October Tree Lore and Tree Signs

There are so many ways we connect with trees. 

Touch Wood Ring of Walnut and Curly Maple ~ both October Woods ~ bordered by Blackwood 

You likely have a favourite kind of tree, or a particular tree that you really love. It might be a tree planted by a Great Aunt or your Granddad on a property that's still in the family, or a gnarly old tree in a park where you played as a kid. Maybe it's a majestic Cedar on a hillside in some exotic corner of the world? 

We two-leggeds have always had strong ties to trees. 
Native Americans speak of trees as 'The Standing People' or 'The Standing Ones'.

On the 7km road into our place; 'The Twin Souls' who have grown wrapped in each others embrace

Trees of every description have carved themselves into our mythologies in an enduring way. Lots of the couples we work with choose a particular wood mindful of its mythic or spiritual properties. Our Qualities of Wood page has been widely used as a reference over the years. It is one of the most visited pages on our website. 

Clients will often ask about trees that have some personal connection to their beloved. They may want to know which trees are native to a particular country, or what tree is connected with their birth month. Some are looking for a wood that has a particular attribute like 'new beginnings' (that would be Birch) or one that promotes good health (the Ash tree).

From the Druidry website, here are four trees that are connected to the month of October.  They call them 'Tree Signs'.

Hazel (Mar 22-31 / Sep 24-Oct 3) - Tree of originality, intellect, and adaptation.

Someone with this tree sign firmly believes in individual growth, knowledge, and permeation. They strive to develop their own sense of style and wit, making them solid pioneers in their field.

Hazel Wood Ring ~ Touch Wood Rings

• Rowan (Apr 1-10 / Oct 4-13) - Tree of ambition, honesty, and communication.

When given this tree sign, one always believes in being true of character and opinion. They never sacrifice their integrity for hidden motives and always obtain goals by way of pure ingenuity.  Rowan is also known as Mountain Ash.

Rowan Wood Rings with center inlays of rainbow moonstone bordered by African Blackwood ~ Touch Wood Rings

• Maple (Apr 11-20 / Oct 14-23) - Tree of personality, energy, and imagination.
A tree sign such as this one beholds sheer charisma to go further than most, especially when such journeys encompass creative thought. They never cease to amaze and go beyond. They never stop.

Birds Eye Maple (Sugar Maple) ~ Touch Wood Rings

• Walnut (Apr 21-30 / Oct 24-Nov 2) - Tree of fortune, vigor, and determination.

Someone with this tree sign is destined for success and ultimate riches, whether they are in the form of material or supernatural. Their energy is based upon their will and their will is done.

Heritage Black Walnut with Juniper Heartwood inlays ~ Touch Wood Rings

If you want to infuse your ring with more meaning and and little Druid magick ...you'll find in-depth information on tree lore at BARDWOOD.  Alferian is my 'go-to' guy for all things Druid plus, he's just a helluva nice guy.  When I was researching material for our 'Meanings of Wood' page in 2003, it was Alferian I leaned on; he was generous and kind and graciously answered all my email inquires. His website is beautifully crafted, well organized and a pleasure to visit. 

No matter what tree speaks to you ~ David will be happy to incorporate it into your custom made Touch Wood Ring. You are welcome to send us a special piece of wood you have, and we have a storeroom full of branch wood, reclaimed and recycled wood that you are welcome to use as well.  

As Alferian kindly notes on his website; "The touch of wood on the hand conveys the power of that tree to the wearer."  

Happy October!

Danny and Melissa's Mexican Wedding Celebration

Danny is originally from Australia.  He met Melissa who is from Manitoba and he's been in Canada off and on for about 6 years.  Melissa and Danny married in July and will be settling on the west coast of Canada.  Danny and I began our conversations in the spring. He settled on woods that were symbolic of both their homes as Melissa pointed out. :)  Australian Blackwood with two offset inlays of Canadian Maple.

Earlier this month Melissa and Danny wrote and shared some beautiful pics with us of their celebration.  "Everything went really well with the wedding and the ring was a big hit! Everyone was pretty amazed by it so again thank you to both yourself and David for all the effort you have put in. It was a very small but very special wedding for us. (Danny's) family traveled all the way from Australia to Canada then to Mexico to be with us on our special day. Again just wanted to say a big thank you for your contribution to our wedding day! "

It was a great pleasure working with Danny and Melissa.  David and I wish you both tremendous happiness in the days and years ahead.  And welcome to Canada Danny. We're so glad you and Melissa chose Canada's beautiful west coast as your home. 

Their lovely wedding photos are by Viktor of Adventure Photos at Iberostar Paraiso Lindo, Riviera Maya, Mexico.

Summer winds down on the meadow.

These are busy and beautiful days ~ I'm still behind with my emails but working hard to catch up with folks while David builds rings for our oh so awesome touch wood friends!

We are in the midst of haying our fields and the rain hasn't let up since it was cut. That's not the greatest situation but it happens. Hoping for some warm dry days to get that job finished up.

When we first moved here, we supplied hay to our neighbour for his small herd of cows. He lived fifteen miles to the north east and was a fountain of local knowledge having lived here all his life. He cut our twenty five acres of hay with his workhorses and a ground driven mower. It was an amazing experience to take part in the daily harnessing and care of the team and get to understand some of what goes into their training. We took lots of pictures and videos of something we won't ever see done again.

With the highly efficient haying machines our neighbouring ranchers use these days; the meadow is cut in one day, raked in one day and baled in one day making the whole process five or six days counting some drying time and moving the huge bales to the feed area. That's if the rain doesn't slow it all down.

The method has changed but the result is the same ... the meadow hay will be fed to brood cows' that will grow new calves over the winter to be born in the spring... the hay from this meadow has been used for this purpose since at least 1890, so we are just the latest participants...

Here are a few pics from around the homestead on these late August days.

  

And some of the commissioned rings David made this summer :) 

Jack's Hawaiian Koa Wood Ring with Maple interior

Greyed Maple with Magnolia interior for Alex

Ally and Gordon's Choke Cherry, Madrone, and Burr Oak rings

Kenneth's Black Walnut wood ring with a featured knot and Cherry interior liner

Ian's Black Walnut, Willow with a center inlay of Amethyst mixed with Kara's stone

Laurent's Hawaiian Koa, Walnut, Birds eye Maple and a braided inlay of Yucca

Mary and Kevin's designs incorporate Juniper Heartwood, Walnut and Bamboo

We've also been building a stone circle. Taking a hour some evenings just before or after dinner to move the next boulder down to the clearing we choose for stones.  It's something I've always wanted to do and we have the property and the big stones so it was just a matter of choosing the spot and making the time.  Well, and enlisting my honey's help with his trusty skid steer and his smarts. It's coming along.  Going to be beautiful!!  A sacred space built with stone that should outlast us by many hundreds of years.

Talk to you again soon and thanks, as always for dropping by.  If you haven't already, please visit our Facebook page and follow along.  My updates there are much more frequent :) 

A Welsh Love Spoon and their wooden rings

We first connected with Eric and Sarah back in November of 2015 and decided that February would be the perfect time for David to make their rings. 

They chose walnut as their primary wood (more on that in a moment) with inlays of dark figured Bethlehem Olive wood and a full moon inlay of Aspen for Sarah`s ring. 

Eric and Sarah were engaged in Cornwall in the traditional Welsh fashion, where a carved wooden spoon is presented rather than a ring. Their spoon was made of walnut, which is why they wanted walnut rings. They shared a picture of their spoon and were hoping the rings might be somewhat similar in terms of color and grain.

For the uninitiated; the custom of giving a Love Spoon is unique to Wales and originated in the 15th Century, when lovers would offer intricately carved spoons, bearing symbols of their feelings and hopes, to their partners. Love Spoons today are given as gestures of friendship, engagement, wedding and anniversary gifts.

David used our Heritage Black Walnut to mirror the figure in their beautiful spoon.  

They were kind enough to let us share a few pictures from their wedding, and they wrote:

We had our shindig in the Catskills and took some time out while we were still in the mountains to do a little photo shoot.  The rings are on the chicken foot ring holder that I made for them -- don't worry, just a plaster cast, not a real foot :)  

We fashioned the broom out of an aspen walking stick that Eric had made when we lived in Colorado... partly why I wanted aspen wood in my ring :)  Thank you both again, we love the rings and have received so many compliments on how lovely they are. We'll cherish them forever!  Best wishes,  Sarah and Eric.

Now happily married, Sarah and Eric are moving back to Colorado and excited about the next chapter in their lives.  

It has been wonderful to meet you both (hopefully we`ll meet in person one day too) and we had so much fun working with you on your rings. Thanks so much Eric and Sarah!

We`ll sign off with this old Welsh Blessing. 
Wishing you a house full of sunshine, hearts full of cheer, love that grows deeper each day of the year.

Married under a Full Moon

Lindsey and I began our conversations back in October of 2015.  Right from her first email I felt a kinship with Lindsey ~ she's a massage therapist, and her beloved; Jeff is a Chef and a guitar player. As Lindsey explained; their hands are their tools. They are both genuine, warm and positive people. And they have a truck load of beautiful dogs!! :)

In March of this year, David created the rings they designed: Hawaiian Koa Wood, Greyed Maple and Lindsey's ring has an inlay of some of her own special raw opal. Opal being her birthstone.

They were married at Point Reyes, California, surrounded by friends and family ~ and with David and I attending if only in spirit.  :)  We got this lovely email from Lindsey and Jeff just a few weeks after their wedding.

"Our wedding was the most beautiful and memorable event of our lives. Everything was perfect beyond our wildest dreams! All of our friends and family were gathered and beautiful Point Reyes, California for a wonderful weekend. The weather had been threatening all week. Right up until right before the ceremony the clouds were thick. As the bridal procession began, the clouds parted and the sun came shining through. It remained beautiful all day and into the night, so that the full moon shone brightly over us. The ceremony began at 4 pm and the festivities continued until 2 am. The food was amazing and nearly 20 musicians (mostly friends) performed throughout the day and night.

The ceremony was really very beautiful and moving. A lot of laughter, a lot of tears, and mostly a lot of joy. During the ring ceremony our officiant spoke specifically about the rings and about their meaning. Everyone loves them, especially us.

Thank you for your support, kind words, and extraordinary artistry. The rings are perfect for us! We will continue to follow you and your work through Facebook and wish you both the very best!"

Thanks so much Jeff and Lindsey. David and I wish you both tremendous happiness in the days and years to come and we will give the last pic to your pups who will be delighted to have you home again after your much anticipated honeymoon to Cuba!!  :)   

Love is in the air - and at their feet too.

Back in March, I posted a photograph on our Facebook page of Eva and Randal's Mesquite, Oak and Coffee Wood rings.

I just love the rings they designed, was so pleased David undertook their commission for braided hemp inlays ~  and Randal and Eva were an absolute joy to work with.

Well, they are 'Mr and Mrs' now and we are so happy for them. They sent us an email the other day and some sweet photographs of their warm and loving backyard ceremony ~ with just closest family members attending.  Their awesome pup Leroy featured nicely in the photos ~ though they told us they barely noticed him there during the ceremony.  :) Those of us who have exchanged marriage vows know just what that's like.  We only have eyes for our beloved during those intense and beautiful moments of committing to love and cherish each other!  Still, there was Leroy ~ very much a part of them and feeling the love.

  

  

Here's an excerpt from Eva and Randal`s recent email.

"We absolutely love our Touch Wood Rings and are learning how to take good care of them so they can last a lifetime. My heart swells every time I look down at my left hand, the rings are not only beautiful but invoke feelings of happiness, warmth, and excitement for the future. We are so pleased to have gone through such a unique and personal experience that resulted in something so special and one-of-a-kind. Thank you both again for everything you do and we wish you nothing but happiness! 

When I asked if we might share their email and a few of their pics, they wrote back, "We are so pleased and proud of our rings and truly enjoyed the overall journey that we would love to share it with anyone who is interested in the amazing work you two do. 

We will absolutely stay in touch and also hope to maybe meet in person one day - we might have to take a trip up to the beautiful Canadian wilderness ;-) All the photos you share are stunning! Thanks again! Much love "

David and I send our dearest love and our very best wishes for your happiness!!  Big hugs and love to all three of you!  XXX  Thanks again Randal and Eva!