a crush or two

ok, the truth is i get crushes.

i have certain things i love very much

and they are important to me, even though i may never voice that interest to anyone.

i love maps and globes, i love the idea of mapping,

in fact sometimes i teach classes using mapping as a theme.

i do this at school, too.

well, today i found a whole new world

a globe maker in england.

this company makes beautiful work.

bellerby and company is a place i would love to visit.

can you imagine making globes, building the spheres, painting the lands and seas...

so, yes, these globes amaze me.

~~~

and here's another beautiful and important thing:

an herbarium made by abigail bainbridge.

while teaching at women's studio workshop i met chris petrone

who is friends with this maker.

the world of beautiful things is precious, indeed.

~~~

i thought this book

made by my student lynn keffer at wsw

might fit in as a nice segue to a couple of beautiful old things:

 this stationer's binding

 and this vovelle

my head is a whirl with bookish things today

after a few days

(finally) 

of quiet life again.

maybe now i can finish my edition.

balm

i spent the first night alone at the new place

on friday

i took over the two setters,

some books, and some drawing stuff

 and spent some time

being unusally alone at my new place

unfolding the tactile notebook 

i built with sandra brownlee 

 on my studio floor

 tess was very interested in the text and images

or maybe just some smells

there is wax and mud and flower pigment in there

 using the moleskin accordian book

freed me to be un-sequenced

which has become a problem for me 

as i ended up with too many sketchbooks

going at once.

 the non-precious sturdy pages

 didn't particularly love what i did to them

 they remained neutral

(except for their creamy yellow color)

and i added in all kinds of things

 sewed in new little 

bookish bits

drew with the three new watercolor crayons i bought

at the art shop in johnson, vermont

over the color from goldenrod

 the almost half moon 

rose early over the southern meadow

 and in the morning

the ground mist lingered

even over near the clydesdales

on the road home. 

where i struggled 

with an electrical issue

and found the best service man

after 2.5 hours of waiting for the electric company

service diagnosis.

a 6 hour glitch

thankfully fixed for less than $200 

 

there is a week left 

before school begins.

i hope it's uneventful, peaceful,

and for a change, 

full of making and being, not just fixing.

i am tired this sunday.

barns and oats insurance

the elements are having their way with my barn

some boards still hold integrity, 

some not

next to my mare mist's old stall

lies some evidence of occupation

or at least of eating.

 hay mow diamonds

dazzle on these august days

 and i made a few summer prints

these colors softened some

from the morning light

 just enough for one book

 i went over to my classroom today

and found that the floors were newly waxed

i barefooted it to my room

and worked for 40 minutes

and slunk away

before the custodian found me.

 one amish farm's oats against the cold

  looking up

(ian spent some quality time with our old barn)

 and here

thinking of all the turmoil of the last few weeks.

now i am home

getting used to sleeping at the new place

while i live

still

in the old one.

it should feel weird, but it's ok.

 today i listened to some podcasts,

after rediscovering the one aimee did of me for

full tilt bookbinding.

it was pretty fine

and i now know that

susan mills is doing a really great job.

susan was in my women's studio workshop class.

many thanks to all of you

for your kindnesses while i managed this challenging fortnight

 on the sidelines supporting my kids

through the loss of their father.

i let them know of all your kindnesses.

it matters.

endings

families gather 

in good and in troubled times

 nephew rob with son ian

ian outgrew the big guy

(his childhood hero)

rob traveled with his youngest daughter

to help my sister post-surgery 

erin came to entertain us all

after their dad's death but before the service

my kids cleaned out their stuff

and the attic

it was a huge, dirty, hot job

but it's done

ian met the new place

and said goodbye to his old one

goodnight room

my house is on the market

so i, too, can move 

down the road a piece.

90 acres, no mule, good karma.

pause

hannah and ian's dad passed early this morning.

thank you all for your caring.

it's huge.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

our family is waiting. 

my children are gathering 

at my ex's home

welcoming the other relatives

(not mine) 

as their father transitions

from life to death.

it's very sad.

we all know this, 

and we know how hard it is 

in every sense

to let go and also to be patient.

so i wait in the wings 

and appear as the support person from time to time.

this is how my summer is winding down.

i barely reached home from longridge

making plans for one last little trip.

but instead i will be here now. 

sandra taught us this: 

be here now. 

autumn's tease

transitioning to home

sandra brownlee gifted us

with world enough and time

five days

enough being there

and enough safety to laugh

to be quiet

to think and work

in ways new and in safe emotional space

i can't remember one guarded or sarcastic word.

so we had individual time with sandra

and in this sacred space

another student, lynda shalagan, painted our exchange.

under nancy's apple tree.

 

 our lines, a poem

 sandra shared a book by hedi kyle

 the font

 mending words

 some bugs

 "touch"

 sacred things

 oriface: hay

 dear therese inside a big paper

 all of us in the barn

 for the one who couldn't come

 ~~~

and here, here is a book

made by my student lynn keffer

at w.s.w.

so lovely.

(apologies to those who i didn't have time to ask permission of:

we're in a bit of a crisis here)