Thursday 14 May 2015

Silkworms in the House for almost 20 Years

I moved in to this small mountain village over twenty years ago. There was unused dusty silk farming equipment in the rafters of this old house. I had no idea what the stuff was used for.

Actually I had no idea really what I was doing moving into an (then decrepit) old farmhouse in a place I knew no one and barley spoke the language. It seemed like an fun thing to do. The place was beautiful and the energy was good. If I had known how life was going to unfold would I have moved in here?

Twenty one springs later. I know every corner of the mountain and know the nuances of the changing seasons. I rescued a frog being eaten by a snake this afternoon. Gave the snake a little boot and the frog popped out of it's mouth and jumped in the pond and swam across....free. The snake slithered away and will probably have another frog for dinner. I just got in the bath and looked at the iris next to the pond and smiled.


Time flies.  There is barely enough mulberry right now as the eggs hatched a few weeks early and I'm up early to pick the freshest of the freshest in the silver morning light.

I found these old slides and scanned them onto my iPhoto. Trip down silkworm memory lane.








Now this is an old picture....the kitchen three incarnations ago. Two Scandinavian girls came to see how silk was reeled. I was surprised that anyone was actually interested in the whole thing. 

19 comments:

  1. Beautiful bath Bryan. We don't have silkworms in Scandinavia, of course it is interesting. For a textile nutcase anyway.

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    1. I am taking a few baths a day..some in the middle of the night I love it so much! But I hear they have mulberry now growing in Sweden???

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    2. Yes they do!!! A very skinny legged one, not too sure if he is a good draft. You are welcome to come and check him out. Midnight baths in the sea.

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  2. Wow! These photos are amazing and really help to show the scoop of the process you were engaged in then. Thank you for sharing.

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    1. What was I thinking? Those tens of thousands of cocoons needed reeling after the thousand some odd kilograms of mulberry they ate...and what about al that silkworm s****? I am happy with a few thousand at a time now. Thanks for those cool bags Ted. I will take one shopping today in Tokyo.

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  3. Replies
    1. More nostalgic than interesting these past few years.

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  4. How las has changed for you and not changed at the same time.. These memories will sustain you for many years and what better way to have them than sitting in the bath looking at the mountain. What joy!

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    1. The bath and the fond memories are making me complacent... Things need some shaking up!

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  5. so i once had a barnful of sheep and other critters...all that fleece...it's so easy for it all to get out of hand and when it's just you and an occasional interested friend, well...

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    1. It gets out of hand....it gets out of hand...it got out of hand......but thank god life gets out of hand.

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  6. oh, all those little mouths to feed! Then the reeling, dyeing and weaving, I'm surprised you have time for the bath although it looks wonderful.

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  7. Always time for that bath. The wild boars are snorting at night just outside the window....a strange luxury.

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  8. beautiful tub.
    i really like the worm cages. they are so conductive to making up silk stories!

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  9. C'est moi! And the moustache! Oh my. 20 years. You've made it such a wonderful place. I wanna see that bath. Greetings!

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  10. Hanna! I was wondering if yoiu would recognize us 20 years ago!
    B

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  11. Of course I do! But it's just 15 years. Oh how I wish it was closer to come visit again. The kids are longing to travel to Japan again too.

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  12. Thanks for the glimpse into life as it was then. I just can't imagine all those silk worms at once!
    Yes, that bath is wonderful - I'm tempted to build one here [maybe less stained glass ;)]
    Hope our frog is still safe and sound - any babies?

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