Bunny Inspiration

I've been getting inspired by others who keep posting masters at work. The latest have been printing videos which I always come away admiring the artists work and their wonderful presses. Although I use a barren to connect ink to paper it seems to do an ok job for my small production.

I've been thinking of our newest member of the family, a little fellow who is just 4 months old. Little cute animals and cutesy sayings keep coming to mind. The latest is Bunny Love a linoleum cut print I'm showing you today.

The original is printed with a colonial blue color but for some reason the scanner program didn't pick up the color. I'm still please with the little bunny.

Vocabulary

Vocabulary

In 1967 Saigon and napalm
became words for Barbie and Ken.
Da Nang rolled around
a pink tongue within baby teeth.
In Buster Browns
I skipped in dust singing songs
to handsome Johnny.

I hid in my brother's closet,
breathing deep,
trying to smell his aftershave-
anything to see his face.
He couldn't be a soldier
if his name wasn't Johnny.

2003 

New Years Wish

This evening is the last of 2012. A year like any other with births, deaths, nations in flux and more. I'm not sad to see it go but hopeful 2013 will be one of personal growth as well as the turning point for humanity to become more self aware and more aware of its brothers and sisters. I have nothing profound to say, just that I wish you and all your kin a most prosperous and happy, healthy new year.

Today's haiku

on the frozen path
the ground is covered in ice
my feet grind the shards

Moths in December

It's December 3rd and where is the snow. I think the older I get the warmer our winters are becoming. When I was a child (oh boy, she's going to be sentimental) there was snow from Thanksgiving to March 31st. At least, that is what it felt like. The cold weather set in in earnest when the turkey came out of the oven. I remember our big noisy heating furnace died one Thanksgiving day. It was pretty chilly with the only thing warm in the house was the food.

Our Decembers were always filled with snow. There was never seen a bare patch of ground except for the semi-plowed roads in town. The town's snow plows would push up the snow so high on the side of the roads we could dig tunnels into them. Of course, that was all fun and games until one mom would think of the dangers of tunnels collapsing in or another plow coming up the road to keep the remaining snow off the roads. We lived dangerously back then... no seat belts to keep us from careening into the windshield either.

It all started in the 80's when having Christmas in VT we decided to take a walk after the holiday meal in the 50 degree temperature. Donning sweaters we walked and couldn't believe how warm it was as we strolled the neighborhood looking at Christmas lights through windows we pasted.

Now it's December 2012 and tonight the moths have gathered by the old light on the red barn. There are more by the porch light too. They seem to be totally confused, one minutes sleeping to be awoken by 52 degree weather, till now, fluttering in an ever decreasing temperature of the evening. I feel bad for them. It's suppose to snow tomorrow.

Happy Earth Day

I want to wish everyone a happy Earth Day today. It seems fitting as I sit and wait for much needed rain to wet the dry ground this morning to reflect on how fragile our environment is. After having almost no snow this past winter in the Northeast seacoast area our forests and gardens alike are near drought conditions. A fire ban has been placed in our town and although at 5 this morning we had less than 10 minutes of a light sprinkle we're in need of much, much more.

Because of our early Spring nature has decided to wake up. Where there would be no blooming from the garden plants until May there is color full to the sun. The Linton roses have been blooming for three weeks now, tulips, ground phlox and others have joined the ranks of flowering plants. I was shocked to see large buds on the climbing clematis yesterday. This plant rarely blooms before July. At this rate the poor plants will have burned themselves out before August.

Before the predicted rain I had decided to go out into the yard to take a few photographs of the apple tree and pin cherry blossoms. I wanted to take advantage of the gray day to have the flowers colors pop. To my surprise the air is wet with dew and a heavy mist lay on the wild things. It is quite refreshing after weeks and weeks of bright sun.

Here are the best of the Earth Day pictures.

Belated St. Patrick's Day Greeting

I had a lovely day in Boston, Massachusetts on Saturday St. Patrick's day. The entire city is Irish for a day. Walking the streets there were people wearing green of some sort. It seemed that most of Boston was under the age of 25. Every drinking hole had lines all day long. Eating lunch in the Hard Rock Cafe close to Quincy Market, a local Irish band was doing their best to drown out the conversations around them.

Faneuil Hall Marketplace was wall to wall bodies. But that's what makes it great. The congestion of souls makes you slow down and smell all the ethnic foods in the stalls. We got stuck in front of an Italian bakery and ended up buying eclairs and canollis.

One delightful part of the day were the Irish step or clog dancers. If you know what River Dance was this is the form of entertainment found outside of Quincy Market. There were boys and girls though it appeared we had missed them dancing together. We were lucking to find the last half of the show.

The costumes were amazing. Stitching and colors so gay.

Each step was stepped with such precision with no room for error.

And the hair! Either those curls were a weave or those girls sat for hours while someone worked their magic.

All in all it was a great day. We ate too much, sang a little and enjoyed the shops and people watching.