black walnut work

the new reality of blogger is that i can no longer make comments 

to you wonderful readers

so conversation is curtailed.

i will move the blog back to square space, where my website lives

because i hate all this confusion.

if feels like that strange phone call i got from the admin.

or the email that also came.

i call it lousy.

~~~

for all of you who read and comment and/or try to comment

bear with me as i try to make the switch again,

and leave the clunky blogger.

it may take a bit.

~~~

anyway,

here's a little tale of a warm, medium brown.

i had the gift from a black walnut tree from my neighbor Val.

this was a sweet thing because i really want to make stuff this fall.
as antidote to craziness.

 this big stock pot completely full

was filled with water (which barely covered it).

 i've seldom picked black walnuts,
i wait till they fall (usually the trees are huge).
this time they were all very, very green.

the citrus scent was fresh, lovely!

another neighbor and sometimes student of mine Regan 

and her granddaughter helped pick.

 it went fast

the tree was so generous and abundant with nuts.

 covered with my hard well water, set covererd on the stove, at full high heat.

(it takes a while to get up to heat)

but here's the pot after the first un-lidding and tiny stir
9not much room to stir)

 the scent intensified, 
a hot citrus dance.

 you can see the change.
 after stirring the pot-they start to darken.

i never saw this before

 duotone walnuts

 after an all day cook,

who knows how many hours-maybe 9?

 they were all dark and dye liquor was developing from the water.

 punctured hulls are beginning to fall away from the inner nut.

i stirred and chopped away a bit with the big spoon.

and then it cooled slowly,
 disintegrated more overnight.

 this morning I started the stove again and it's simmering away now

and smells of earthy, off-chocolate.

 much more "in pieces" than before.

on the way to becoming a colorant: 
ink and or dye.

something positive.
i also made 5 big boco prints. 
antidote to despair.