Earth

 My current read:

While in Peru on the Amazon a few years ago, I soaked a white shirt in the muddy waters and purposely stained it to a lovely mud color. I let it dry, then once home I simmered it for a few hours to set the mud. The color is very light, but it reminds me of a place and a time in my history.

No swimming in the Amazon for me!

Early in childhood, we lived in Amarillo Texas for a few years. The beautiful red clay stained my panties when my bother and I swam and played in a creek that ran thru a canyon near our home. I remember my mother being a little upset, but it was my first dye experiment! No pictures, just a memory from 55 years ago. 

Now, I want to play with dirt. The soil near me is dark rich soil, but I am now on the lookout for iron rich shades of red. They have to be here, somewhere! When I leave for New Zealand in the late fall, once again I will take a while shirt or fabric to hopefully find a place to stain and bring home a new treasure.