Spring Break

It was so warm, so sunny, so NICE that you could almost forget that it is only the beginning of February. And whether it's a slightly late January thaw or an aberrant benevolent snap, it really doesn't matter... it was beautiful weather.
When I checked the thermometer, saw that it read a hair above 60 degrees, I removed our thermal window cover and let the sun and warmth stream in. It made me feel so much more optimistic and want to do things...
Perhaps I overdid, as today I can barely walk. I went (horseback) riding for the first time in over a month. It felt both oddly familiar and strangely odd to be aboard a fuzzy 900 pound being. The riding part came back to me quickly- thank goodness or my riding instructor would probably have brandished a quirt about my ears!- but my muscles felt savaged and resistant, and that's despite my exercising diligently at home! Riding calls into play all manner of interesting muscle groups; inner thigh and lower abdomen particularly. It feels good to work these areas, but not so good that sitting still for a few minutes makes getting and crossing the room a uniquely torturous adventure.
Adding to my soreness was my enthusiasm to cut back some of the grasses and perennials in the long border. The birds have no doubt eaten all the seeds they're going to eat and the plants are shattered from beatings of ice and rain. They look messy so I lopped them back and dragged them away. Now my shoulders are protesting...

Maybe that's why my latest WTF sculpture is green- a longing for spring. I am excited about the second kind of Spring Break I'm celebrating here. My work is  being included in a booth at the eponymous art fair (Spring Break). This is something I have wanted for years. My work was almost taken to an art fair a few years back and I was sorely disappointed (more soreness!) when my sometimes art dealer (hi Ellen!) decided not to participate. (Let's be real: art fairs are expensive and peculiar, a very complicated aspect of an already complicated contemporary art market). Many people express disdain and contempt for art fairs; truth be known, they are like shopping malls for art consumption. People stagger around, ostentatiously absorbing Kulture and impressing each other with their conspicuous "good taste". But as an artist, you gotta love the exposure! Holy cow! How many eyes will fall upon my work?!?!?? I'm psyched.
Another good reason to throw back the curtains and enjoy the nice weather!

Gardens Away

This is what happens when you move a garden. I suppose a brief aside is called for in addressing the "perfect universe" idea of how to move 20 years worth of plants. I thought I was so smart; I was going to hold a "Garden Tag Sale" and sell of many of my perennials and with the amassed proceeds, I would purchase a whole garden's worth of flowers and shrubs! Ha! As we all know, Bob and I moved in January so that was out of the question.
In the meantime, our truck was out of commission (don't even ask- another long story) so we were unable to move the plants until now. (In the midst of pouring rain and mud, but I guess the upside is there's no need to water!). Bob was a good sport and helped despite it being one of the top ten unpleasant days to do it on. Now we have to heal them all into that virgin vegetable patch as we don't really have perennial beds laid out.
But anyone who has gardened for any length of time knows that a  favorite plant (or twenty) are like good friends and you don't just abandon them. Additonally, perennials aren't cheap and many hard to find ones are even more expensive so replacing them is a costly enterprise. (Have I mentione dtaht we have a million other things to spend filthy lucre on?)
I will also admit to a tinge of sadness on seeing my old gardens. The new tenant has apparantly had no interest in maintaining our gardens or starting new ones. The property looked abandoned and unloved.  I was very happy to rescue as many plants as I could. They deserved better!!!

On a postive and potentially humourous note, however, I can attest to the antics a drenched woman in a clown suit as being a real conversation starter for our new neighbors (their house in above photo).  I have an embarrassing plastic rain coat that did little to camoflage my being adorned from head to foot in mud.