Inspiration: Collaboration

Caline sent this delicate and beautiful book to me. For me to work on as our first collaborative project. It was tied together with string so it could fold like an accordian... with the life of a bird depicted on front of each page...the back side left blank.

Also included in this envelope, a small doodle/drawing, made by ME, from August 9th, probably 1987. (It reminds me of Caline, this drawing I made long ago.)
And putting two and two together I felt that maybe I should simply be drawing on the back side of each of her pages, fold the book back up and then send it back. Collaboration complete.

But that's just not what happened.

It became clear that I was wanting to incoporate other things. I even made some stamped things out of clay that I thought I would susupend from the book. (I will be sending these to you, Caline, for our next collaboration if you're up for it....since I don't know how I could send this to you without it getting destroyed...)

Anyway, the thought of hanging things from this bird book got me started collecting twigs with Silas, then discussing "balance" with Emmett and thinking about "color" with Mac.

And then we wished we had a perfectly empty (but not white) room to look at it in with
the sun shining in on it so we could watch the spinning shadow on the wall.

The bird book is alive in our house now!
Twig, Breeze, Balance.




Thank YOU Caline!

Almost as Tall as her Mama!

It's true!

Winter Garden looks like Spring...

...except the light is VERY different!

I have never planted winter vegetables at home...only at school.
I am very excited
malibar spinach, broccoli, radishes, lettuce, beets, winter squash, collard greens, scallions, late season tomatoes, chard, russet potatoes, fava beans, snap peas...as well as more nasturtiums and sweet potatoes around the compost pile!
But the light is so soft and shaded and dappled that it just doesn't seem like there's going to be enough sun. And it hasn't even started raining yet!

!

"Why ARE we Still in Afghanistan?"

I have been asking myself this question and I love it when

I read an article that asks the same question I was too embarrassed to ask

because it seemed stupid. (silly me)....

from the article by Gene Lyons....

"And what if a U.S. president recognized that destroying mud villages and killing children in distant Afghanistan isn't making America safer? That endless war creates endless enemies? What if he showed enough political courage to say that 100 percent security from terrorism isn't possible? That the mad, quixotic attempt to achieve it is sacrificing the lives of our best and bravest while it bankrupts the treasury? Who in the world would be angry with him except the Washington war lobby and Osama bin Laden?"

READ the whole article here!!
And then go ahead and read the most recent Garrison Keillor article.
Another simple and sweet one!

Shiner!

Face meets stairs.
This doesn't even look as
bad as it actually looks.
Bad enough that when I
walk around town with him
I get double takes and then
the once over.

This time he "twipped" on the
stairs playing with Ry.

With all the time he spends
jumping off things I am actually
surprised we haven't had the
tooth chip or the stitches in the
chin.
(yes, I am knocking on wood!!)

He's pretty cute.
Still has those vampire teeth!