A-Protesting We Will Go!

 So proud of our fellow local Americans! Despite lousy weather- chilly, intermittent rain, windy- lots of us turned up in a near by town. Like 500 people! Pretty impressive as it's not a large town! The Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz spoke, as well as other several governmental luminaries and a teenager who is 1/2 Ukrainian and many other. The signs were terrific- lots of wit among protesters!!

Even American flags waving for all those nay-saying rethuglican nabobs! First we stood by the street- a great setting as it's a four way stop light... a major intersection. It was gratifying that so many horns honked their approval. A few middle fingers were aimed at us by MAGA trolls but we expected that. What surprised me was the number of large trucks- like dump trucks and big delivery trucks- that air horn blasted their approval- with upraised solidarity fists! Everyone joined in! Probably the most "interesting" were the individuals in cars who looked straight ahead and tried to pretend we weren't there. What were they thinking?!??!

Then we all marched up and around the flag pole which was impressive as there was a really long line of us. Here's a shot in front of me:

It was just great being among sooooo very many people who feel the same way: Hands Off Social Security! Hands Off Colleges and Libraries! Hands Off Veteran's Benefits! Hands Off Medicaid and MediCare! Hands Off LGBTQ rights! Hands Off Immigrants! Fuck Elon! Fuck the Orange Menace! No Kings! Everyone was so nice, laughing and having a good time...

It was interesting that as we marched up to the flag pole, we passed a restaurant. Some of the diners gave us a thumb's up in between forking down mid-day meals. Others pointedly kept their eyes on their plates... we've got your number!

And of course, as Bob and I are dedicated gardeners and plant enthusiasts, I snapped a picture of what we presume is some sort of witch hazel. Attractive small tree!

If you look closely, you can see protesters between the branches. And what does one do after a satisfying day of activism? Eats paczki (Polish donuts made at Easter time. Pronounce "punch-key". Weird). It was a good day!

Notes From a Childless Dog and Pony Lady

 

Oh Lordy! Another political post from a "miserable" (NOT!!) Democrat "lady". (*1) You will note the date- I was an early supporter of Kamala Harris (along with Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders... I even have an Andrew Yang tee shirt. I collected the whole set!) And as far as "childless"... yes, I am that and very happily so! I can offer no explanations for why people want spawn; they cause so many complications and cost lots of money and are (apparently) frequently "ungrateful".(*2) (*3)

So much has happened in the last two or so weeks and my head is spinning. I am cautiously hopeful despite understanding that fully half of this country is crazy and will happily (?!?!!?) endorse and support a convicted criminal and the electoral college renders the popular vote incidental. Does this make sense? How about that "one person, one vote" thing? Alas...

But I'm sure that you're as thrilled as I am that the orange menace chose a sofa-humping faux hillbilly as a running mate. He is apparently the least-liked vice presidential pick... in history? Hahahahha! And why the party (read "cult") of trump thinks it's a good idea to send half the population of the United States back to the Stone Age is truly beyond me. Big mistake- YUGE!- to pick Vance. Huuzzah.

At least we have the Olympics to detract our few remaining brain cells from constant political insanity. We signed up for yet another streaming service so as to be able to watch the Olympics in all their glory. We enjoyed the Opening Ceremonies featuring some entirely odd and entertaining tableaus: like Drag Queen Last Suppers and Blue Men on Heaps of Fruit. Bob watched boring swimming and terrifying tennis on the Big TV while I repaired to the office to watch hours of equestrian events on the computer. I saw the Dressage and Cross country parts of the Eventing Competition and was so inspired that the last two times I rode Neko, we had fun (*4) playing Olympic contenders. 

Here's Neko training for the sport she excels at: eating.Gold medal for this pony! 

I think I'm offering a gentle suggestion that we temper our political enthusiasms with spasms of other interests... like the Olympics. We've been so exhausted and stressed by wondering what was/is going to happen to American democracy that sometimes even I need a break. Let's hear it for athletics and good, wholesome exercise!

(*1) Not sure anyone would ever mistaken me for a "lady". Although, I have been "ma'am'd" at the store occasionally which also blows my mind...

(*2) With the exception of exceptional children like myself, who were always (ALWAYS!!) exceptionally good and smart and well-behaved. (Except for not being "lady-like".)

(*3) And children smell strangely. And they're terrifying. And the world's going to end because of rethuglican policies and general greed and environmental disasters so having children is nihilist and cruel.

(*4) Well I had fun and Neko tolerated my antics. She's a good sport to put up with me and my endless narration of all the obstacles and trials I put her through. 

Exhaustion... And Relief!

 

I'm so relieved! So relieved, in fact, that I am starting a new piece that has NOTHING TO DO with The Orange Menace or all the lies and trouble he has caused. How's THAT for radical??!?! Although when I was shopping for fabric, I had three people exclaim, "Oh! that's such pretty material! What are you going to make?" (I think they expected me to say, "A winsome frock!" or some such nicety.) I replied, "I make profanity-laced political banners." One woman retorted, "Oh, that's nice." Another older (even than me) woman asked and I once more offered that I make political banners. She suggested that the election is over... implying that there's no room for politics anymore. I replied that although I was very happy with the outcome of the election, as an artist, there is always something political to address. Such is my mission!

But yes, relief and exhaustion. I know that many of us are experiencing this combination. I wanted to call friends and sing praises of democracy in action, but I've been so tired that crawling into bed and reading and then... YES!! SLEEPING!! Deep, restful sleep. Or, more to the point, safe and restful, sleep, sleep, sleep.(*1) I am certain we face many up-hill and stupid battles between here and inauguration day (biggest one EVER!!) thanks to intransigent rethuglicans and a little poor-loser dictator that just won't quit. But we won!

And how's this for a hopeful sign? I was walking past the compost pile and I spied something orange. It was a gazania, alive and still in bloom despite last week's below freezing temperatures and being chucked out of a pot. A bit of sunshine to help us along!

(*1) Although I did have a truly weird dream that Rudy Giuliani helped me steal a very large (blue) dump truck to help try and rescue someone. He was actually a good person in the dream; how warped is that?!?

 

 

'Tis the Season

 As you may have noticed, I am seriously interested in politics and especially this upcoming presidential election as democracy itself is on the line. And with COVID 19 on the rise (again), the issue of voting is increasingly fraught as so many obstacles present: who wants to risk voting in person (and perhaps standing in line for hours and hours as seen in some states with early voting?!*(1) and get sick, the rethuglicans are threatening to intimidate those that show up to vote in person, the US Postal Service is under attack and being messed up by... you guessed it! rethuglicans and (once more) rethuglicans are removing ballot boxes and polling stations in some states and putting out phony ballot boxes in others (like California: and they're putting them at churches and gun shops(!?!?)

So it stands to reason that Bob and I- taking no chances and trusting nothing to fate- sent out our requests for absentee ballots in a timely fashion. Most of our friends also requested their ballots and have voted, too. So Bob's ballot appeared about and a half  week ago; he signed it and drove it to the town hall and deposited it in the secure ballot drop box. I checked the mail box the next day, and the next day, thinking maybe they mailed the ballots out alphabetically and me being a "V", I was later in line. But a week went by and I'm starting to think, "Hello! Me of all people! I'm constantly haranguing friends to vote early and I'm not getting my ballot. Maybe they put me on a "Do Not Let her Vote" List." Yesterday, I finally called the town hall and they agreed I should have received one as it had been sent out like two weeks ago!

This morning, I went to the town hall in person and had to sign a request for a replacement ballot. The irony, of course, is that I had to put in an appearance and I've been seriously trying to minimize the time I spend in public. I filed the form and then asked that they give me the ballot so I could fill it out RIGHT NOW, which I did as I had no need to reconsider for whom I was voting. 

I asked for am "I Voted" sticker but they didn't have any so I'll have to make my own.

So... I VOTED!! But I did have to work at it...

*(1) And leave it to me to wonder where do you go take a pee if you're standing in line for hours at a time?!? That's a major concern!

Who Wore It Better? (And Other Goings On)

                              
                              

Well... what do you think? Bob was channeling his inner Billy Porter and I was fortunate enough to capture him on camera. I guess we needed a bit of light hearted diversion as there's so much grimness out there: like the death of democracy! But hey! Who's counting?
Anyway, I vow not to be political in this post as we all need a break but WTF?!?!!? Our newly minted king is already feeling his wild oats and wreaking havoc throughout the kingdom...  Arrrughh! What was I just saying? Hard NOT to be obsessed with all things political. Well, thanks to Mitt Romney anyway.
Okay, here's something completely different. Bob (although not wearing that attractive lampshade head ornament) has been inspired to build a nice wooden gate behind our wood pile, which serves to not only provide a back stop for our fire wood, but shields us from the neighbor's house.

Looks almost religious. Hahahaha! That's just the difference in wood tones between the fence sections he used to construct the two gate panels and the reinforcing vertical strips. Soon enough, they will all weather to the same shade. The gate now easily opens so that we can simply back the truck up and unload firewood. We used to have to toss it over the fence which was way more work and supremely awkward. Additionally, when we sit on our terrace and enjoy our afternoon coffee or a nice pre-dinner cocktail, we no longer have to catch glimpses of our neighbor's suburban Shangri La.
Awesome; let's hear it for Bob!
The next picture tells a sadder tale:

While strolling about the garden, desperately wishing for the arrival of an early spring, I couldn't help but remark to myself that our DeGroot's Spire Arborvitae looked particularly slim. (They're supposed to be narrow, but this was extreme). Several days later, it looked even skinnier. It dawned on me that we have fallen prey to the scourge of foraging deer, a fate we have been spared until now. I was so pissed! They even chewed off DeGroot's little topknot; I sure hope he recovers this spring! I swaddled him as a protection, but it's too late to have prevented the damage done. No longer will I be cavalier and assume we're lucky. This spring will bring a stepped up campaign of spraying deer repellent and vigilance!





















          

Hopping Mad

I am so disgusted, infuriated, upset and pissed off about the Impeachment hearings that I am spluttering. No witnesses?!??!!?!? Please, on what god-forsaken planet does this make any sense?
And while, yes, I know, that it was a forgone conclusion from the get-go that The Orange Menace would never be found guilty by that stacked deck of a rethuglican dominated Senate, I am still beside myself. The rethuglicans don't even pretend to care about The Constitution, the rule of law... the truth(!!!) anymore!
And since when is it okay to declare before "the trial" even begins that you have made up your mind and are going to side with the defendant and not be open to changing your mind- even if new compelling evidence comes to light? Why are these partisan lunatics not excused from the proceedings? I can only hope that history judges these imbeciles harshly!
So while I am not surprised by the inevitable outcome, I was hoping that four*(1)- or even five!- rethuglicans would have a shred of decency left and at least request witnesses, especially ones with that all important first-hand evidence. Morally bankrupt! A special circle of Hell has been custom-constructed to house these corrupt weasels. But let's face it: did I expect any less from a party that has thrown it's complete and unswerving support behind a dangerous charlatan and dictator wannabe?!?!?*(2)
Vote those bums out of office! Save our democracy! I personally look forward to a weekend of John Bolton and Lev Parnas and anyone else with a story to tell coming forward... not that it will change anything. And as my sister assured me, not many people are paying attention or really even care.
As if all that wasn't awful enough, England is going Brexit today and Corona virus is causing global panic. What's a Libtard to do?!??! (And for the uninitiated, FUBAR is an acronym for Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition. My new piece. Thank you.)

*(1) Susan Collins voted to hear witnesses because she knew that the people of Maine are working to get her booted and she needed to score a few points. Mitt Romney's motives are a bit more complicated and I have to say maybe he has a bit of integrity?
*(2) I offer as a small (not really) bright spot the fact that it might have been even worse had The Orange Menace been found guilty and then removed and (retch) Mike Pence would be president. I tell you, weird religious rethuglicans are even more dangerous as they masquerade as "normal". I ask, "What IS normal anymore??!?!?!??!?"

Some of Rita's Musings on Artists Books

Here's an image from "Better Guns and Gardens", my artists book of the hour as the show at Artspace, CT (Un) Bound opens tonight! This has led to a loose collection of thoughts about artists books. We were walked through the show at Artspace and an associated show of artists books at Yale. Certain themes spring to mind while considering the realm of artists books...
First is that my books don't really resemble many of the other artists books. Many artists books are "one offs" as in so-called altered books (taking a pre-existing volume and manipulating it, often through carving into it or shredding it), or high end, fine letter press type set books that seem to want to lovingly replicate earlier volumes, or "books" made out of ropes or glass or conceptual materials. Many artists books seem to exist as single idea repositories- like the book that has wheels and looks like a model car. Or the book that has a bolt and a lock through it. Many don't even have pages.
Of the books that have multiple pages, many are shown only open to a single double page spread and remain that way until a curator or museum official comes through, dons gloves and turns it to another page. Almost all the books- single ideas, cut, sliced, riced and diced reside in vitrines where you can look, but not touch.
Herein lies one of my issues (and you knew I had to have one or two!). These books lie there, shrouded under glass or plexi, like so many patients in isolation or premature infants in incubators. They're like invalids that require oxygen and sterile conditions to live. (And in the off chance that you can handle the book, you are required to wear white gloves to protect the book from your grubby mitts.)  I find this peculiar, off putting and very contradictory.

Books, by their very definition (except those made by solitary monks in sequestered monasteries) are democratic. They're relatively cheap, mass produced and available. This is what makes knowledge accessible and dangerous. Even artists books seem more comfortable existing in editions- however small. They are meant to be picked up, poured over and handled. You really can't do this with any other art form. Paintings, drawings, sculptures are all on pedestals and in frames and your eyes can walk over them and you can physically move around them but you don't pick them up. They're not portable (generally speaking!).
Artists books, on the other hand call out to be fondled. I was the only artist at the show yesterday who's work was made to be picked up and groped. We all stood looking longingly at several of the books housed in glass sarcophagus, and collectively sighed how nice it would be to see the next page. But you can't... I understand why this is not always practical (too much finger dirt, people sneezing and oozing on the page) but it's unfortunate. We all know the artist handled their own books- without those white gloves- and passed it around at parties to their friends. But once collected, most artists books are doomed to an early death.
Here's where I step in. All of my books are made of indestructible materials like plastic and packing tape. Drooled on the book? Wipe it clean! Tore a page? Stick another piece of tape on it! And the fact that they're most often laser and photo copied at a large copy center only makes them more affordable. I say, bring on the man and woman handle-able artist book!