonate with me each time I enjoy one of your works.

images: taken with my iPhone © Kristen Gregg

Buttercup

During our time in the Catskills we encountered several artists and business owners who merit a post. First up is Andes, NY restaurant, Buttercup. 

We spotted her from the road and pulled over immediately when I shouted,  "I want to eat there for my birthday!"  It just looks like a place you want to try, right?  I had no idea I was about to stumble upon one of the best dining experiences of my life when entering the newly opened restaurant, but that I did.  Roasted roma, heirloom, and fried green tomato salad; mexican corn chowder; pan roasted chicken with fennel; and kale salad with olives made for a creative yet simple, perfectly prepared, and awesomely delicious birthday lunch. 

The decor was perfect, and we got to watch it unfold a bit more when a local artist brought more of her cow paintings in as we enjoyed our dessert of local, blackberry ice cream. There were vintage toys lined up, as pretty as they were entertaining for the girls.  We chatted with the owners, who were incredibly gracious and interested in the full experience of their patrons, beyond simply serving them incredibly tasty food. 

 Stanley Fish of the New York Times stopped in for a meal, too, while we were there. There's probably nothing I could say about the place any better than he did here (including how it was named), so I'll just again say thank you to owners,Victoria Charkut and Peter Mullin, and chef, Chris McGee.  And readers, if you ever find yourselves in Andes, NY, I sure hope you have the good fortune to experience Buttercup (how about that name? perfect!)

images: taken with iPhone © Kristen Gregg

new york trip - part two

There are a million little details about what we did during our time in upstate New York: the river swimming, cooking and flower picking.  But they seem less relevant now than the lasting impact the time there had on my state of mind.   There were bold, vivid, healing dreams at night, which bled seamlessly into the hundred synchronicities of my days.    After being constantly surrounded by green life through floor to ceiling windows, I tripled the number of indoor plants in our home upon our return and am trying my hand at propagation.  I'm slower, more open, taking in much less but allowing it to affect me much more.  And the peace: I found there a continuing peace I've not known since the loss of my mother last year, and the time and space to give that loss the attention it needed (and will continue to need.)

I returned home with a long hanging haze lifted, with sharp eyes and a ready heart.  It hasn't been easy to look back on the last year with these sharpened eyes, but the introspection I've needed is finally able to be had, along with the courage and vulnerability for honest sharing.  I'm ready for the work ahead of me and to embrace the new woman who has emerged from loss.

only one name is on my mind as I write this post:

Phoenix 

 May you all find yours rising when you most need it! 

images: taken on iPhone (oops, forgot my camera!) © Kristen Gregg