APRIL FIRST!

The frogs and salamanders are hopping and slithering across the road in the first spring rain, heading to their vernal pools.

The geese are flying over Sodom Pond looking for a place to nest and raise their young.

The cardinal in my village sings insistently hoping to attract the perfect mate.

The pussy willows are out, soft and gray in the morning mist.

It’s mud season now, the road ruts so deep a car could sink in up to its chassis and they do.

The sap has risen in the maple trees. A bonanza maple sugaring season is almost over, the last “frog run” about to happen any day now.

Alas, I spied a baby woodchuck in my yard emerging from its burrow to nibble on the first spring greens. (Cute but not in my garden if you please.)

Spring has most certainly sprung!

And I couldn’t resist one last MAM post on one of my very favorite holidays. (Click on an image to see a larger version.)

HAPPY APRIL FOOLS DAY!

DAY THIRTY ONE

Oh no, last day? (I might surprise you tomorrow…keep an eye out.) Can’t believe the March Arts Marathon is over. Gotten used to waking up each morning and cogitating on what to post that day and then working on it on into the night. I’ll miss you all my dear sponsors. It was knowing you were out there at least occasionally perusing my posts and cheering me on with your responses that kept me going. If you’d like to continue getting posts from me (don’t worry, not daily for sure) or if you’d like to take another look at previous posts (maybe you missed one or two?) then please sign up to “follow” me on my WordPress blog. I’ll try to continue to post there at least occasionally though without the impetus of MAM it will be harder to garner the energy and enthusiasm. Nothing like an audience and a deadline to keep me going.

Here are a couple of parting images and words:

And That’s (Not) All Folks!

DAY THIRTY

One day during the pandemic when I finally made it to New York I was riding the First Avenue bus uptown and I saw a man in the back of the bus. He had taken off his mask for a moment so I caught a glimpse of his whole face (an unusual event these days). I was mesmerized by it; sculpted and stark…something primal and at the same time so elegant. When I came back home I sculpted him, letting my hands do the remembering. Here he is (with adornments):

DAY TWENTY NINE

Today a few cards I made to send to friends during the pandemic:

For my friend whose son committed suicide. He loved to go fishing with his little girl.

For the husband of a friend who died after living with cancer for many years. May her light be reflected in all the lives she touched.

For a friend recovering from heart surgery. May his heart beat steady and strong. (That was an actual part of the tree. I painted it red in the photo.)

My clown teacher (yes, I went to clown school last summer) asked her friends to make their own version of the tarot card, “The Hermit” (first photo above) and send it to her for her 39th birthday. The next two photos are my versions. (If you want to see them larger click on an image and then the arrow to go from one to the other.)

DAY TWENTY EIGHT

Today a few random photos. Something about waiting…

Guess it didn’t work out…..Maybe next time?
Waiting for the right one.

So eager to fly but
Waiting for my wings to dry

Not sure where I’m going….Think I’ll make it.
Waiting for a sign…

My plan – search for shooting stars from the hood of my car…
Waiting for night.

The important thing is not to be afraid.
Waiting for the courage…

DAY TWENTY SEVEN

Made it through the first year of the Pandemic. (Okay, I did a lot of back and forth in my journaling – not terribly chronological but within a two years or so Pandemic timeframe nonetheless.) Here is a poster I drew recapping some of the horrors of 2020. I do have to clarify – George Floyd is one of the three heads of my three headed monster but he is not a monster, what happened to him was monstrous.

DAY TWENTY SIX

Today I am going to attempt to upload two silly short videos to show you two of my pandemic states of mind.

The first is an absurdist video taken when I was deep into pandemic mania. I should explain – one time I visited an old friend and noticed that she always used her teabags twice so I started following suit. Even though the tea never tasted as good with the second time around teabags I never broke the habit. This video is very poorly shot – phone in one hand, video object in other. I call it My Extraterrestrial Flying Teacup. Pretty weird…

The second was taken by my good friend Liz at a concert by the versatile and oh so talented Mary Rowell with her bluegrass band, Slim Pickins’. I love to dance but for some reason I was glued to my seat, moving only with my irrepressible feet.

Feel free to dance along

DAY TWENTY FIVE

I love my hometown NYC. I usually go for a visit every few months. During the pandemic, not. I hadn’t been to the city for two years. I couldn’t stand it any longer so in the winter of 2021 just before my 70th birthday I took the plunge and rode the Dartmouth Coach to The City.

Here is my photo album love song to New York – the people, the vibe, the nature in this very urban setting. If you click on the first photo you can go from one to the next like a slideshow. Enjoy.