Nothing to report.

Sagittarius

"Don't think the garden loses its ecstasy in winter," wrote the Persian mystic poet Rumi. "It's quiet, but the roots are down there riotous." I think you're like that winter garden right now, Sagittarius. Outwardly, there's not much heat and flash. Bright ideas and strong opinions are not pouring out of you at their usual rates. You're not even prone to talking too loud or accidentally knocking things over. This may in fact be as close as you can get to being a wallflower. And yet deep beneath the surface, out of sight from casual observers, you are charging up your psychic battery. The action down there is vibrant and vigorous.


This seems pretty accurate to me. Stay tuned.

Print Project Day Two

Today I put the 3 elements together. The color is not working yet and I am not sure about the intensity of the dots. I will make a few adjustments. What a miracle, to have time to make decisions. I will reprint the set based on my findings from this round.

Print Project Day One

 

I signed up for Print Exchange 2013. 500 printers will all create an edition of 12 prints and then we will swap thanks to the good people at Art House in Brooklyn. It cost $50 bucks to sign up and the print must be 5 x 7. Pretty small in my world. In keeping with my self portrait series I decided to make a print similar in feel to my "Practice Healthy Skepticism" print. I am using backgrounds I had on hand and I cut this small lino. I pulled a few test prints yesterday to figure out my color scheme. The theme of this print is "The Road Home". I am in my 30th year in the US and my thoughts are turning toward the next phase of my life and where that phase will take place. I feel like maybe I have been working my way home all these years. The images are simple, a grid of circles and a sign from my time in Los Angeles, a Dogwood, the official flower of the province of British Columbia where I was born and raised. I will also include some type, how could I not. Stay tuned.

Weekend Project

Pearl went off to her dad's this past weekend so that left me and Mark at my place for the weekend. With nowhere to go I decided we should embark on and finish some manageable home improvement project. It's been awhile since we have been in that mode. Eddy was in decline the year before last and after he died Mark started having some serious back issues. Years of lifting the old man caught up with him. So I guess we've been more conscious of our bodies lately, Mark turned 50 in November and I will be joining him this December. We are not the people we once were. To rebuild our building confidence I proposed we construct a small cabinet to fit in the space that was created when I sold my 1940's O'keefe and Merrit stove which was a full 10 inches wider than the new stove. I suggested we should do this project with materials we had on hand, no spending to make it happen. We split up the labor. Mark built the cabinet and I was in charge of the top. We consulted the other one heavily of course. By Sunday night we had the thing built and the top ready to tile. No tile cutter could be scared up from our various neighbors so off we went on Monday to have a shop do it. On the way back we picked Pearl up. Tidy. It appears that President's day has zero effect on trade and commerce. It seems only school children, banks, the post office and graphic designers observe the holiday.

Epilogue
I love this little cabinet. The color of the tile excites me and the fact that I was able to plan and make it reminds me that it feels good to be capable. I'll take more of that please.

Inspiring Inspiration

 

My friend in real life and here in the blogoshere Judy Kleinberg at Chocolate is a Verb was kind enough to mention me on her blog some weeks ago as a blog of inspiration. That was super nice. With it comes the following task, to name a few blogs that I find inspiring. Blank face. This got me thinking about what I read and why and so I have come up with a short list of blogs I seem to frequent. I tend not to follow graphic design blogs but blogs about sewing, food, and poetry are of interest. I hate the mommy bloggers and although I used to read her, Dooce and Pioneer Woman are just too, too, terribly too.

I tend to like blogs where some piece of clothing got ripped or soiled and the writer might have shed a few tears or uttered a few choice expletives. Honest comments about sex are also appreciated. I like to read about process and progress and fear and trial and success. I want to see that people have goals and are making things happen. I like to hear about neurosis and personal struggle but not too much, we all know it's there and the trick is to not let it cripple us. These bloggers are good little soldiers and they help me daily get done what I need to and they encourage me to forge ahead, step after step.

My list:

Flux Capacitor

The Storialist

Wait! I have a blog?!

Odd Good True

A Dress A Day

Whole Larder Love

Jeanne Williamson

Seven things about me (this was required)
1. I am grateful to eat anything that is made for me
2. I walk everyday that I can
3. I am naturally bossy
4. I am happy to be led
5. I have never been pregnant
6. I have never been sexually assaulted
7. I had a happy childhood

Not that exciting.

My Dog

 

This dog. Not just any dog but this dog. I have let it happen as I have in the past when faced with a dog, faced with the care of dogs. I would not describe myself as maniacal when it comes to pets. I can say no to kittens and stray dogs. But this dog is mine to care for and I take caring for things quite seriously once I agree to do it. This dog rules the day. The walk I take for myself I take for her, she needs them as much as I do, maybe more. Lately I have stopped letting her run free because she seems to be developing a seizure disorder. Over the past few years her seizures have increased in frequency and I am trying in my way to rule out possible causes. I changed her food and now I am restricting her movement around my 5 acre property as well as the adjoining properties where she was in the habit of getting into all kinds of things on her daily romps. This is over. I take her out on the leash and we wander around together until she does her thing. Recently, I awoke to the sound of her throwing up and then she appeared suddenly on my bed, practically on top of me and in seconds I was up and she was in a full blown convulsion. I cleared the area around her and then stepped away, these episodes are hard to watch. She came to and I was there to reassure her and feed her and clean up the urine and the vomit and then I let her come back to bed with me. She slept in that morning but was otherwise fine. It's perplexing and worrying, this dog, my companion, this fragile being. When this neurological malfunction happens her little brain screams my name and she runs to me, a barfing, foaming, urinating, seizing mess. My dog, my mess. I was out of the house today for about 5 hours and I kept thinking about her, knowing how she puts herself into a suspended state when I go out, she fervently waits. She'd wait forever. Such loyalty I do not deserve but I have it and I won't waste it. I plan her walks and her playtime, I think about her comfort, her nerves and her care. This dog, my dog. Not just any dog.

Sketchbook Project Completed

 

The book is a journal of my daily walk. 

And what it feels like to be 49.

  

Thinking about the past.

Keeping an eye on nature.

 

Trying to stay grounded. 

What I think about when I walk.

And the things I see.  

 

And the way I have structured my life in an attempt to be creative. 

 

Front and back ready for packing. 

 

Ready for stamps!

Now that it is done, such as it is. I keep feeling like I want to look at it again and then I remember
it is packaged and going away. It's a strange sensation. Freeing perhaps. If you get a chance to
go and see it as it travels around the US, please let me know how it's behaving with the other
wee books.

Reprieve

The governor of all that is creative has given me a reprieve for the Sketchbook Project I started but did not finish. I needed a fire lit under my ass which came in the form of this message. So on I go, ill feelings be damned.