plain weave

what has happened, is happening still in japan is horrible.

i watched aghast the b.b.c. footage on my computer (i live without t.v.)

i have checked in with friends, and so far people i know are safe, and so are their loved ones.

but oh my, that is not the case for many. i am attending with all my heart.

i wanted to say something about plain.

plain weave.

an old blanket. two lengths pieced together.

white warp, white weft. weft a bit yellower.

i took this out last night to use.

i won't save it any longer. it needs to be used. 

beauty in use. 

you fiberartists will notice many things about this piece.

i haven't begun to discover them all. the weft is, i think, handspun wool.

i don't know for sure anything; the size i can measure.

i can't tell you what was in the mind of the woman 

who sewed these lengths together. 

and hemmed them.

i can't know 

of the wool shorn, washed, spun, woven 

into a modest blanket.

warm enough for the north country fall,

with a quilt or two, for winter.

plain weave.

beautiful.

my favorite.

rock book minus ermine

this gift was mine

after leaving sea level

more or less to here, 700 feet.

wild clouds split bright the sky

i steer up my drive

spot the rocks waiting for their pages. 

 a flash of long white muscle and 

 black paintbrush disappears under this foundation

one moment

out it ran into the garage, 

i waited with camera

you never know when grace appears, 

and if you're waiting, well, it just vaporizes.

rock book five

minus ermine.

amaryllis

a few days and then, this.

again. 

it's been over a year, maybe two.

i mostly forget it, watering from time to time. 

poor bulb.

but this march

for its own reasons

two blossoms

amazing red.

a word to friends, thank you for encouragement to ian.

a modest sampling of 25 years of handpapermaking journal's featured papermakers.

came in today's mail.

it's like seeing old friends, though i know only a few papermakers in this collection. 

several more i know of. one,

the amazing papermaker, marbler, printer tom leech.
(his sample here)
tom taught me to make lokta paper
and how to climb around on rocky steep hillsides
in toelle, utah
to make something ephemeral for 
others. a meditation, perhaps, for no reason 
except the smiles of others.

hump day returns

the kids were "zooy" today. lots of anxiouness, which translates into odd behavior in e.d. kids. sparks between some kids, one kid a drama queen in spades, another with huge adhd issues, a bragging king, one in crisis, one stirring the pot, two eager to learn. all kinds of foolishness. our supervisor, an athlete (football, hockey), now in shirt and tie, stopped in and played ultimate frisbee with us. major kudos, the kids love playing, especially with him.

and after school i stopped at the post office, mailed a package to australia, visited with a paper and book friend who was tired like me at the end of the day. 

 went home to a cup of tea, 

and a very anxious border collie who demanded a walk.

she likes this wet snow, 

and is able to run through or on top of most of it. 

after the walk it became ominous, more weather coming, a little warmer.

a few lines

there is a visionary draftsman, a draw-er, who is in need of cash. he is left handed, talented, quirky, obsessive, cute, and willing to draw things that you and he talk about. he is ian, my firstborn, and he says you're welcome to get in touch. email is located here ian stevens and his web page, old and poor though it is, is here. he says he will take on any commission, and will call to talk it over with you.  

why am i putting this on my blog? he asked me for any ideas, so i thought i'd throw this into the ethers and maybe someone would find a drawing. are they any good? yes, or i wouldn't have written. this is a young man with talent, pictures and stories, but no book, no publisher, no direction. me? well, maybe you have guessed i'm a little busy and though we keep talking together about a book, it hasn't happened.

the drawings above, so poorly shot, are all i could do quickly. the first drawing is a small one he made for me for christmas. it's kinda funny, you'll notice the two missing shingles from the roof are below. the trees drawing is many years old, high school maybe, elder maples. the last is a huge hole. his materials: white drawing paper, a pen, usually black ink. and a huge imagination. he tells me he just finished a float plane commission(!), and not long ago a moose. oh, and walrus are big favorites...and barns and hoosies. you'll see...

monday monday

the day started with a snowstorm. here, anyway, and all around the area, 

but not where i teach! 

maybe 3 new inches there, and when i got home i had a surprise. 

my driveway was filled up, especially the bottom, and my mailbox had been plowed right off. first time ever, by a plow, and i can't fix it in the cold (and snow up to my knees). 

now i have to pick up my mail every day in town until i finagle a new attachment. 

you wouldn't believe how much this pissed me off.

a grandfather maple

the stone wall

enough snow. for now. 

this has been a long, deep winter. 

so i did walk wendy, and felt better, but am still longing for milder weather. 

i love mud season!

next!

guardian

i love this tree face that sort of guards my house.

saturday i drove into the mountains for lunch with family. 

it was raining all day and snow melted mostly away. 

other friends came early to plan some paper mill time, 

wedding paper plans.

 there were some sad surprises this weekend.

 hannah's flight was canceled, 

so she and ian did not get to spend the weekend together. 

 i'm trying to put together images for a talk, and for workshop gigs.

you know how hard it is to look and look at images...

how banal they all become, 

in spite of knowing they're fine, 

even good?

anticipating spring...it's snowing today. dreary.

a wonderful phone conversation, 

a good friend. 

a fine weekend.

just life

i had a flu bug of some sort yesterday, today i woke to a frigid (minus 10 degrees F). 

no more achiness, and no chills and fever. oddly i had no other symptoms. 

i was told today this has a name, that it is "in the area". 

go figure. 

night before last i was typing and my hands started to shake (chills) so badly 

i couldn't hit the keys! strange.

this afternoon:

 out the kitchen window, in plain sight of big birds, but close to the house

 wendy hates chipmunks

and they tease her 

i drove to potsdam for dog food 

and people food at the coop, and up on a hill i spotted these lovelies.

as we move into spring i looonnnnnng to ride.

that leopard appaloosa caught my eye.

surprise!

 walking on tuesday i heard this:

 and i found these narcissi in my yard.

so today i was sitting at the table writing, and a large thing went by the window.

then another, and a third, by then i had identified them.

 under the arbor vitae, there were three

 in a heavy snow squall

 i opened the door and spooked them

 they reconnoitered in the back yard under the white pine, then

 made tracks for the woods.

in love

preparation for spinning

cutting

two bobbins

green shirt and paper

a little bit of overspinning

beautiful