new book

reading wolseley's words

heron present

 the book is taking shape 

yesterday and today

a summer's work

this great blue heron,

a gift from my love, 

rests on one of the three long fold outs.

august day.

time opens

august thinking:

this summer has been about time 

and even healing,

relationships,

some work

but mostly time.

for the first time in 30 40 50 years i have time to schedule in

 my own way

 i have purchased a few things that delight me 

 i have made some things that delight me

 i have worked out new ways of thinking

new processes

 used up old papers 

and 

prepped pulp for some new papers

i have observed how strong the moon is

when you really pay attention

and let her do her magic.

 i have been delighted by small things

like a peep through a barn

and i have rested.

i have eschewed all appointments 

and seen my doctor

and dentist

and learned to work with this aging but still vital body.

but mostly i have had

mornings when i wake with joy.

and evenings that promise

rest.

week of hot/humid

 nigel peake sent me a book

with a very good wish

 today it's been very hot and humid

and i have not felt kind.

i'm glad i found his note so i'm paying attention and passing it on.

the power went out for 2 hours or so and i wonder

about the folks who are in much need.

i hope they are ok.

already the wind has picked up and it's a wee bit refreshing.

these bits are part of a book or two i'm making

i am printmaking in a way

a very odd way.

(holding on to some secrets until they're done)

 but i am

 incredibly excited.

~~~

two evenings ago

two great blue herons

landed in the recently mown meadow.

they may have been frogging

but it seemed like they were just there

walking and hunching their necks down

turing into their old mans selves

walking with backwards knees and big steps

until they moved

over to the edge of the pond. 

they did seem to like the company they kept.

we watch that big window like a tv screen,

waiting for events.

an invitation and shifu help

an invitation to all of my shifu students:

i've begun work on an article for Hand Papermaking journal about shifu and healing. i would like to invite you to contribute any thoughts you might have had about just that; if the shifu-making process has in any way facilitated healing in/for you. mina takahashi, the editor of HandPapermaking asked me to write about this after my observation that spinning paper and weaving a textile, especially when the paper has color or words that are deeply rich for the maker, allows an opening for a sort of healing. i made a shifu covered handmade paper book for wendy golden levitt who works with textiles and healing (especially with children) which has become the grief book. i'm curious about why that book and why shifu making has deeply affected and helped people move into healing.

if any of this resonates with your experience of shifu making, i invite you to send me a few sentences about your thoughts, and even a photo of work you’ve made. i would like to incorporate some of these into the article. please email me at vdbolyard at gmail dot com with any words/pictures, and i thank you, now twice over, for being my student and for thinking about this.

can't hardly think

a couple days ago

i was harvesting canada thistledown

at 6 AM

before it got hot.

 one time harvesting thistledown there were spiders

everywhere

and i had to avoid them with my thanks

and respect

this day there were

 snails. 

it was very dewey

(no decimals)

with many lovely snails.

 at home my yard is drying up. 

parched. 

not australia dry, but the soil is light tan and dusty.

the grass bristly brown

here, under the spruce and basswood

i witnessed a kestrel take a robin fledgling.

i was trying to photograph the mayhem 

(parents yelling, siblings upset)

and almost missed the whole thing.

but there was evidence, too.

 see the branch shadows and dead leaves.

this maple is dead, shed its leaves.

 there was a light show last night 

a reward for suffering through this heat!

 i saw the amazing corals 

 and a slip of a moon, below.

 this morning i walked early

and was struck by the neighbor's barn-

that perfect blue square.

 around another corner is hill road, 

it's where i've walked

 almost daily

for 30 years.

 the business of making:

work on the shiny book-needs sewing

work on botanical pressure printing- little edition (4) with bird prints coming along

work on botanical pressure printing- paper samples for HandPapermaking edition

work on prepping thistledown/make thistledown paper

day lily prints and drawings

cicadas are wailing away in the back yard

coyotes waited almost till dawn before they sang last night

or this morning

twice.

high HOT of course parched summer.