evening around here

i felt a whisper of spiderwebs

on my forearms,

a web i didn't notice

so intoxicated i was

with heady deep spring flowering.

...and then the droll

defiance of chipmunk.

afternoon walk,

my first long walk since returning.

i found what remains

of a whitetail, this one who was tossed

into a stream

by the person who jacked it,

hacked off the haunch and tossed the carcass.

i will celebrate this deer person.

my first encounter with the ladies

who have overwintered rather well

 leaning some

 they remain until the farmers take them home 

  

maine seaweeds and blueberries 

some half dozen prints completed after my trip

using up the gifts my students brought

i was a little nervous about 18 students at once

worried i couldn't connect with them all

though i learned few names, 

i did thoroughly enjoy them all,

heard stories, 

saw their work.

and farren's gift

the tea bag book 

 makes me happy!

so.

the robins and woodcock are calling 

and all those many other birds

peepers are singing

frogs of every size

a wee tick crawled up my pantleg yesterday.

it is spring, and quite dry.

 but the hard winter is over.

i think i will have my snow tires removed

until november.

robin song

this morning i opened the window

to listen to the first long robin song.

 robin was in front of my house

singing his heart out.

and my heart was healed.

spring is here.

 there have been a few more small prints this week

and about 15 half sheet prints (big ones)

for the book project.

 i put some plant papers with the prints

to see if they can dance together

or at least converse,

not argue.

 on my walk

the sky and that weird structure

my neighbor built (he of the unfinished projects)

 the deer are everywhere,

moving, eating, 

even on the river here, 

though it moved away before i could press the shutter

 this one was napping just by the fence

near the roadside!

i did stop to check on it

 it was in fine fettle

winter is still holding on,

but it is springing out there. 

big prints

a little press

this week our press time

was saturday

and my words and prints are growing into a

book.

 every step to me is magic

and a puzzle

working in fits and starts like 

this spring.

 this large neighbor is very furry

and so are the dogs that visit here still wearing

thick thick winter coats.

 in my barn a yearling was found

 there is no such thing as free lunch.

 the second returned from south turkey vulture that i have seen

 was on my barn ridgeline,

greeting me.

 waiting and watching

for opportune moments to eat

that whitetail good food.

one day this week i had meetings in morristown

on the st lawrence

where this building lives.

and on facebook:

susan j tweit and robin wall kimmerer 

both showed this from a conference they attended 

on the west coast,

i was motivated to think about hope.

hope is one reason i live and teach here

in the north country.

hope is always necessary.

a weariness

i'm feeling a huge weariness.

it irritates me.

spring is really coming

 but i am feeling this great

heavy blanket of weary.

it will leave

  as the snow finally leaves for the season.

the land will absorb heat.

 the long days

increase the thaw

 and the punky snow 

 will completely decay,

leaving behind piles of road salty-sand

the crews will shovel up and away.

 this little doe had an entire field.

i wish you could have seen her shake her head

as she found a nice morsel,

corn to chew off the cob,

the leaf went flying, 

but my camera wasn't quick enough!

 there are reminders of flowers in the garden

and the meadows,

if no blossoms yet.

i've been using these black eyed susan seeds

to print with.

that and hosta seed pods

and many more plants,

goldenrod and sensitive fern and aster skeletons

arbor vitae 

there is so very much out there, 

even when thigh high snow kept me on the edges.

who knew i needed to break and maintain trails this year

so that job got away from me.

i have almost enough perfect prints,

for the edition.

and a few not-so-perfect.

spring gallops, horseless

 they're still making 

tiny collections

there were two of these, 

two days in a row,

two different shoes.

the first one was QUITE a surprise

at 7 a.m.

my foot exited the shoe 

lightning quick, 

glad mousy had gone away.

 i found another rock book

 which is a lot like 

one of the old, big ones

 we're having rain and rain and rain

some of which i drove through

yesterday and today

while i went to syracuse

 and back

twice

in order to get a new computer

 because the old is slowing  

and the spinning wheel of death

made too frequent appearances.

 i completed my sketch book

fixed the mistakes

and will begin to use it.

thanks to tim ely

my mind is playing games

around pictures and ideas and books and

threads.

 while the spring wrestles 

through

 high water and flooding

 create wonderful plays

layers of color

texture

meaning

red osier dogwood

 and then the fence lines

make their arbitrary

deliniations

between space and time

light and darkness.

this changing

leaving a bit more green

after every shower.