A Snowy Start

 

Well yes, a snowy start to 2024 but let's see how long that snow lasts! Not having had almost any for two years, it is interesting to contemplate a world of white. It's supposed to rain- like torrents!- tonight and probably turn all that snow into slush. Tomorrow is going to be almost 50 degrees so goodbye snow!

Januaury 3rd saw the anniversary of our having moved to the BauHaus Chicken Coop a full twelve years ago. As a friend remarked: time does fly! I have also posted over 800 (!!! Yikes!!) blogs describing our time here. I realize I haven't posted quite as diligently in the last year... but really? We've been really busy and soemtimes I just forget to document all the weird and wonderful things we've done.

And don't expect brilliance from me today. I haven't slept well in three (count 'em 3!!) days and am running on fumes. As the weather is supposed to disintegrate into nastiness soon, I may just crawl back to bed and hibernate. Wish me pleasant dreams!

Autumn Already

Wet! Wet! Wet! We have had soooo much rain! Our stream became a crazy intractable torrent an dthreatened to dislodge our bridges. It's subsided now but the wet summer into fall as caused our maples leaves to drop without even changing color.

Here's a still shot of our typically tractable stream in full explosion mode:

Pretty impressive! Too bad we don't have hydroelectric capability; we could certainly generate power to the house with this voulume of water.

Here are two lawn chairs that I think we sat in... once? twice? Not often. I just put the cushions away. It was either too hot or it was rainy. We chose to sit on the terrace in our other chairs and attempt to hide from the bugs, which loved the wet weather and came calling with atypical frequency.

See our big maple past the wood pile? Not many leaves left and they never turned golden like they usually do. This is true all around us and up through Massachusetts, where we recently took a field trip. Not much foliage to gawk, even further north.

Some impressive fairy rings appeared on the lawn as the dew has been very heavy. That's cool but I just don't feel ready for fall into winter quite yet. Yes, our "non-anniversay" will happen (35 years!!!!) but that signals frost and then ice and snow and sleet and horrors! Cold weather!

I think the world being in such a terrible mess (*1) that the approach of shortened days and winter seems even gloomier. Maybe I'll hibernate this year. Just remember to wake me up in spring!

(*1) Don't get me started... really. Just stop now while we're ahead.

 

A Good Night's Sleep

 

We all recognize that a good night's sleep is important. And that goes double for someone who is sick... like me. Yes! After successfully avoiding getting sick for three full years, thanks to vaccines and boosts and masks and hand washing (and wringing) and learning not to touch my face, I came down with a "common cold". I'm not sure where or from whom this unwelcome rhinovirus originated (A lab? The "fresh market"?) but I'm pretty sure it's the garden variety of head cold. (*1)

But despite illness and snow, one still needs to perform the farm chores. There's Neko- smart horse! enjoying breakfast in her barn- and yes, that's hay hanging out of her mouth. So now that we've all eaten and been watered, I can repair back to bed. Because, as I introduced this post, a good night's sleep is advised.

So last night I fell asleep almost immediately after watching Part 1 of The 1619 Project (enthralling) and missed all of Bob's night time story, apparently about a motorcycle gang. But I woke up at about 12:15 and just could not get back to sleep. This probably had something to do that I awoke unable to breath and gasping for air with my mouth open like a fish. Additionally, my eyes were watering so heavily I felt as if I were crying. As a bonus, the whole of my face hurt (*2) probably because of the pressure of my sinuses. Such fun! Then I lay there, unable to return to dream land- or at least unconsciousness. 

(A stock photo of our beloved Robin the Good as she refused to be photographed for this blog and I'm not sure why as she's very pretty and very photogenic!) Anyway Robin is the star of the next episode of my Very Unpleasant Night as about 2:30 (yes, I was still awake!) Robin commenced making a quite impressive range of canine vocalizations signaling that she needed something. In this case, I correctly surmised that despite it being 2:30 in the morning and there being a miserable mixture of snow and rain falling, she needed to go outside to relive herself.

As I turned over to rouse myself from bed and dress appropriate to the hour and the inclement weather, I proceeded to knock my full glass of bedside water over, where it landed on Robin's bed. I attempted- in the dark and quietly so as not to wake Bob up- to mop up the water with a towel from the laundry basket. There was a lot of it and Robin's bed was soaked. Robin was displaying her impatience to go outside so I finished dressing hurriedly and we threw ourselves down the stairs and out the door into winter wonderland. At this point, all I could do was laugh with a bit of hysteria thrown in. 

Robin completed her outdoor mission and we returned to the bedroom where Robin was offended to find her bed had been wet down and messed up. I had to make her a temporary bedding with a couple of flannel sheets and a towel which I am certain she viewed as inferior to her usual bed and worthy of a display similar to the Princess and the Pea. (*3)

Robin was soon snoring, Bob was asleep and I was still wide awake, attempting to doze propped up on pillows, hurting and exhausted. I finally did nod off at like 4:30. Which is why I'm going back to bed right now. Good night!!

(*1) It followed my "classic" development of a cold: sore throat upon awakening, then a progression to stuffed up nose and the impossibility of breathing. Nothing exotic but if I get really enthusiastic later maybe I'll stick a swab up my nose and see if COVID finally came to call!

(*2) Mommy used to describe this as neuralgia, a nerve pain upside the head. It abated after a dose of ibuprofen but it truly was insult to injury.

(*3) In which the princess proves herself to be a Princess by claiming to have not slept at all and is covered in bruises because she felt a single pea placed under a 100 mattresses or so. My little princess...

Here Comes Winter!

 

It's about time, isn't it?!? I'm not winter's biggest fan, but we're well into the second third of January and... what? No sub-zero temperatures, no snow (or hardly any) as the above picture suggests. We've had a miserable amount of chilly, dreary days. And rain! (In case you hadn't noticed.)

It was just Monday that we had snow and most of it had melted by this morning. Today's promised rain/snow/sleet "event" (with high winds!) was largely a no-show (no-snow?) Yes, we now have a 1/2 inch of white stuff that will disappear later tonight- when the temperature rises to the 50's.

Here's one of Bob's sculptures, enjoying the winter weather. You will notice the grass is actually turning greener. Okay so my mixed feelings run like this: I'm glad for mild weather as I have an opening for my show on Friday and it's supposed to be pretty nice: sunny and in the upper 30's. But another side of me is scared that we're so far along the Climate Change curve that we're at a point of no return. (*1) January should be cold, dark, snowy and yes! Miserable! It shouldn't be masquerading as late February or March.

So... can we (ironically) cross our fingers and toes that nasty weather finally finds us? It's a mixed hope whatever comes our way...

(*1) And don't get me started on the fact that the so-called Dooms Day Clock is closer to midnight than ever before.

Weather or Not

 

Nothing "candy ass" about the weather! Ay ca-rumba! One day it's 50 degrees and sunny, the next day it's 10 degrees with a wind chill of minus 5... then we get snow. Then we get weird rain and now we have three inches of soon-to-be frozen slop. I'm not looking forward to tomorrow when I try and venture out to feed the poor horses who have been struggling to remain upright on ice. Maggie went and cut her leg on something sharp (while eating her breakfast?) and her paddock looked like a crime scene. I was going to photograph it but even I demurred; too gruesome! I washed her leg off, and despite her protestations, treated her wound with Vetericyn and bandaged it. It seemed fine by this afternoon, no more bloody snow!

So at least the evil weather has proven to be fertile time for me to get into my studio and make art. Incidentally, it was so cold for three days that I didn't even attempt to make a fire in the wood stove in my studio. I worked- like old times!- in the living room. Today, I was back in the studio, cutting out letters for a new piece. Betcha wonder what this one is going to say?!?!?! You'll just have to wait until I decide to share my newest "words of the day". 

Here's a detail. Yes, all of those tiny dots are individual seed beads, hand sewn on. I was referencing that weird (to my mind anyway!) candy that came on strips of paper. It always had bits of paper stuck to the back of the individual dots and I can't for the life of me remember it tasting like anything at all. But some friends have confessed to LIKING that candy. Go figure!

And little did I know that there is a queer, Jewish, male artist named Cary Liebowitz who goes by the name "Candy Ass". And he and I have a lot in common when you look at his work: he uses text- often scrawled in a awkward, hand written sort of way, he uses profanity (who me?!?), references the art world ... and he's funny. Check it out! Anyway, I knew nothing about him until a friend mentioned him to me on Instagram. You learn something every day!
 

                                               

 I decided to do my Candy Ass piece because my good friend Wasil often used this phrase to refer to stupid, clumsy or weak things or people. (He doesn't recall using this phrase but where the hell would I come up with it??!?!) I am dedicating this piece to Wasil... he's not candy ass at all!!

 

Already Waiting for Spring

 

I don't know about you, but I'm ready for spring.The days have been getting shorter and darker, I'm still in a state of continual re-adjustment to the time change and suddenly it's cold. But tell that to the above primroses. These flowers are usually a tell-tale sign that spring has arrived; these crazy plants seem to bloom all year long. It's November, it's 23 degrees over night and they're like, "Perfect weather!" The kicker is that they came from Stop and Shop or Shop Rite- yes, I guess the variety is Super Market Mix. I buy them (marked down, of course!) in February so as to have color in the house and then plant them outdoors when spring finally arrives. Originally I thought we'd get a season's flowers and then they'd die but boy did I get a tremendous surprise when they came back, year after year. Truly perennial! 

I've got quite a few of them now. Last year, they were blooming in the snow so go figure: they must be some new mutant variety dreamed up in some horticulturist's perverse lab. But they're pretty and cheap so you gotta love them!

Okay but the main reason for my post is that I finally planted all the bulbs I bought:

As I've said before, bulbs are great; if you plant them and if they don't come up, no big deal! No one knows you wasted your time and money on them... not like some fancy-pants, over-priced perennial that looks swell at the nursery but immediately withers and dies when installed in your garden. So I planned on obtaining some bulbs. I have a spot where I plant tulips every year and then yank them to plant annuals. (Most tulips being not-too-perennial but soooooo lovely!) While bob and I were in Vermont recently, switching out his remarkable sculptures, I requested that we visit the Bennington Home Depot to see if they had marked down bulbs. Yes they did! And good colors! So for 50% off, I got Pink Impression and a beautiful mix called "Pride" (purples and pinks and reds). Also a bag of deep blue hyacinths for the Blue Garden.

I didn't stop there, however. Enthused by my luck and lured by the sales from nurseries that filled up my email in-box, I ordered petite miniature daffodils (Jack Sprite and Tete-a-Tete) and aliums (Bulgaricum and Christophii) and more tulips! Just you wait 'til next spring! Our gardens are going to be jumping! (*1)

(*1) I was fortunate that I encountered several warm sunny days to stagger around our vast estate, pushing a wheel barrow full of assorted bulbs, looking for spots to tuck them all in. It wouldn't have been fun had it been as cold as it was this morning!

Cracks of Spring

 

I have been heartened recently by the sudden cracks of spring appearing in the world.  Yes, a new administration that doesn't embarrass us, a slowly returning sense of some decorum and peace but I mean this in a simpler way. The never-ending snows of February seem to be ending, we've experienced several 50 and 60 plus degree days and I even saw glimpses of lawn. Let's all utter a gigantic sigh of relief!

But wait; this morning on arising and letting little Robin the Good out the door, what did I spy!?!??! It's (gasp!) snowing again! Here, allow me to torture you with a picture:

Oh mercy! haven't we had enough?!?!? (I think you know my answer.) (Robin the Good was supposed to make a guest appearance but ran off way too quickly on some evil assignment of her own.)

I am being a tad melodramatic as it was a mere dusting and now what's falling from on high is simply a mix of rain and some freezing concoction, but can we just keep the sunny warm stuff going?

I was touring my Spring/Lilac/Daffodil Garden area yesterday and could feel the swellings of bulb noses waiting to erupt. And the lilacs definitely show burgeoning tips. They're ready too! The ground down there has warmed, the snow had (notice past tense) disappeared, and walking through this section of the yard was possible without sinking boot-high in crusty snow drifts. 

But I think I'll just keep looking at that hopeful begonia at the top of the page. It knows the light is changing. It's not quite ready to go outside and take it's chances but it senses better weather coming. Another sure sign that Spring is near is the horses beginning the months-long process of shedding their winter coats; my hand comes back from patting Neko coated in copper hairs. And the birds! the birds are singing a happier song!

Bob At It Again!

 

Alright, here's the requisite snow picture. The only nice thing I can say about that is how lovely and regal Robin the Good looks silhouetted against all that white nihilism.

I apologize for my blog-posting absence, but I've preoccupied with the abundance of snow (yes, officially the "s" word) that has appeared outside. I guess I could exclaim, "Finally!" as we've had a negligible amount to date, but I prefer to grumble, "Is it spring yet?!?" as everything is harder and wetter and colder to do when there's a foot plus of that stuff outside...

So while I've been complaining, my partner Bob has been busy improving our life indoors. Remember how he made this fabulous balustrade and railing? Well, he got to work making another section of our upstairs so much nicer.

 Behind the door of our office, there has been a "problem site", to put it politely. We have a sorta-closet alcove that previously harbored a slew of boxes with our accumulated tax stuff and other assorted paperwork. A partial improvement occurred a few years back when Bob installed a random set of cupboards in which to hide our financial records. I scored a low cabinet at work (remember when I "worked"? No, blissfully, I don't either!) and we had always meant to install it beneath the cupboards. 

I tried this one day like a year ago, and was chagrined to discover that because of a narrow strip of baseboard trim, the cabinet wouldn't fit. I mean, we're talking so close and yet so far... Said cabinet then resided in our office, stacked up and unusable until Bob came to the rescue and sawed away that bit of molding. Now the cabinet fits! And we places to actually file things...

Here it is open, with Robin the Good surveying our finances...

Truly, the most exciting outcome of this operation is that Bob and I then spent part of a day throwing out tons (and I mean tons) of outdated paperwork and tax returns from like twelve years ago and random bank statements from banks we haven't banked at in a decade. Liberating! Plus all that paper becomes perfect fire starting material for our wood stoves...

And here's yet another cabinet that Bob improved! Is there no end of his home-improvement wizardry?!?! In the kitchen, Bob had fashioned a narrow cabinet next to the stove, perfect for stowing cookie sheets and other flat stuff. Bob has complained that it was too dark so he took some noisy little tool that cuts into tight places and he created a window.

                                           

Hey Presto! Let there be light! (Yes, that's Bob waving from the inside of the cabinet. ) I fear Bob may be at an end of cabinet repairs; I wonder what he'll start on next?

Color COVID

At what point do I get to wake up somewhere other than Vladimir Putin's America? Here it is- May 9th- and I'm swaddled in my winter clothing, picking through the woodpile searching for a few sticks to burn? It's actually flurrying with the sun out and we're all still quarantined from COVID 19 and WTF!! When I walked back from the mailbox, it was near white-out conditions...
I have begun the lovely task of assembling annuals, perennials and shrubs and vegetable plants to populate our many gardens and beds but I had to hustle them all back into my studio so they didn't freeze to death last night. And what of the hummingbirds?!  There have been a bunch of them- right on schedule!- flying around and landing on our feeder; I may have to install a nectar heater! But where do they spend the night?

This isn't half of them! The seedlings and tender things are all over our dining table and every available window sill. (We have temporary shelving on several windows...) Even today, the wind is so strong and sharp that they're all hunkered down inside.
So I had an exciting adventure yesterday morning. I called our local hardware/feed store and ordered and pre-paid for the horse food I need so that I wouldn't have to enter the building. As is typical protocol now, they said they'd leave the two bags on the rear loading dock. I drove our trusty car (running like a top!) to the back of the store, put it in reverse and hoped for the best. I say this because the driveway leading up to the loading dock is seriously narrow and surrounded on both sides high concrete walls and a chain link fence too boot. Add to the already trying circumstances is that I have my sunglasses and face mask on so that the mask was causing the sunglasses to fog slightly. I carefully calibrated that the right passenger side of the car was the trickier side to gauge my proximity to the imposing wall and backed up... BAM!!! Oh, I hit something!!
I pulled my car forward, exited and went to survey the damage. Trusty the Car looked fine but when I turned around, I realized that I had hit the corner post and it had caused the chain link fence to bow out. Yikes!

See? Nothing! Bernie didn't even get scratched! (I had feared having smashed a taillight or dented the fender area.)
Needless to say, I was mortified and knew I had to do the right thing. So I gloved up- already in my mask- and entered the store, which of course, was packed with customers and there were no sales people free. I exited and instead confessed by cell phone what I had done. I also walked to the back of the store and found three (3!!) male employees on the loading dock (all wearing masks) shaking their heads and... LAUGHING! Like "hahahaha; dumb blonde!!" In this case, I really didn't care as I confided just how stupid I felt and offered insurance information if they needed to press charges or put in a claim. But they were great and made plans among themselves to straighten it out. (In truth, it wasn't that bad!) They actually asked if I had gotten my two bags of beet pulp okay (yes, but need I remind you, these weigh 50 pounds apiece!) and told me to "have a nice day". I told Bob that the next time he went to our hardware store, he should view my signature "Damage by Rita" installation. I may avoid the store myself for a while as I'm certain they'll all be giggling at me when I come in...

Waiting For The End of The World

Well... maybe not the end as we seem to be receiving (thankfully!) way less accumulation of snow and ice than previously projected. Bob had run out on Saturday and stocked up on provisions and I'm glad he did. Despite there being less precipitation, it's a nasty, messy mix of ice and rain and snow and... remind me why we live in New England?!?!

I've been running outside to minister to Maggie and all of her needs- hay, grain (2x a day) and fresh (unfrozen) water. (Plus I like to go out and hang around with her for a while as I think she's bored. I offer her encouragement and break up the monotony.) Maggie does insist upon standing out in this unpleasantness despite 24/7 access to her lovely stall. She even goes in and drags her hay out; what's a horse owner to do??!?!

Robin and I see eye to eye. She wants to go out, but is pretty happy to return inside and get toweled off. In the picture above, she's imploring me to stop fiddling with the camera and PLEASE OPEN THE DOOR!!

I'm happiest in my studio with the wood stove generating almost too much heat. I call it The Florida Room. I finished sewing diamonds all the way around my latest piece yesterday and today I embark on a new-ish project. I am (finally) starting my latest book, "A Pot To Piss In (or: What's an Artist Urn? (Earn)) about income disparity and my lowly place in the economical hierarchy that is modern day America. I have actually been playing with these ideas for a couple of years but become so extraordinarily depressed when contemplating the magnitude of the situation that I have not gotten much further than a few trial images and then holding my head in my hands in despair. Alas! I like my artist book offerings to be funny (or at least trenchantly amusing) but this one seems dark and unrelenting. Perhaps I'll win the lottery before long and can change the timbre of of my tome to one of financial success and optimism! Fat chance!

Not Ready For Cold Weather!!

Not very thrilling, huh? To you it may look simply like an empty plastic bucket, but to me it signals victory. I did it: I planted the three million daffodil and tulip bulbs I "accidentally" ordered!
The "accident" part is a somewhat amusing story of friends collaborating on an order and a few substitutions later, I wind up with a lot of bulbs. I had anticipated the spots I had marked in my Lilac Border would be sufficient for the thirty or so white daffodil bulbs I intended to plant. Believe me, I got varieties that I'm certain will be marvelous, but I had to dig quite a few more holes and prepare an entire new area. Suffice it to say that next year's garden is going to be spectacular. I am eagerly awaiting the vernal appearance of "Snowboard", "Frosty Snow", "Thalia", and "Starry Night"- and that's just the daffodils! (These, of course, are to compliment the "Ice Follies", "Mount Hood", "Thalia" and "Barrett Browning already in place!)
I was fortunate that despite a couple of rainy days (read downpours) that impeded my planting, (along with several art-related events that I was frantically preparing for) it was relatively mild and I was able to get everyone buried before the snows fly. Yes, it is expected to rain and then snow today, in direct contrast to yesterday's benevolent 60 degree weather. I'm for sure not prepared for that! It was nice to plant in reasonable temperatures; typically, I am a "cheap date" and I purchase my bulbs marked down at home improvement centers in late November and flirt with frostbite while planting in sleet and worse. The things we endure for next year's garden!
So here's a more fantastical scene:

That's my garden helper and all around shadow Robin the Good adorning our bedazzled stairway. She looked so sweet when I took the picture, but the carpet looked so dingy that I had to improve on it. Robin thoroughly enjoys helping in the garden and keeps me in good spirits when my energy flags. (Believe me, removing the sod from another area was not what I originally anticipated!) Robin is sneaky, though, and steals gloves, empty plastic perennial pots and generally anything not weighted down in the wheelbarrow. Some help!
Anyway, everybody's planted and I'm ready for some serious indoor activity. (My mosaic project is regrettably on hold until next spring as cement isn't happy in cold weather.) My studio awaits!

Spring/Break Art Show Further Reflections on Art and Life

Did I want to wake up and see this? Did any of us want to see this? It's supposed to be spring... And where have I been, you may (or may not) wonder?!!? I'm a bit behind in the blog posting business.
I'm still recovering from Famous Artists Syndrome. (Hahahaha) Believe me, I was so "talked out" after Spring/Break The Art Show that I had a hard time wanting to communicate on any level. I did jump right back in to studio work, but I subscribed to a near-monkish silence for days. I'm kidding, of course, as I had an artist's talk/ meet 'n' greet/closing festivity at the Community College where my show, "Wordy Dervish" was on display. It looked amazing! It was a fun talk- and delightfully well attended, including a nice mix of students, faculty, friends and family (hi Cathy!) and even a few long-ish lost-ish friends we hadn't seen in ages. I do like talking about my work, so had no problem jumping right in and orating about the hows and whys of what I do. I was asked questions and (hopefully) entertained the assembled art appreciators. Now I need a vacation!

I'm so sorry (NOT!) to be making you look at snow. And it's cold and windy to boot. Stay inside and make art or read my blog; just ignore what's happening outside and it will go away!
Anyway, the great art fair moment may have passed but left me with several bulleted points* of wisdom to share:

1. Gee that was fun! It's really nice to have thousands of people streaming through you space admiring your work. Trust me- I could get used to that!

      2. Some aspects of the art fair I won't miss. The women's bathroom (helpfully labeled as
         "Woman Identifying Bath Room") after four days of heavy use began to resemble an art
          installation. The floor was flooded and dotted with bits of paper products- some used-
          and the occasional cheerful splash of blood (!), probably evidence of a sacrifice performed to
          attract the attention of Jerry Saltz or other note worthy critics. Artist will go to great lengths...
     
       3. It is hard to maintain peak health at an art fair. If you didn't have the presence of mind to
           pack lunch in, you were out of luck. Beer and wine were available, as was coffee and a few
           cookies or pastries, but no where was there meat, fruit, salad or real provisions. I demanded
           that we stop on our drive in for me to obtain a sandwich. I need sustenance in order to properly
           address my adoring masses!You also become tired on a galactic level, as standing on your feet
           and reciting the pretty-much-the-same message 5000 times takes an odd toll. Example: "Hi!
           I'm one of the artists. If you have any questions..." and "So I'm channeling my "Inner Ivanka"
           with this piece..." You get the idea.

     4. (Repeat) Gee that was fun! I hope we do it again because I'd do it again in a "New York 
         Minute"!

And I do feel something like a molasses-like flow occurring where my art work is concerned. Maybe this is (finally) the year I get connected and sell some work and get some tangible much needed recognition. Maybe? Crossing fingers!

*And my formatting is all wonky! Can't see to fix that... it reads like bad concrete poetry!
*Now here's a nicer picture of happy plants- some blooming- enjoying the warmth inside:

      

What Is It With Me and the Weather?!?!?

I know, I know: it IS Winter and everyone gets miffed with ice, snow, cold temperatures, driving wind and grey days. But sometimes, I feel the need to respond personally.
A good friend asked me that question a couple of days ago (Hi Louise!), because every time I'm supposed to do something- something important like meet the Queen or  take a trip to the Moon- the weather predictions become dire. I was supposed to address my adoring audience of art lovers and art groupies tonight at the school where my art is on display but I postponed it because it's predicted that snow will start this afternoon, and they've been coy as to how much.
Alas, on Saturday, when Bob and I are slated to go into NYC to install my work at the Spring/Break Art Fair, it's currently predicted to snow all day. I have been skating my schedule around to accommodate changing that to Friday or Sunday... but it's hell to not be certain when and if you're hopping on a train to set up the most important show of the year! And I feel badly not being courageous and damning the weather and plowing forward, come hell or high water but I have bigger concerns: like not getting in an accident and winding up damaged and without a car! (I also know that I will inconvenience my co-art stars but me thinks they receive less snow where they are (further south) and are possessed of such assets as four wheel drive and stronger stomachs for hazardous drives.
Update: As it stands now, I'm going in the evening before installation and staying over at our gallerist's home in Greenwich and we will drive (with my work securely tucked into the back of her Prius). Lord knows what the weather will bring. Yesterday's threatened snow fall turned out to be a few wonky flurries and a real dud of a storm... but I guess that's better than sliding off an on ramp into a snow bank.* Maybe I need to take a chill pill, whatever that is.
And, yes, I probably am a tad wound up because we are on the brink of an exquisite art experience! That's bound to make one jittery. It's a good thing I spent the afternoon finishing a large piece (crystals pictured above an integral part) and playing with Robin the Good!

Tired her all out...


*Unfortunately, I think I inherited an awful propensity for seeing disaster looming from my saintly mother (aka "Mommy"). She was always predicting tragedies... On the other hand, I do think that people exercise undo bravado when traveling under less than optimal conditions. And I've had waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too many harrowing journeys home in inclement weather to feel sanguine about venturing forth when blizzards and ice are expected.

Could Have Been Worse!

I never thought I'd say this but I would have taken snow! There is an inch of ice on everything. Sparkly-yes! Luminous-yes! Pretty from the house-yes! But it's miserable out there. I guess I really don't need to tell you this if you live anywhere in the NorthEast...
This morning, at 6:00 when it was -1 degree, I was half way the barn with Maggie's bucket o'slops when it dawned on me that it was dark and incredibly cold AND very slippery. If I happened to fall down no one would know (as Bob was still in bed) and I'd no doubt freeze to death. (No one that is except Robin who was already back on the terrace, waiting to go in- unusual behavior for her!) Fortunately, I'm here to write this blog so I obviously kept my footing and all is well. (How beings like Maggie stay outside is beyond me. She seemed fine, swaddled as she is in her heavy-duty high neck waterproof horse house coat.)

(Our fence, crested with Bob's magical miniature houses, are delightful in the ice.)
So we were smart and cleared the ice off the cars yesterday, figuring that they'd probably freeze shut overnight. I was deep into ice-encrusted snow removal when Bob pointed out that the tree directly above the car was leaning precariously and endangering both me and the car. I got the keys and Bob moved the car across the driveway by the truck. A half hour later, safely back in the house, I had a urge to look out the back door. Guess what:

Bob had had a premonition! The tree fell down and would have crushed the car! (in which we had only the day before replaced the starter motor.) There is indeed something to be said for trusting one's instincts! Boy winter sucks; but we had it cleaned up within an hour- that's Bob with the chain saw to the left above. But haven't I mentioned recently that that's all we did this year??!?!?)

So it could have been worse... but it's bad enough. There's ice everywhere, it's fucking freezing outside and my curator is cancelling (again). But we do have power and food and the wind wasn't as bad as predicted (which means fewer broken trees and less chance of loosing power) but we're getting "shack-y whack-y". (That's an updated form of cabin fever, according to our mechanic friend Bob). Can we believe that Wednesday is supposed to be in the 40's and rainy?
At least the lousy weather was good for something: I finished my piece, "Your Words Have Consequences".

Early Winter

Just in case anyone slept late and missed the joy of waking up to five inches of slushy snow and rain and sleet and generally miserable conditions outside, I'll present a few pictures. How about we didn't get a measly inch or two- the proverbial "dusting"- but instead went for the full-blown, all out winter presentation: Look at this mess!

There's Robin, looking like she's lost in Alaska. She alone among us professes to like the snow. I suppose when one is young and carefree, snow is a blast. Robin does enjoy being toweled off (and given a dog treat) when she comes back in. No one gives Bob or me a dog treat when we come back in... but then again, Bob made French toast and the house smelled divinely like cinnamon and maple when I came back in from feeding Maggie.

Wow! I hadn't even thought about how monochromatic our world is when it snows... just shades of grey. It's hard to believe that just Wednesday, I was planting bulbs and raking leaves and Bob was splitting wood. I sure hope that this early snow storm isn't a harbinger of a long, cold, snowy winter to come. Yikes!

*At least I'm taking the day off from work. The drive in would be a nightmare! (Besides whne I called in, no one answered the phone.) Bob maintains you can't snow blow this sort of heavy wet stuff. But you sure as hell can't shovel it, either! Maybe (wishful thinking) it will melt??!?!?

Hiding in Plain Sight

Periodically, it's good to lay low for a while or just hide out. The picture above is me- ostrich like- covering up and being invisible at work. I am still recovering from the hub bub that was my show in NYC and the constant commuting back and forth... I still need a vacation!
But at the same time, I have loads (and then some) of work to do as I have a show to install at a local college* and another show in Brooklyn in June. I love working towards shows but sometimes I experience a strange longing to have a day or two (or even three or four) where I have "nothing" to do. Gotta recharge the batteries sometime!
And this past week was especially hectic and action packed. It's been crazy busy at work (check out me disappearing above) and in the midst of setting up for another auction, I got called to jury duty. I was excused after a morning's expenditure, but I had to re-arrange my work week to accommodate the court appearance and later in the week, we went to NYC to attend a friend's opening but also just to wander around and consume art.

Look what we found in Chelsea! An expression of someone's First Amendment rights! One of the most refreshing things we saw all day. Bob and I got pretty tired of being handed stupid plastic three D glasses with built in flashlights to view photos and videos; they didn't seem to work too well and after a while it got very gimmicky. But we did see two videos that were engaging: one had wildly dancing artificial shrubbery and a loud repetitive soundtrack (sounds horrible but it was funny and quirky) and the other featured some nice line drawings morphing into other line drawings.
We stopped into Jim Kempner Fine Art- he's a stand up comic turned art dealer who skewers the art world in a show entitled, "The Madness of Art". Jim Kempner was seated right there behind the desk so I took the opportunity to tell him how much we enjoyed his videos. He seemed honestly appreciative and stated that many people don't even know he does a show about art, despite his having done five seasons. (Check it out on YouTube. I think you'll still find it funny even if you're not directly involved as an artist or consumer of art.)
 We also saw a tremendous amount of forgettable stuff but the day was lovely and we had a swell time. We capped it all off with a delightful meal at our favorite Indian restaurant, which has newly decorated itself in a "Happy Birthday" motif. The ceiling gets lower and lower with layer upon layer of strings of Xmas lights; even I had to duck! (Inexplicably,  despite knowing exactly where the restaurant is, we wandered around in a big circle and were almost about to give up and eat something else when we stumbled on it... we must have been very tired and hungry!)
I need to spend a few days in the garden, just cleaning up and getting a grip on what's growing and what's not but it keeps snowing. (Seriously!?!?) Maybe it's good that the weather has been cranky and uncooperative as it's compelled me to stay inside and finish up my work...

*A religious college no less! And I brought along a copy of my book, "God Hates Artists" to the initial meeting for the group organizing the show. I was informed that that particular piece probably wouldn't go over so well...

Another WTF Morning

I know, I know... I shouldn't be redundant. We are all cognizant that it snowed again! Bob thought it was some kind of cruel April Fool's joke that snow was predicted. But when I woke up this morning and let Robin out, there was a good three or four inches. (Yes, that's Robin bounding towards me with her ears flying. She LIKES the snow. Go figure!)

It kept snowing. And yes, I had just put that chair on the terrace yesterday- after raking and cleaning more garden areas- with the idea that it would be nice to bask in the sun and have a cup of coffee. Hahahahaha.

Or how about a nice picnic? Is this really the winter that will never stop?
By this afternoon, most of the snow had melted down so that the ground was still white, but there was no where near the accumulation here this morning. (There was probably six inches by the time it stopped.) I went to work late and stayed a bit later but when I drove home, the sun was out and it was almost possible to imagine all of this sullen white stuff gone! It is supposed to be 60 degrees on Wednesday...