Quiet tears of joy ran down my face this morning in happy little rivulets as I opened my email from Nazir Sabir. We all have been patiently waiting for this moment for months! Prayers were uttered frequently that it would at last be so: the nearly 100 scarves we all so lovingly knitted and crocheted last winter for The Scarf Initiative would arrive into the hands of the children of Askole village in the far northeast region of Pakistan, high, high, high in the mountains at the end of the Karakoram Highway, last stop before K2, second tallest mountain in the world! No small feat!! And, dearest readers, they have at last safely arrived! We did it!! Those tears flowed for a good half hour as I poured over the many photos sent to me. Below is the accompanying letter from Nazir Sabir, whose nephew made the treacherous drive from Skardu, where the scarves had been stored over winter, awaiting the time when the Karakoram Highway would no longer be closed first due to ice and snow and later because of dangerous mudslides. At last the risk was lessened sufficiently to make the trek! And so they did! Here is a photo of part of their trek, the river that runs along the Karakoram Highway.

Is it not precious to see the girls in the photo above, holding purple mittens (from Ross!) and the red scarves from Texas? Perhaps in these photos you will spot one you made. I do recognize a few! So exciting!

As earlier informed we are pleased to update you that scarves have been distributed among the children of Askole and Korfe villages. Please find enclosed herewith the photographs for your kind information as desired and I hope they serve the purpose. As you can see most of the “girls” still remain shy to camera despite all the tourism flowing in/out of Askole! But few cute girls were caught while receiving the scarves…

I was quite surprised, but delighted, to learn they had distributed part of the scarves to Askole, as expected, and part in Korfe village, which had, in fact, been my original intent and vision but that goal had not met with support through the venues I originally explored. Readers of Three Cups of Tea will recall that Korfe village was the village into which Greg Mortensen stumbled where his life was saved by the villagers, and where he later returned to build the first of many schools for girls in Pakistan.

Opening my U-Haul box in Korfe village!

I wrote back to Nazir Sabir to clarify which photos had been taken in Askole, which in Korfe. Here’s what he said:

Dear Kathryn Hall,
Thanks for your kind acknowledgement. It is indeed very touching that you are moved with the photographs and surely your readers, too. The school with blue doors is in Askole and the other one is Korfe. You have rightly said the older man is a teacher and other notables of the village were present during the distribution as such an occasion is unusual and turned out quite an event as you can see from the pictures. We would be most pleased to view the link once up and read the comments of your readers. We really appreciate your kind words and it is a privilege for us to be a part of this noble task. We wish you the best in your endeavors.
Thanks and best regards,
Nazir Sabir

The boys in Korfe with their village teacher

If you look very carefully there are two girls toward the back on the right. These girls are part of the other half of the group, the female half. I find it fascinating. Here are more of the girls and women. They all seem very interested, and perhaps a bit in awe.

From this angle you can see the men and boys to the left (and the skylight on left that we saw in previous photo), right? I’m not sure if we are in a classroom or some kind of community room, but clearly they have been asked to gather together for the special delivery of the scarves.

Now, I’m going to shift back to Askole village and you will notice a slight energy change. It is very charming, as Nazir Sabir has said, that the girls are very shy. Notice the one with a scarf covering her head above. (I know exactly who made that navy scarf–a loving woman from India who contributed many scarves to this project!) OK, I will share with you many more.

Ready for distribution
These ten men were very organized and dedicated to the distribution of the scarves, bless their hearts. I love the colors we sent juxtaposed to everything else in the environment!

Girls lined up to receive their scarves!

That is a purple scarf with a pair of purple mittens on top. Did you make that scarf??

Julie’s scarf arrives!

I’m pretty darn sure that scarf was crocheted by my cousin Julie in Ohio! Oh, how fun to see!

I know for a fact that striped scarf came from Utah. Do you recognize one of yours?

A happy grateful woman receives her new scarf. So endearing. And that man has his hand on a scarf that I know came from North Carolina. I’m sure. Can you let yourself imagine the miracle of what we have all accomplished? In the midst of one of the most troubled spots on the planet Earth, dear darling beloved readers, we have made a way for goodness. And it was received and blessed by the very goodhearted Nazir Sabir whose family and associates made our dream a reality in spite of the treachery involved. And make no mistake about that. Even in the best of times, well, not something you would jump at traversing most likely.

I do want to say that I am happy to report however, that Nazir Sabir has assured me that the brave adventurous mountaineer community continues to sign up for treks in Pakistan. They are an amazing lot, and Nazir Sabir, head of the Alpine Club of Pakistan is at the forefront. I feel such a connection with Pakistan that if I were a very young woman I’d be on my way sometime in my life. Those mountains are one of Earth’s sacred holy treasures.

Now, this photo was among those sent. I’m going to say it’s Askole village, as I have seen photos of Askole in the past.

If you want the full effect, Google Earth Askole. Julie and I did that last winter. Oh, my! You will see what it is we have done combining all of our love and creativity–and the monies you all sent for Federal Express charges and the duty charges levied by the Pakistani government. Oh, yes, dears. And we did it.

Here is the last photo I’m sharing with you, of the girls hiding their (delighted) faces as they sit among each other sharing their new treasure. Be very proud of yourselves. We have planted love on the other side of the Earth in a troubled spot. My very deepest thanks to each of you who helped make this happen. There are so many of you and I will hold you each in my heart forever.

Little girls in Askole village with their new warm scarves

Love and many heartfelt hugs and blessings,
Kathryn xoxoox
June 15th–I have received the following email from Mariassunta, the Italian doctor who runs the small Askole Medical Clinic. She is only there during the warmer months. An Askole man and his wife run the clinic throughout the year. I had been in touch with Mariassunta periodically throughout this journey. Here is what she tells me.

Dear Kathryn,

I am happy for your success. When the people distribute the scarves I was at Askole. They are really beautiful and made with very nice colurs [sic] and the girls showing me them were very happy. This year the lady that was with me at Askole made the girls learn to knit and hopefully they will begin soon to make pulls and scarves by themselves.

My best greetings and thanks for this gift to the girls of those remote villages.
Mariassunta

Posted on June 13th, 2009 by Kathryn
Filed under: The Scarf Initiative | 50 Comments »

“No wonder honey itself was thought miraculous, because each honey bee is a gram of utter miracle.” –E. Readicker-Henderson

I was so thrilled to hear Timber Press was coming out with a book entitled A Short History of the Honey Bee. Sign me up! Longtime readers will know I adore honey bees, and early in the history of this blog I wrote a testy and passionate post about some current beekeeping practices and the overall well being of bees everywhere. So I was anxious to delve more deeply into a subject about which I care deeply. Lucky me. Lucky us. This book by the poetic E. Readick-Henderson and the talented photographer Ilona far exceeded my wildest expectations. I am, in short, in love with this book!

First, I must ask you, dear Readers, if you love the honey bee. Do you? In your heart of hearts? Or do you harbor some unreasonable fear from childhood not yet reframed? Here she is. (Yes, she.) Please note her little pollen pouch. So cute.

Women everywhere will relate to her. She is born, and sets to work. After three weeks in the hive conducting a very specific set of chores, she is launched into gathering, gathering, gathering. And after only a week to three weeks of this intense activity, her wings and body are so damaged from the wear and tear she simply dies of exhaustion, alone, selflessly not wanting to leave her sister bees to have to rid the hive of her spent body. Seriously. Does compassion ring in your soul?

Bee Facts

*There are an estimated 16,000 to 20,000 species of bees on planet Earth and only around seven of them make honey.

*Bees emerged over 100 million years ago, after dinosaurs and before humans, sychronistically when flowers showed up. Hmmm….

*The first bees were solitary animals. About 80 million years ago some of them began to band together.

*The first honey bees came to America in the early 17th century, when someone managed to get a hive to survive crossing the pond.

*The average honey bee flies up to sixty miles a day and will ultimately contribute one-twelfth of a teaspoon to the hive. (Gasp!)

Readers, I implore you. Buy this book. Then buy it for others. And teach your children every word. Every one. It would not be too dramatic to say that our very lives could depend on our understanding the honey bee, her role in assuring our food supply (I’m not talking about honey), and it would be one of the worst things we have ever done as human beings not to save her (and, OK, the drones). If I could I would write a huge long post trying to convey everything I learned in A Short History of the Honey Bee. Obviously it would be redundant and impossible. Just avail yourselves, please.

Here are some of the endearing images I encountered and will now cherish forever.

I am certain this is a really nice beekeeper as I spoke with the lovely photographer, Ilona, and she assured me the beekeepers they met in writing this book were conscientious and kind. As with so many trends in our gardener lives these days, we are truly returning and reclaiming our agricultural roots, growing and buying locally. So, too, must we consciously and lovingly begin to keep bees. Yes, you. If you are able, please explore. The author E. Readick-Henderson was lucky enough to have a father who one day brought home a hive and his son’s life was changed forever. Just as we are learning to create small vegetable gardens that make the excuse for pesticides moot, as we are able to fairly easily do our own pest control (by hand!), this return to simplicity, to small batches of everything, will ensure the return to the quality of lives we gave up when Industry came stomping through our fields and lives. The bee was no exception and quietly, these tiny generous, magnificent creatures are threatened to become extinct so busy have we been treating them like a commodity. They are one of the many gifts from the Universe (fill in your own word) and the old peoples of this Earth used to know that. Bees were regarded as sacred. Honey was immeasurably treasured. Where did we go so wrong? Love the bees. Love the bees. Love the bees.

Here’s an eye opener. Bees are wild, right? (Did you forget?) Here’s what they do if left to their own devices to build their own accomodations.

Why don’t we know this? Why were we not taught this in schools?

And here is one of the first structures ever built for bees to entice them to live nearer to us, thus alleviating the need to “line” (track) their hives, or stumble unwittingly upon them in forests. Messy.

It’s called a skep. Some “undeveloped” (ha ha ha) countries still make them. Why am I guessing the bees are doing better in more rudimentary environs than in ours? The skep only lasts one season, btw. I want to make one!

Here is a wonderful photo from the book of a swarm! Have you ever seen one? I have not, and I want to learn more about them, as due to mass media hysteria (think Killer Bees) swarms are now highly misunderstood and often badly handled (as in killed). I know. This is a sad post. But I must let you know as so many of you are in a position to do something. You of all people, dear ones.

How beautiful is this search for a new home? Very.

A word about honey best comes from the mouth of E. Readicker-Henderson.

…honey is memory, the landscape’s own memory, as measured as a tree ring, as detailed as the pinfeathers of a just-fledged bird…Once you begin noticing these different tastes, colors, scents, and textures of honey, the landscape becomes more and more alive, personalized in a way previously inaccessible, like a whispered secret.

Oh, yes, dear readers. You will learn about the honey bee from a poet and an artist. What better way?

I leave you with this image of a beekeeper lovingly tending his hives, preparing them for winter. As you contemplate this lovely image, I am asking you to pray from the bottom of your hearts for all honey bees everywhere, to educate yourselves and to play some small or large part in their well being. Thank you.

Love and sweetest blessings,
Kathryn xoxo

Footnote: One of my readers read this post and sent me an article from Martha Stewart Living published last year. I was alerted to something that heretofore I had not realized: that because of the decline in beekeepers generally the (artificial) workload has been placed upon existing bees. This entails artificially rousing them from their dormancy period in order to ship them to (yet another) location to work a particular industry (almonds, etc.). Once finished they are shipped to yet another location for the next crop. Is it any wonder they have no resistance to disease? This practice is inhumane and needs to be banned. Anyone with me?

Posted on May 31st, 2009 by Kathryn
Filed under: Book Notes | 32 Comments »