Unbound Confine

Happy Friday

2012-01-27T15:56:00.003-05:00

Peace.

Yoga Love

2012-01-23T12:32:00.003-05:00

Danielle Levitt for The New York Times

Aduba: You know when people jump up into those crazy positions, like they stand on their eyeballs or something, while you’re sitting there just trying to figure out which side of the mat you used the last time? I envy them.

This made me laugh this morning as I was reading this article and thinking about how even just starting with some simple breathing exercises this year I feel better.

[h/t to Tlazolteotl for the article.]

Peace.

Happy Friday

2012-01-06T21:08:00.004-05:00

This picture is from 12 January 2011.

What a difference a year makes. No snow here yet. We're still hoping!

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-12-30T11:17:00.004-05:00

This winter vacation has been one long slumber party for me and the girls. Luckily for us, my amazing mom made all of these pajamas for the girls' dolls for christmas so they could join in the fun!

I'm trying to talk the girls into going out to our town's First Night celebration tomorrow. The 11yo's chorus teacher is in one of bands playing, and I thought that would be fun for her to see. So far they are not showing much enthusiasm for going out. They'd rather stay in, in our pajamas, and bake cookies, light candles, and try to stay awake until midnight.

Do you have any festive plans or new year traditions?

Happy New Year.

Peace.

Spiral Peep

2011-12-29T12:29:00.002-05:00

Lots of thoughts, as one year ends and a new one begins.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-12-23T17:15:00.004-05:00

Bring on the wise men. We need 'em.

Happy Return of the Light
To you and yours.
However you celebrate it,
Enjoy.

Peace.

On.

Earth.

Happy Friday

2011-12-16T11:37:00.002-05:00

Peace.

The Parlor

2011-12-05T12:53:00.004-05:00

We have a small house.

It seems I am constantly moving furniture from room to room to make it fit our house and our lives. Along with changing each room's purpose, I change its name.

Until recently, this front room has been my art studio, which really means it has been a nearly-impenetrable mess of all my art and teaching supplies.

As our family is leaving our life of hermitage to attempt to be more social, I realize I need this biggest room in the house for hosting gatherings. Its transformation is now almost complete. I hope to begin hosting weekly music parties in the new year, so I needed a room where more than three people can sit comfortably.

Welcome to the parlor.

P.S. This is my 500th post. Cheers!

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-12-02T18:05:00.002-05:00

Tell me a story.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-11-25T21:41:00.004-05:00

The aftermath.

Guess which plate was the grown-up's.

This year, like last year, I wonder why I do all the work for this modest feast when the girls only eat a couple bites. Next year I may have to come out from under the tyranny of the turkey!

I hope everyone enjoyed a pleasant repast yesterday and escaped the blackness today.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-11-18T18:03:00.001-05:00

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-11-11T17:18:00.002-05:00

I was lucky enough to get to see Steve Westfield and the Slow Band last night. A ten-piece band that hadn't played out in eight years, they had one practice before the gig then just jumped in together. They lifted my feet off the floor and lifted my spirit, too.

What music will you enjoy this weekend?

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-11-04T17:33:00.003-04:00

Lots of candles this past week, after the blizzard that knocked out our power from Saturday 'til Tuesday.

Lots of music was made, too.

Now, the snow has mostly melted.

The girls get a chance to trick-or-treat tomorrow, 'cause the town postponed it Monday.

Gonna try to keep that music and family time going, even with electricity.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-10-28T18:16:00.002-04:00

A tiny taste of snow last night.

A winter storm warning in effect for tomorrow night.

This has definitely been the weirdest fall, weather-wise, in my memory.

Peace.

Happy Birthday to Me

2011-10-25T19:33:00.007-04:00

It's a big one this year.

Thank you to Lunaea Weatherstone for her amazing online tarot.

This is what I got for this year...

Hope
Guardian of Fire
There is a universal fire that burns in everything,

in the hearts of all beings, made of starfire itself.

To guard that lifeforce within you is a sacred task.

To cherish its flame is to tend the inner temple fire.

One word for this fire is hope.

You may have been faced with challenges lately that threaten this fire,

or perhaps those near you are feeling their own hope wavering.

Hold your hands over your heart, and feel the glow...

then radiate it outward to those in need.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-10-21T19:44:00.003-04:00

Spirits

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-10-14T12:45:00.003-04:00

It has been a heck of a week.
Here's to the weekend.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-10-07T10:50:00.003-04:00

A beautiful bowl made by my sister

and

Goofy squash from my garden

Peace.

On Autumn Mornings, Too

2011-10-05T12:14:00.006-04:00

I don't know if it's true, but it feels like this was the rainiest September ever. I was so happy to see sunlight this morning when I walked into the kitchen.

Autumn is just beginning here, but even still, the light is changing.

With that certain slant of light, as Autumn begins, the sun makes its way through the kitchen window and casts magical shadows along its path. This morning, I had to stop, before frying up eggs for the 11yo's breakfast, to take some photographs of how the sun was dancing with my kitchen still life of gold frame and dried coriander.

There's a certain Slant of light,
Winter Afternoons –
That oppresses, like the Heft
Of Cathedral Tunes –

Heavenly Hurt, it gives us –
We can find no scar,
But internal difference,
Where the Meanings, are –

None may teach it – Any –
'Tis the Seal Despair –
An imperial affliction
Sent us of the air –

When it comes, the Landscape listens –
Shadows – hold their breath –
When it goes, 'tis like the Distance
On the look of Death –

I had a long and heated argument with an English professor at college about this Emily Dickinson poem. I insisted that he was incorrectly, or at least unnecessarily, interpreting its message as negative. I argued that the awe we feel in nature, while humbling, reaffirms our sense of belonging, of being alive. I was so passionate that he not only gave me an A in the class, he begged me to switch my major to English. It wasn't my poetry expertise talking, though. I just know that feeling when you're in the woods on an autumn or winter afternoon as it's starting to get dark and streams of sunlight make their way through the trees and find you.

May the sunlight find you today.

Peace.

Thinking of Hearts

2011-10-04T12:11:00.006-04:00

My friend, Umā, was heading to New Mexico on a big adventure.

I met her on the internet a few years ago only to discover she lives near me (we haven't met in real life yet). As I followed along on her blog as she prepared for her trip, I was kind of jealous. Lucky enough myself to have had a wonderful cross country journey this past summer with my two daughters, I still wanted more.

Facing mornings here with struggles to get sleepy girls to school, and afternoon games of the fox, the chicken, and the grain figuring out how to get the girls where they need to be while I'm teaching after school art classes, the call of the open road is too loud to ignore. I pacified that hunger for adventure with the promise that Umā would be sharing her journey with us. She is a thoughtful writer and a wonderful photographer, and while I enjoy seeing her pictures of our shared hills and valleys, I couldn't wait to see what caught her eye in New Mexico.

She and her partner drove out to New Mexico, but after he left to return home to Massachusetts for eight months of living apart, Umā decided that where she belongs is back home with him.

Selfishly, I was disappointed to hear this.

It's embarrassing to admit it. Of course, I wanted that adventure and experience for her. But I also wanted the eye candy for myself and the chance to imagine myself on my own in New Mexico, that distraction from the numbing routines I find myself living. Not only am I living them, but I am the one in charge of making sure my daughters live them. Yuck, right?

We all try to figure out our paths. Going to New Mexico to study for eight months seemed like the answer to Umā until she was there alone. Now it feels to her like the answer is to return home. My path is unclear to me now because so much of my life is filled with the dailiness of living: the key doesn't turn in the ignition (I didn't mean this as a metaphor, but it certainly works as one!); the 11yo broke her glasses, and her spare pair (another metaphor!); the 8yo suddenly hates school; teaching art doesn't earn me enough money to support my family; and on and on into the night.

Looking for some clarity in my own life, I guess I was drawn by Umā's definitive big step of heading west. With her changing her mind, I am thinking a lot about the methods we all use to make choices. Unbound confine. And really, it all makes a life.

I wish Umā an easy and speedy journey home to J.

♥

Peace.

For Trace

2011-10-01T13:52:00.006-04:00

a portrait of the woman as a young artist

My friend, Trace, has written a lovely post about Mount Pollux, with a gorgeous photograph of the two trees.

Because most of the photographs I took there focused on one tree, I always remember the hill as having just one tree, right in the middle.

A long time ago, when I fancied myself a photographer, I did a series of self portraits posing with other people. My favorite person to work with was my friend, Nikki. She was always up for anything, including naked tree climbing. We had some wild times on Mount Pollux, but I did not know that other people played there, it was always just the magic hill behind her house.

Like Trace, October is my favorite month. I've got a big birthday coming up at the end of it.

And yes, I'm very old.

I look at these photographs and reconnect with my younger self.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-09-30T18:43:00.002-04:00

one from the archives

Sisters

Peace.

Monday Blooms

2011-09-19T10:56:00.004-04:00

A friend gave me this hydrangea plant as a housewarming gift ten years ago. The nursery tag attached read, "will never turn blue." I read it as a warning, like, "don't worry, this won't turn blue." I thought that was odd, because in my limited gardening experience at the time, I thought everyone wanted blue hydrangeas, so turning blue would be a good thing. After thinking for a minute, I realized it meant, "don't try everything you've ever heard of to turn this hydrangea blue, 'cause it ain't gonna happen."

I planted it in the front of the house, in a protected spot (which the tag said it needed), but it didn't bloom at all the first couple years. I decided it wasn't a sunny enough spot, so I transplanted it. That first year after moving it, I got one very pale pinkish white blossom, and congratulated myself on doing the right thing. The next year: no blooms. The year after that, one. So I decided to give this plant some space (ie, I kinda ignored it). With one exception: I had read that plants like coffee, so I started dumping my coffee grounds in the garden, alternating between the rose bush and the hydrangea. Year after year, no blooms, and the plant only grew a little (caffeine stunting it's growth?!?). Then, with help, I pruned the forsythia and lilac nearby to give the hydrangea more room. The plant seemed happy. Finally, this year, three flowers. I guess you'd call them purple, but they're almost blue.

Somehow, this is a parable for my life right now.
Still not quite sure what it means...

And even though this song doesn't have much to do with it, I'm very susceptible to earworms, and have given myself one (I share).

Peace.

Lavender Shortbread with Lemon Glaze and Sea Salt

2011-09-17T11:11:00.012-04:00

(scroll down for recipe)

Lavender Shortbread with Lemon Glaze and Sea Salt
California Style

One of the big successes this summer in California was an idea Grandma suggested. A tea party (no relation to the political fiasco of the same name). Grandma's idea was that we would each make some kind of sandwich and dessert for a party. We would dress up like fancy ladies. The girls would make place cards. She would make tea. Party!

Part of what made it a success was that it was in Grandma's kitchen. I confess that I have a tough time being loose in the kitchen at home with the girls. Always in the back of my mind is the clean up that follows any messes. With two adults versus two kids this time, I felt like we had a chance.

So bring on the watermelon-marshmallow sandwiches, blueberry-onion-sour-cream sandwiches, egg salad on toast points, and brie on crackers with horseradish-cranberry relish. For dessert, lemon tartlettes with caramel sauce, chocolate cupcakes with whipped cream and raspberries, rice krispie treats, brownies, and lavender shortbread with lemon glaze and sea salt.

My original dessert idea was rosemary shortbread, but when I went out in the yard to cut some rosemary from my mom's plant that is so huge it's really a bush, I saw she also had a lot of lavender, so I chose that instead. Her lavender had very lovely flowers, so I topped the shortbread with the little petals. The glaze I made then was only semi-successful--I tried heating sugar and lemon juice in the microwave (Hey, what can I say? It was a last-minute inspiration). Since then, I have used powdered sugar for the glaze.

Lavender Shortbread

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 TBL chopped lavender (I used 2 TBLs in Cali--it was a little much, but 1 TBL isn't enough.)
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
2 TBL honey
1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven 350°

In one bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and lavender. In a separate bowl, cream butter, honey, and powdered sugar. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, a little at a time. Gather up dough onto floured board. Roll. Cut. I've used a butter knife to cut rectangles and I've also used a small glass to cut circles. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake. For baking at home, I actually baked them on 350° for 5 minutes. Then turned the oven down to 300° and used the convection fan for another 5+ minutes, until lightly brown. Cool. Glaze. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Lemon Glaze

(+/-) 2/3 cup powdered sugar
(+/-) 2 TBL lemon juice
(+/-) 1 tsp lemon zest (I used the zest from one whole lemon)

Mix. Try not to eat all of it while waiting for the shortbread to cool.

I made a batch yesterday and there was a little dough leftover, so I rolled it in wax paper and stuck it in the fridge. This morning I just sliced it and baked it. Not very pretty, but oh-so-delicious!

Lavender Shortbread for Breakfast

Enjoy.

Happy Friday

2011-09-16T20:23:00.001-04:00

Peace.

Yufi!

2011-09-15T13:21:00.008-04:00

Yufi in Our Town

We spent most of this past summer driving across country, hanging out with my folks in California, and driving home. We were lucky enough to be able to rent a minivan (Thanks, Grandpa!), so we could camp most of the nights across.

The minivan's license plate had the letters YUF, so we called it "Yufi." We became quite attached to our temporary second home, and were sad to say goodbye and give it back.

Yesterday, walking to school, the 8yo and I saw Yufi parked in town. We were unreasonably thrilled. I snapped a few pics to show the 11yo, who missed it because she was already at middle school.

Below are some Yufi pics from our trip.

Yufi in Empire, Colorado

Yufi camping in Yosemite (with cool lace curtains for bug netting that Grandma made)

Yufi camping in one of my favorite places on the trip, the Grand Tetons
(no need for curtains that night -- the temps dropped into the 30s, so we kept the windows closed!)

Oh, the spirit of adventure!

I hope whoever was driving Yufi yesterday had a good trip.

Peace.

A Musical Interlude

2011-09-13T11:53:00.003-04:00

My beautiful friends have made a charming video of their wonderful song.

Enjoy.

Peace.

Whiskey

2011-09-12T20:21:00.004-04:00

Even though September has been challenging (so far)

Not actually drinking the stuff

Just think this is a pretty picture.

Peace.

original photograph found here (altered by yours truly)

Man on Wire

2011-09-11T07:06:00.005-04:00

I can't imagine plotting for months, years, to string a wire between two towers, planning to cross the wire more than thirteen hundred feet above the ground. I can't imagine the feeling of taking that first step off the building and onto the wire (let alone what it must have been like to lay down on the wire way up there as the wind blew it around, and birds flew above and below).

When I look at pictures of Philippe Petit up on that wire, my shins ache.

I wonder if his legs still have the sense memory of being up there.

Update: Watch this! (h/t marian)

Peace.

Snark Fail

2011-09-07T18:21:00.001-04:00

This reminds me of a few people I know.

Peace.

Happy Labor Day

2011-09-05T09:52:00.000-04:00

From my friend, Gummo:

Anti-union people who take weekends off are pure hypocrites.

Anti-union people who work less than 12-14 hours a day are pure hypocrites.

Anti-union people who don't send their prepubescent children out to work for 12-14 hours a day are pure hypocrites.

Anti-union people who work in safe environments, with access to fire doors, with decent ventilation, with grievance procedures and any shred of job security are pure hypocrites.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-09-02T12:59:00.004-04:00

Even though summer is officially over since the girls started back to school yesterday, it was quite a doozy of a week getting them ready. So still light posting from me here. Hopefully I'll get back to blogging regularly (whatever that means) next week.

Have a lovely, hopefully long, weekend.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-08-26T13:50:00.003-04:00

Where to, Johnny?

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-08-05T15:20:00.002-04:00

Big and little, California style.

the blimp

a surprise morning visitor

Peace.

Sticker Shock

2011-08-02T01:52:00.005-04:00

A story from my friend Steve...

Some bozo hailed me at a traffic light yesterday and said "Hey, somebody put some kind of blue shit on your bumper!"
"Oh. Thanks, well I'll check it out when I get home."
Nothing blue on my bumper but the Obama 08 sticker.
I hate it when people are right for all the wrong reasons... What wouldn't I have given to have told the guy "Fuck yeah... I thought I was voting for a Kenyan Muslim socialist, not another republican asshole."

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-07-29T22:34:00.002-04:00

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-07-22T18:53:00.002-04:00

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-07-15T14:20:00.002-04:00

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-07-08T13:38:00.007-04:00

I'm not that good at figuring out how to make pictures fit.
If you click on the picture, you'll get a better view.

I guess posting is kind of light as we get ready for our summer adventure! I had a conversation with the girls this morning about tallest buildings, started by the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. I found this cool graphic, so I thought I'd share.

Cool graphic found here.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-07-01T12:54:00.001-04:00

Peace.

Summertime and...

2011-06-30T21:26:00.006-04:00

...talk about livin' easy...

The last day of school was a half day just this past Monday.

And yet.

Already.

On the way home from the beach today.

It took us a couple minutes

to figure out

whether today was

Wednesday

or

Thursday.

Peace.

Toady

2011-06-27T11:59:00.003-04:00

The girls caught this handsome toad this week.

As usual, the 8yo was the one to spot it and the 10yo was the one to actually catch it. They caught it very near where we let go the one they'd caught last year.

Is it the same "Toady"? We report, you decide.

Last year's "Toady."

Either way, it's nearly time to let this one go, too.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-06-24T11:47:00.004-04:00

peony with ginkgo leaves

Peace.

Sunday Adventure

2011-06-20T10:58:00.005-04:00

I am one of those people who would love a snowstorm everyday of winter.

So, in fairness to the people who complain about the weather all winter long, I feel like I have to forfeit any weather requests the rest of the year. If I could make one, though, I would wish that most summer days were like the gorgeous day we had yesterday.

Sunny and breezy and clear.

Peace.

Weird Mushrooms

2011-06-20T10:56:00.002-04:00

(No, this is not sexting)

Peace.

Keep the Pleasant Street Video Collection Alive at the Forbes Library

2011-06-18T08:55:00.008-04:00

Please donate to the Pleasant Street Video Fund

The 10yo's first question,
after "WHY IS IT CLOSING?!?!?" is
"Who gets the leopard that lives in the kids' section?"
She'll pay extra!

Pleasant Street Video to close at end of June (I think the link only stays live for awhile, then, sadly, the local paper firewall's it)

by Bob Flaherty
Saturday, June 18, 2011

NORTHAMPTON - Pleasant Street Video, where movie lovers and practically everyone else gathered daily to chew on the issues of the day, will close its doors at the end of July, after 25 years in business.

But the store has a vision for its vast collection of hard-to-get films, and the general public, by way of Forbes Library, may be the beneficiary.

Pleasant Street Video manager and co-owner Dana Gentes said the store's revenue for the last five years dropped to about half of what it had been in the late 1990s to its mid-2000s heyday.

"Online services such as Netflix dramatically cut into our customer base," said Gentes, adding, "Computer culture in general has taken up many of the hours people used to spend watching movies."

The downtown location has been compared to an old country store, a central gathering place for film buffs and those looking to discuss life in general with the always accommodating staff.

The store did not hire clerks; it employed cinema experts and vibrant local personalities like Patty Huff, Gene Kane, Jenifer Gray-Lewis, Philip Price, Chris St. George, Zeke Fiddler and Bill Dwight, many of whom worked there for years.

The latest skinny on mayoral races or municipal email scandals segued seamlessly into discussions of Oscar nominees or unheralded directors, as one customer coming in would pick up the conversation of another leaving and expand upon it.

A movie fan could literally spend hours downstairs trying to choose from the staggering collection of film noir, foreign films, musicals and anime.

"It's wistful and sad," said Dwight, "but we've already gone through the stages of mourning."

"I don't want it to close," said Gentes, "but I'm excited about what we're doing with the Forbes."

Gentes, after processing feedback from customers and employees, has come up with a novel way to deal with the store's collection of more than 8,000 videotapes and DVDs - both mainstream and independent, many titles now out of print.

Pleasant Street Video and the Forbes Library are joining forces to raise $60,000 in the near future. Reaching that goal would allow the entire Pleasant Street video collection to take on a new life at the Forbes, tripling the library's video and DVD collection. For each $8 donated, another film will be added to the Forbes' collection. Tax-deductible donations to the Forbes' Pleasant St. Video Fund may be made online at Pleasant Street Video Fund or in person at the Forbes Library or Pleasant Street Video.

"It was a zeitgeist kind of moment," said Gentes. "Of all the ideas, this is the one that makes the most sense."

Gentes said that one angle for the next few days will be that certain genres will be offered up to donors looking to spend more than $8.

"A person could donate the entire Hitchcock collection under his or her name," he said. "We'll have a plaque or poster for special donators. The Martin Scorsese section has already been purchased by myself."

"It's a 25-year-old curated collection, hand-picked by cinefiles," said Dwight. "No library in the world will have a collection like this."

"The store's closing is a definite loss for the community," said Faith Kaufman, head of arts and music at Forbes. "Very few towns have an independent video store with that kind of a collection. Many people have been focused on preserving this incredible collection for the community and keeping it local - this is a very elegant solution."

"It's bittersweet that they're closing, but there is a silver lining," said Kaufman, who said patrons have already started donating to the cause.

Pleasant Street Video was opened in the fall of 1986 by Richard Pini and John Morrison, as a companion to the adjacent Pleasant Street Theater, which they had been running for about 10 years. Gentes was hired as the manager and given a percentage of the ownership the following year.

When it became apparent in 2009 that it would be increasingly difficult to keep the store going, Pini put the retail condominium on the market. A buyer for the space is pending.

By Monday, Gentes said he would have more details about the future of the property.

As for his own future, Gentes said, "I'd like to become more involved in the local arts scene. I might make videos rather than rent them."

Bob Flaherty can be reached at bflaherty@gazettenet.com.

Please help if you can. The girls and I love the video store and the library!

Photographs, except the one of the 10yo - which is by me, all found online. Photo credits to follow - as soon as I find them!

Peace.

Happy Friday - Garden Update Edition

2011-06-17T16:52:00.007-04:00

The clematis is especially beautiful this year.

fence garden

main garden (before)

main garden (after)

back garden (before)

back garden (after)

My friend Jill came today and helped me finally get some veggies planted. There is still more to plant next week. A late, slow, rainy Spring.

Another fun experiment in growing food.

Peace.

Happy Birthday, Dad!

2011-06-16T11:52:00.004-04:00

I love you.

The girls and I can't wait to see you this summer!

Love and kisses!

Peace.

2011-06-16T07:07:00.004-04:00

Too many words, and so few good ones.

Peace.

I went to a presentation at school yesterday to see the students' final projects in a program that is trying to teach them the meaning of some important words.

Caring Forgiving Helpful Honest Respectful Responsible

Peace.

California Dreamin'

2011-06-15T12:35:00.003-04:00

Still almost two weeks left of school
and the girls and I are getting excited
about our annual California visit.

Road trip or fly?

We haven't decided yet.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-06-10T11:48:00.002-04:00

Peace.

A Snake by any other name...

2011-06-07T10:13:00.007-04:00

Yes, yesterday afternoon,
while many people were
watching and discussing
a talking, tweeting weiner,
we went to the beach.

When we first arrived, there was some big truck/machine out front making a lot of noise. It looked like an oil derrick. It was loud. As we walked onto the sand, we saw a long hose running from the machine into the water. Pumping? Perhaps.

For a minute I wondered if it was a good idea to swim while they were working. I assured myself that they would have posted "no swimming" signs if we were supposed to stay away. Right?

So the girls headed for the water and I headed for the beach blanket with my copy of Joe Bageant's Deer Hunting With Jesus (thanks, Dad!) -- which I am really enjoying, well, enjoying the writing, the "dispatches from America's class war" are infuriating and upsetting.

After a few minutes reading, I heard screaming. Then shouts. "Snake!" "There's a snake in the water!" At first I thought they were playing, joking about the hose in the water, but when I got up to investigate, I saw that it was indeed a snake.

Now what? What kind of snake is it? Does it bite? Is it poisonous? How many are there in this water? Did it come to shore because of all the noise and vibrations the machine was making? What should you do if you get bit -- rush to the emergency room or is a band-aid enough?

Can I just say how glad I am that this snake appeared the week after my friends were visiting from California, since we went swimming here twice with them?

Even though I am now skittish about swimming there until I sort out this snake business, the 10yo went back in the water as soon as the snake swam away. Yikes!

Update: Thanks to my friend, Virginia, for identifying this as a Northern Water Snake. I was happy to read this sentence at the link: "Northern water snakes bite people just as often as chipmunks and bluebirds which is to say just about every time they are grabbed." Whew!

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-06-03T13:48:00.002-04:00

Peace.

My Kitchen

2011-06-02T13:23:00.003-04:00

An old friend of mine brought her family to come visit last week. I hadn't seen her in more than eleven years, and our children had never met. We all had a wonderful time together, spent mostly at the local beach.

One of the fringe benefits of having visitors is cleaning the house. As I told my friend when she arrived, I almost made it! I didn't get the whole house clean, but it got pretty clean for me.

She sent me this picture of my kitchen this week.

Look how lovely it looks when it's clean.

Peace.

Tuesday Garden Blogging

2011-05-31T21:37:00.002-04:00

The First Bonfires of the Year

2011-05-19T20:49:00.002-04:00

I had been doing so well posting at least once a day, Monday through Friday, for a while.

Then life intervened and I stopped posting for a week.

In that time, I have completely run out of money. So when I took this picture of the girls last weekend, it was as we were enjoying bonfires and marshmallows and barbecues. Now when I look at it, I see our hobo life, building a fire in an oil drum for warmth.

I hope it doesn't come to that.

Of course, I'm painting it bleakly for dramatic effect. I am teaching three art classes a week at the elementary school this Spring. It doesn't pay much, but even worse, it doesn't pay often. I just completed the fourth week of the eight week course today and I have yet to be paid for any of the weeks' classes.

I know times are hard for everyone. I also know that I don't really provide any real blogger product worth much, but if you have some spare change and feel like sharing, I've got a paypal link there on the left. I'd be most grateful. Thank you.

Peace.

Boundaries

2011-05-11T21:45:00.000-04:00

Some difficult thoughts and things this week.

A lot of things I thought would be easier by now.

Peace.

All Creatures Great and Small

2011-05-10T07:12:00.003-04:00

Trying to think of a title for this post, I tossed around "Bigger isn't always better" or "Size Matters" but since the subject, tangentially, is my daughter, those seemed inappropriate. Then "All Creatures Great and Small" popped into my head and it seemed perfect. But I wondered if it was from the bible. Wikipedia tells me it's from the hymn, "All Things Bright and Beautiful."

1. All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful,
The Lord God made them all.

2. Each little flower that opens,
Each little bird that sings,
He made their glowing colours,
He made their tiny wings.

All things bright ...

3. The rich man in his castle,
The poor man at his gate,
God made them high and lowly,
And ordered their estate.

All things bright ...

4. The purple headed mountain,
The river running by,
The sunset and the morning,
That brightens up the sky;−

All things bright ...

5. The cold wind in the winter,
The pleasant summer sun,
The ripe fruits in the garden,−
He made them every one:

All things bright ...

6. The tall trees in the greenwood,
The meadows where we play,
The rushes by the water,
We gather every day;−

All things bright ...

7. He gave us eyes to see them,
And lips that we might tell,
How great is God Almighty,
Who has made all things well.

All things bright ...

(Amen)

If you took the god part out, I think this is mostly a lovely song celebrating life. Of course, many folks don't like to sing verse three outloud. Funny how the god of the people who wrote this song would put this idea in their heads. Perhaps this god got his ideas on frequent hunting trips with Cheney.

Anyway, it was not my intention to talk about religion here. It's my opinion that this patriarchal religion, in its many forms, has contaminated much of our planet. But that's just my opinion.

The story of this post (whew!), is that my 8yo daughter loves slugs. The smaller slug in the picture above is her pet. She caught him a few weeks ago, after she decided to do her science project on slugs. The Science Fair was last Thursday.

Sisters at the Fair

Her plan had been to let the slug go after its debut at the Fair. Of course, when the time came, she couldn't part with "Swuggie." The slug seems to be happy in the habitat she created for it. She takes it out and lets it crawl around several times a day.

So yesterday afternoon, as they were enjoying the gorgeous Spring day, she and her sister found that other, much larger slug in the top picture. I thought for sure that this one would become her new pet. But no. She let the big one go back where she'd found it, and tucked Swuggie in for the night.

Bright and beautiful.

Peace.

These Gorgeous Days

2011-05-09T11:59:00.001-04:00

Ah, Spring.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-05-06T13:28:00.005-04:00

My mom

I joined the facebook trend-let of changing your profile picture to a picture of your mother in honor of Mother's Day, which is apparently this weekend. As I was looking through my photos of her this afternoon to choose one, she happened to call. It was not typical until recently for us to talk on the phone regularly--neither of us are big phone people. This new development makes me happy.

My mother has begun preparing her exit, begun preparing me. A friend of mine joked that her grandmother has been doing the same for the last ten years, so put the tears away, I've still got plenty of time. (And, of course, now I'm crying as I type this) Maybe there are people who always know how to play their role, but I seem to figure mine out after the show has closed. I feel, as a parent, like I only learn how to resolve certain challenges at the very moment they are no longer a challenge. As a child, I have no clue how to go through this next phase in my relationship with my mom. Even though, in the past, a month could go by without our ever talking, I took for granted that we could.

I love you, Mom, even if I never send you a Mother's Day card.

Toronto Comic Arts Festival: Pencil it In from Toronto Comic Arts Festival on Vimeo.

"Everything you love will eventually be taken from you."
(watch -- it's actually a cheery video)

A pencil can draw a line 35 miles long.

Peace.

For ms. f.

2011-05-05T20:41:00.002-04:00

Other people's dogs.

Peace.

In the Neighborhood

2011-05-04T12:27:00.004-04:00

Summer Preview

Peace.

A Righteous Rant from my friend S

2011-05-03T11:24:00.005-04:00

There's no place to run anymore.

The corporate fascists have taken it all.

Bin Laden is dead? So what.

Tomorrow morning I'll get up -- if I bother to go to bed to try to sleep -- and still have no health care, no job, no hope of a job -- and get ready to move to another place to either wait to die from untreated illness or to end my life when I run out of money.

How did this happen?

I let it happen.

I believed that if I worked hard, got an education, and stepped up to take care of my family all would turn out well. It didn't. Life's promise left me out -- and I'm not the only one.

Peace.

Helen Mirren's Breasts

2011-05-02T22:24:00.003-04:00

My friend, jac posted a link to this video earlier today. I am new to the Helen Mirren phenomenon. What I mean is, she seems suddenly to be on everyone's list of sexy older women. I don't know much current pop culture, but I think she even did a skit on Saturday Night Live recently about her magical breasts (please correct me if I'm wrong, for I'm too lazy to google). It turns out she was a sexy younger woman, too.

What struck me about this video is how well she carries the exasperation at being asked those questions that women artists always get asked. Essentially: how can you create any art of value when you have breasts? How can you expect men to take you seriously? Either you're too beautiful so that is too distracting or you're too ugly so why should we pay any attention to you.

Yet another post about soaking in patriarchy. Maybe I should get out more.

Peace.

Image(s).

2011-04-29T18:31:00.005-04:00

These are some of the pictures that I have collected over the years.
They have been hung up in my studio to inspire me.
(click on image to enlarge)

I've been thinking today about the stories we tell about ourselves.

Since I rearranged the studio a while back, I've yet to re-hang these pictures. Maybe I need some new pictures to tell a new story.

What images have you saved? Do you see what parts of yourself they speak to?

Peace.

Side of the Road

2011-04-28T10:12:00.004-04:00

Side of the Road
by
Vincent Van Gogh

Side of the Road
by
Lucinda Williams.

Enjoy.

With all the craziness in our political media circus, and all the scary weather events in the southeast, I feel like I need a quiet, still place to be alone. I am grateful to these two artists for giving me that place today. Also thanks to Frank Stack for showing me yet another painting I'd never seen. And to Lucinda for inspiring me to pick up my guitar today.

Peace.

Who knew?

2011-04-27T21:50:00.003-04:00

Who knew that spider plants have flowers? Not me.
This one surprised me this morning.

Who knew that a magnolia could make just one blossom?
This one on our tree opened this morning.
There are no other buds on the tree even close to blossoming.

Okay. I have no "who knew" for this one.
Maybe: Who knew my point-and-shoot could take such a nice close-up of a peach blossom?
These are the first on the tree to open this year.

Grape bud.

Peace.

Happy Blogiversary!

2011-04-26T11:06:00.003-04:00

I just realized that today is my blogiversary.

Three years ago today I decided I wanted a public place to write.

Even though my college application essay started with the sentence, "In second grade, I decided to become a writer," I have found that writing is actually a very slow process for me (I spend waaaaaaaayyy too much time editing).

Looking at my youtube channel yesterday (no, not something I do often!), I discovered that this video of me reading Max Drives Away has almost 3000 hits! Maybe writing doesn't have to mean a lot of words...

I've recently started trying to post at least once a day, Monday through Friday, in hopes that this will encourage my literary synapses to fire. So far, though, I have still been relying on images to speak for me. There is always the question of whether I actually have anything to say!

I truly admire my amazing and prolific writing blogger friends like Roy Edroso, m.heart, and Hecate, who wow me with their words. Such wit, spirit, and poetry.

I will continue to stumble my way through the alphabet, hoping for the best.

Thanks for reading!

Peace.

A Splash of Color: Pink

2011-04-26T10:57:00.003-04:00

magnolia bud

peach blossom bud

peony rising

Spring is just beginning to unfold here in the garden.

Peace.

Candy and Water Balloons

2011-04-25T17:17:00.004-04:00

I am finding myself less and less comfortable with the big religions.

Easter at our house is only candy and water balloons, and that still felt like too much yesterday. I don't know where the balance is for me and for my family. Even though the girls and I had some pretty funny conversations this past week about leaven and Jesus rising, I still feel like I am validating myths by acknowledging them at all.

Of course, we also watched Easter Parade and Summer Stock yesterday, so we had some of that love-at-first-sight myth to dissect.

As my smart friend, Hecate says, "Patriarchy. You're soaking in it."

Peace.

Reading Molly Ivins

2011-04-22T23:53:00.004-04:00

Yes, I'm late to the game. I hadn't ever read her until now.

I picked up her book, Nothin' But Good Times Ahead, at our town's excellent book shed at the dump.

It is interesting to be reading her columns from the early 90s. So much for change. Of course, like Molly, "I still believe in Hope - mostly because there's no such place as Fingers Crossed, Arkansas."

So I'm off to bed with a good book.

Peace.

Thursday Night

2011-04-21T23:46:00.003-04:00

Happy Forsythia.

Peace.

Wednesday Art Blogging

2011-04-20T23:00:00.005-04:00

This is another urban sketch of mine, from before I'd heard of Urban Sketchers.

A nickel to any local reader who can name the place in the sketch.

Peace.

A Splash of Color: Green

2011-04-19T22:15:00.003-04:00

lupines

chives

rhubarb

poppy

Peace.

Darwinian Garlic

2011-04-18T12:51:00.005-04:00

Yes, I collected the biggest heads of garlic last summer and prepared to plant.

In the fall, I planted each clove in a neat row and made a square bunch at the end for the ones that didn't fit.

Immediately after I'd planted them, the girls saw the fresh turned earth and thought it was a perfect place to play dinosaur. After I shooed away the jurassic beasts, I tried to find all the cloves that had been pushed every which way and replant them. Then, I was supposed to cover the beds with straw to keep them cozy all winter, but I never got around to it.

Throughout the winter, I wondered what the spring would bring, whether any of the garlic would make it.

I was glad to see their little green shoots peeking up through the snow a few weeks ago. And now, with a little sun, they are all waving happily.

Garlic. Yum.

Peace.

Happy Friday

2011-04-15T20:21:00.001-04:00

Peace.

More Drawings About Buildings

2011-04-14T11:31:00.005-04:00

View out a New York Window
ink and watercolor pencil

Crackerbarrel Alley, Northampton
watercolor pencil

Shelburne Falls
watercolor pencil

I have become addicted to the Urban Sketchers blog. Inspired by the art I see there, I pitched an idea at the elementary school to teach an Urban Sketchers class to third through fifth graders for the Spring term. I am so happy they approved it! And that some kids signed up! I have been scouting local locations -- to which the students and I will walk each week to sketch. I have also been looking at some of my sketches of buildings and city scenes from my sketchbooks. Pending permission of the artists and their parents, I hope to post some of the drawings we do. Stay tuned.

In addition to the Urban Sketchers class, I will be teaching a Drawing from Life class to third through fifth graders, and an Intro to Making Comics class to kindergarten through second graders.

Happy Art! Happy Spring!

Peace.

Wednesday Art Blogging

2011-04-13T12:20:00.001-04:00

If you haven't seen this already, as my friend Rich said, "Yeah it's an ad, but consider it more like the company sponsored a great work of art. Highly recommend you take the 3 minutes to watch it."

Tax the Rich

2011-04-12T11:32:00.005-04:00

I know, I know. There are serious people saying we should Eat the Rich, but hear me out.

This morning, as I was paying into my daughters' school lunch fund [full disclosure: they qualify for free school lunches, but I pay the full amount, $2.50/day/kid, in effect subsidizes others' free lunches, in some bizarre act of misplaced pride or philanthropy], I struck up a conversation with the lunch lady (seen here in a photograph from a few months ago, gloves deep in tuna). I told her about an article I had read yesterday regarding a school district that was in discussions with collections agencies to pursue families who owe money for their children's lunches. This woman, who has seen her full-time with benefits job in the cafeteria reduced to a part-time no benefits job, so that she's been forced to take a second job at a place that will remain nameless (which a goofy friend says, "rhymes with smallfart") replied to me that people need to "take responsibility." I thought I heard some FOXiness there, and was reluctant to press on. But I tried, "You know who isn't taking responsibility right now? The rich need to pay their fair share." I breathed a sigh of relief when she agreed with me, and the conversation went on from there. So everyday Americans like us can see that one of the most important things that needs to be done for our country is to raise taxes on the rich.

It is good to see that some members of Congress get it, too.

Tax the rich (h/t to NTodd for the link).

Now, how to get our voices heard, to actually see our representative democracy represent us? I'll choose a general strike and/or taking over the Capitol building in Washington, a la Wisconsin, instead of a plateful of Roasted Rich. Who's with me?

Peace.

A Splash of Color: Red

2011-04-11T11:02:00.003-04:00

Rhubarb peeks out from the last of the snow

Unfurling in sunlight

A cardinal out the kitchen window

What are you looking at??

Peace.

A Gorgeous Adventure

2011-03-29T11:05:00.007-04:00

Today my ten year old daughter is doing something with her fifth grade class that is incredibly challenging for her. In helping her get to this place, I realize how often as an adult I allow myself the freedom to skip things that seem just too hard. While of course she knows that she doesn't have to face today's adventure if it's really too much for her, the way it's been framed is that she will do it. In order not to, she'll have to use the mommy-rescue-me escape hatch.

Because of her anxiety disorder and other cognitive disabilities, those of us who care for her are always aware of her challenges. Everyday there are little things in the path that most of us wouldn't even notice. For my daughter they are major obstacles. The courage that she possesses to face each day is amazing. On days like today where she is being asked to manage all of her everyday challenges, and so much more, I am able to recognize her enormous strength, how brave she really is.

On her very first day of kindergarten, years ago, she got on the school bus just like a big kid. The bus drove about twenty feet, then stopped. I said to the crowd of parents that I knew it was my daughter that caused the stop. Sure enough, she was in tears. I got on the bus and tried to convince her that she would be okay, but she didn't want to let me go. Luckily, her godfather had come to see her off that morning, too (he also took this picture of her!). He got on the bus, and by that time, the kindergartner sitting next to my daughter had begun to cry, too. So her godfather told my daughter that she had to go to school and she had to help this little boy get to school, too. And it worked. He and I got off the bus, and they drove away. I later found out that most of the kindergartner parents, including the mom of the little boy, had followed the bus to school in their cars, for a second goodbye to their kids, safe at school. I had a home daycare at the time and didn't even think of the possibility of being there at school that morning. So my daughter, scared enough to stop the school bus, managed to make it all the way through her first day of school, including another bus ride home, without her mommy by her side. Until recently, when I've thought of that story, I've focused on how scared she was to leave me. Now I see that she has always had this incredible strength and courage.

I am so proud of her and so inspired.

What challenges will you face today that seem like they're just too hard?

Peace.

Portrait of the Artist as a Woman

2011-03-25T21:07:00.002-04:00

Thank you, Guerrilla Girls

Peace.

A Delicate Dance

2011-03-17T06:15:00.003-04:00

frost on a spiderweb in the morning light

Peace.

My Funny Friends

2011-02-17T10:05:00.003-05:00

(If by funny, you mean tragically accurate)

Dear Mr. President:

If you would openly support the unions in Wisconsin, you may lose a few voters here and there, but you would gain lifelong support from many disaffected blue color workers, nurses, policemen, firemen, teachers and many, many others. Besides, the unions have been there for Democratic politicians, now it's time for Democratic politicians to be there for them.

Very truly yours,

ql

Dear ql:

He's already made some kind of milquetoast remark about New Economic Realities.

Sorry,

V4V

Peaceful Power to the People.

Love

2011-02-14T14:44:00.002-05:00

Conflicted

2011-02-04T10:22:00.008-05:00

I think this is a beautiful picture, a peaceful human quilt.

Then I see the other images from Egypt of men armed with rocks and other weapons, wounded and bloodied. I see the men in military garb, and other men in their makeshift helmets, like boys playing war. And while part of me is carried along from my safe spot where I live in this mock democracy (de-mock-cracy?), an honored internet guest, on the mythic ride to battle: Good vs. Evil, another part of me sees a scene as absurd as stealing Erno's nose. While I have to believe in something (don't I? don't I have to hope and work for change?), I am so wary of all these men and their gods and their battles. Even the president of America is puffed up with prayer, walking with god.

I wish their backs were bent in humility and humanity.

Peace.

Snow Picnic

2011-02-01T18:35:00.003-05:00

Yes, I am among those who love snow. I am also lucky to be among those with a warm home in which to stay and snuggle.

To borrow a phrase from one of my favorite witches: May it be so for you.

Peace.

Rest In Peace

2011-01-24T11:47:00.003-05:00

Carolin Berger Dies After Sixth Breast Enlargement Surgery

She was 23.

Peace.

This Has Been Another Edition Of...

2011-01-22T09:51:00.002-05:00

...What She Said...

...and elsewhere this:

But the fact that [Keith Olbermann] was called a liberal firebrand for staking out positions like "maybe we should have a reason to go to war" and "torture is bad" and "votes should count" is a grim reminder of how far we have shifted.

Peace.

Cute House. Needs Work.

2011-01-21T11:53:00.005-05:00

An American in Paris

2011-01-21T10:14:00.002-05:00

Peace.

A Question From The Children That I Can Answer

2011-01-14T11:50:00.004-05:00

Peace.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T19:40:00.005-05:00

Last night, as I watched the girls, ages 8 and 10, trying hard to keep their eyes open, while we live-streamed the earth cam of Times Square and all its midnight hoopla, I started thinking that people make an awful big deal about turning the calender page. I started to wonder if it was really worth it, even as I ran out into the street to bang pots and pans. Then this morning, I read this post by my smart friend, Hecate, and she reminds me that, yes, it is worth it. Go, read.

As with other new beginnings, I love to pull a tarot card.

Feeling
Child of Water

Your feelings are close to the surface now, and you may feel overwhelmed by them, both good and bad. You may feel close to tears much of the time, and not be sure if they are tears of joy or sorrow. The waters of emotion wash over you, and you are learning anew to handle them, as a child learns control. Don't focus on control, however. Walk willingly into the sea of emotions, swim in its deep mysterious waters... experience each moment fully... embrace the beauty of a full and open heart.

I chose the above card with my eyes closed.

Thank you to Lunaea for her amazing online Full Moon Dreams Tarot. A wonderful place to visit on this first day of the new decade. May this be a good year for all of us.

This is the card I chose with my eyes open.

Peace.

My Manga Girls

2010-12-31T22:58:00.003-05:00

The girls are now addicted to photobooth. I think we may need a second computer!

Only an hour to go before midnight here. We're all trying to stay awake. Keep your eyes wide open!

Peace.

Twinkly Lights

2010-12-27T22:37:00.003-05:00

I finally put the deer up yesterday--I wanted to get them out there before the snow came. When the snow did come, it wasn't as much here as we had hoped, but it was still very beautiful. The girls and I strolled the neighborhood last night in the fierce wind, then came into the warm house for cocoa and cookies.

Joys of the Season.

Peace.

For Echidne

2010-12-27T21:55:00.003-05:00

I was reading this article over at Echidne's, and I thought of some of these scenes from my daycare some years ago.

Peace.

Lunar Eclipse on the Winter Solstice

2010-12-20T10:26:00.001-05:00

I hope I wake up in time to dance...

(h/t WGG)

Everyone Needs To Hear This

2010-12-13T14:05:00.003-05:00

(h/t DWD)

For those who missed it, here are some excerpts from the brilliant speech Senator Bernie Sanders from Vermont gave on the Senate floor last Friday. I have never heard so much truth spoken in the Senate before. Teabaggers talk about taking back their country and I don't know what country they mean. The country I want to live in is the one where speaking the truth isn't seen as an act of bravery, but as an everyday occurrence, where our representatives in Congress and throughout federal and state government act in the citizens,' not the corporations' best interests.

Peace.

Obama and the Sanctimonious

2010-12-10T11:24:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling so discouraged, I sit here fantasizing about how to organize some action. I had visions of bank sit-ins. Then I thought of our country's for-profit health care system. For me, this is the most painful outrage of all, even worse than the obscene cash heist of the incredibly widening class divide. I can live a happy life without a lot of money, but I, and my family, can't live a happy life without adequate health care. It disgusts me that the rich fat cats in Washington, and their minions around the nation, can legislate death and misery for us, while basking in tax-payer-provided excellent health care for themselves. So I pictured hundreds of people showing up at the doctors' offices and hospitals that serve the wealthy, and sitting-in with our sole demand being equal treatment for our illnesses. Then this scene popped into my mind of the lepers hounding poor put-upon Jesus. "Don't crowd me!" he cries, and I hear Obama's whine.

Peace.

The President Will See You Now

2010-10-27T21:13:00.004-04:00

photo via Jake Tapper

We're all proud of Atrios for being invited to meet with President Obama today. Hooray for the Professional Left! A full transcript of the meeting can be found here.