Sundries with Care Givers

An odd hybrid! Like a centaur only not. Maggie's been eating the lawn and doing a lovely job of trimming around Bob's sculptures. And such sculptures! Bob calls them "Care Givers". But the other day, she had an accident or bad adventure. Something either scared her or she was trying to get away from the plague of little gnats that have been swarming around but the upshot was Bob found Maggie on the wrong side of the fence and she followed him back to the barn. She was a bit quiet all day but there wasn't even any broken skin or scratches. Lucky horse!

Here's her other side. Unfortunately, I am hesitant to put Maggie out on the lawn now... I'll make her a eating are contiguous to her pasture so that she can return to her stall if she feels like she's in danger.
I'm so behind! I have planting, planting, planting to do. Things we started from seeds, plants that have been given to me, plants that we've bought (remind me to list the several very cool shrubs and trees!) But today I have to work, despite it being Saturday so I'm feeling yet another day behind. Oh, to be able to emulate Maggie or Jules and stay home and fetch balls and graze! Or plant all those worthy seedlings.

(Cornus X "Celestial Shadow" (variegated dogwood- we have the perfect spot for it! Cryptomeria "Black Dragon" (yes, last winter killed the one we had but we liked it so much we're trying again!) and I finally found Potentilla "Primrose Beauty" to replace a cultivar called "Katherine Dykes" that I had to leave when we moved.) And all those seedling! Individual colors of delphinium! Anchusa! Anemones.... agrrghh!!

More Birds of America

I think it some how appropriate to post an eagles picture on Memorial day. National bird and all, right?  This winter, on a really cold morning (do we all remember that there were lots of those?) I went with friends to view the eagles from a utility company site in our town. For whatever reason, eagles like this particular stretch of river and they hang out there all winter long. (Maybe they have a deal with our local energy company, to help and improve the company's image?) The craziest thing was that despite my skepticism about spotting the birds, there actually were eagles present, just visible through a telescope on the far side of the water. It was mighty impressive but absolutely impossible to photograph. So I photographed the laminated photographs that were on the wall of the viewing hut. They really do look like that! Here's a close up:

Check out the beak. There were other more common birds hanging around, like hawks but the eagles commanded attention. But isn't it classic that birds of prey that were almost obliterated by our country's love of major pesticides are the symbol of our "freedoms"? Don't get me started! Why not make this charming little fellow the national bird:

That is an actual bird, photographed right outside our kitchen window.  They're so cute! And this bird was not at all shy about having his picture taken.

(I'm not sure what the yellow line is... some reflection on the window). (Check out HIS beak.) Actually, they'd be a pretty good symbol of America, because despite their tiny size, they're really pugnacious and fight constantly with one another over who gets to eat at the feeder. Sounds just about right to me!

Jules Pees on Heavy Equipment

Yes, that's a picture of Jules peeing on the heavy construction equipment up the road. On our walk the other day, Jules and I heard some terrible crashing and creaking and general large engine complaints. We turned back as it was way to noisy for our tastes. (We like peace and quiet so that we can pursue contemplative internal thoughts... that is until I sing (radically off tune) for Jules, to encourage him forward and to ward off bears, mountain lions and the like.) But I promised Jules that we'd investigate just what was going on over the weekend when the equipment was silent.
I actually remembered to bring my camera! And this is the first thing we saw:

A large pile of rocks, extricated from the ravine near the Plaster House (it's really made of stucco). There's a stream at the bottom, but they had this big honkin' bucket scoop type thing cantilevered out over the gorge.

That's the machine in repose. It's big and sort of intimidating, but I suppose that why Jules peed on it, to assert dominion over it.

Yeah, he's also peeing on that bulldozer. What a dog! I still can't figure out what they were doing besides rearranging large piles of rocks, but I tried taking a picture of the ravine...

Hard to gauge, but that's really steep. I enjoyed the skimpy piece of thin plastic hazard tape. Now there's something to grab ahold of if you chose to fall over the edge! I think the road was in danger of collapsing or something equally dramatic.

Here's my handsome dog looking up the road, ignoring the gigantic jaws of death hovering only a couple of feet away. I think he was entertaining the idea of peeing on this, too but I pulled him back in the other direction, I'll have to go back this week and see if they're finished with the project.

Queen of the Shit Pile

There I am standing tall on my horse Maggie's hard work. Yes, I am Queen of the Shit Pile. My friends on Facebook have already seen this picture, But surprisingly, no one has come along to try and topple me! Isn't that the way the game of life is played? Especially in the Art World.
I have officially hit my 400th posting on Blogger. I amazed even myself, as that's a lot of posting. I attempt to blog regularly about life here on the Art Farm but sometimes life gets in the way...
And Spring is a busy season. The shit pile needs turning (so that it will become compost), the seeds need planting and we have to go back into NYC tomorrow. Holy cow! When will I get back into my studio!!!
So much happened here this last week. Both Bob and Jules celebrated birthdays and we did more than our share of running around, taking in Open Studios (at an artist's residency program called I Park) and picking up our new bed. That's another story worthy of a complete posting... or maybe I'll have my sister Beatrice explain the intricacies of procuring a surface on which to sleep. I cannot possibly do that subject justice!
In addition, I finally began- successfully- a new long term project in my studio. It was a gnarly, prolonged incubation period this time, with much gnashing of teeth and beating of breast. I lapsed into a deep bout of The Worried Artist, as in: I'll never have another idea again in my life. I have made my last piece. Maybe I never was an artist to begin with.... stupid drama queen stuff. I excel at it- look at me on that shit pile! Hahahhahaha. (At least I can laugh at myself. Sometimes.) But it's all coming together handsomely and now I just need more time.
That's enough for now. I feel the need to retreat to that new bed as we have a long day in NYC tomorrow. I need to sound semi-coherent for my part of the artist's talk that I'm participating in!

Good Looking Ducks

Oops! Hahaha. Obviously, that's not a duck, good looking or otherwise. That's a dead raccoon that has been gracing the entrance to the dirt road. Further along is a dead skunk. Of course, I suspect rabies and called the animal control officer here in town. She was mighty unconcerned and mentioned that they "probably wouldn't do anything about it". I reminded her that the rabies virus remains alive for something like 48 hours after the animal dies and while I may know enough to keep Jules the Dog (or myself) from touching it, some unsuspecting kid may wonder along and think it would be fun to mess with the dead raccoon. Whatever! Just trying to do my civic duty. (Don't worry: I took this picture with a zoom lens).

Of course, I really have been seeing good looking ducks. Here on our own pond, we've had hot three way duck action, with lots of excited wing flapping and crazy mini white caps appearing from all the froth cooked up by two male mallards and one lucky female. I thought we had a rogue whale loose in the pond with all the splashing. And there have been mallards on the pond further along the dirt road, too, but do you think they'd oblige me by making an appearance when I think to bring my camera? Nope! So the bird book picture will have to suffice.
Ditto with the American Merganser:

He was quite the stunner but a dramatic no-show when I come equipped with a camera. (He and his female counterpart were there today when I was camera-less. Along with the mallards... maybe it's a conspiracy!) Maybe I'll remember to bring the camera and the ducks will appear and I can replace the lame illustrations! Here's a shot of the pond that all those absent ducks sometimes hang out on:

But here's a cool wild flower:

This is Bloodroot. It's growing abundantly at the side of the road. Along with Anemones and trout lilies, there's a bunch of wild things blooming now. Jules is unimpressed with the flowers I point out to him as he's way more preoccupied with all the exciting things to smell. It's a very active time of year!

A Rambling Spring Feverish Posting

Incredibly, this is the only thing blooming in our yard at present. With all the plants and crazy planting that Bob and I do, you'd think there would be something more than this lonely little white bloom cluster (on a stem of Abeliophyllum distichum, commonly called White Forsythia, or Korean Forsythia given to us by our good friend Bob Santin. Oh Bob! Giver of many plants! Grower of many plants! Giver of purloined peonies!) Have I mentioned that I neglected to purchase almost any bulbs (with the exception of left over, reduced tulips) last fall? All those visions of species crocus and giant aliums and frittilaria and chinodoxia... the anguish! But hey! I was busy and making art for several important shows.
I finished cleaning up the garden and have been spreading compost and starting seeds and assessing what made it through the winter and who croaked. So far, I am impressed with things like returning delphinium. Many other plants are taking their sweet time; probably because there was snow cover until only like a week ago. An ice! There was ice under some leaves that I was cleaning up last week. Gone now, but it has been chilly.

(Picture has nothing to do with text alert. Although, come to think of it, this is a picture of a place we looked at years ago. The barn got torn down but the silo remained. I guess we explored "alternative housing possibilities"... we do live in a chicken coop, so why not barns and silos?! But this does serve to remind me that I was planning a project where I rephotograph places we almost bought... like dismantled barns. And house now torn down (with good reasons.))
On an entirely different note, today was not a good day for faucets of all things. First, I went to turn on the outside faucet to water some transplants and there was no knob. I stood there, stumped for a moment and then looked on the ground and saw the vise grip that we had used to turn the faucet. Obviously, it had fallen off during the winter. I couldn't really get it to stay on as well as Bob but I managed and watered my little green friends. But later in the day, I went to Staples to pick up my laminating and I got glue all over my fingers as I collated the pages. (I get sticky fast). I didn't really think of it until I went to the grocery store and realized I was sticking to the basket, so I went to wash my hands. When I went to turn on the sink, the knob of the faucet came off in my hands. Is it me or maybe the stars are aligned in the constellation of Spigot?  And don't get me going about getting locked in the bathroom at work the other day. That was really funny!
Probably not my most salient posting but I'm a bit dopey do to over oxygenation. This happens every spring and I roll with it; it's actually very pleasant! But you can't expect brilliance.

And So It Begins...

It was a nice day in spring... what can I say? I bought the above specimen. I couldn't resist as was three times bigger than it's similarly priced and potted siblings. And I've been pondering low evergreen ground cover plants but I didn't want the typical junipers (and besides, they're scratchy). This little charmer (which will grow-hopefully- to about four to six feet across but only be 12 inches tall) is a Microbiota Decussata; sounds like something you'd take for a nasty bacterial infection. It's also known as a Siberian (or Russian) Cypress and is the only plant in it's genus. It looks sort of like a juniper but lacier and softer. First thing I bought! (Except for a six pack of white pansies...)

And here's our window sill. It's definitely full of seedlings and germination is a big event. We started Nicotiana sylvestris, teasel, milk thistle, and I think Bob's got a million types of leeks, onions and scallions started- all members of the alium tribe. I have delphinium seeds prechilling in the freezer and am waiting for the next full moon to start four different single colors of delphinium. We're busy with gardening (in addition to many art project) and April is half over. Playing catch up as usual!