Lately

We've been living, and planting and enjoying the wonderfully warm spring so far, but we've also been fighting off colds, and not fighting them off, and teaching clay classes, and mowing grass and figuring out how to adjust to the spring weather, and coping with spring fever (as said by a certain five year old before she goes wild, screaming and running around).

Spring is a particularly fraught time around here for some reason, it's lovely and enjoyable but it also tends to bring out the sensitivity in my super sensitive spirited child, clothes itch, and labels annoy, sounds seem way too loud,( I think because we've lost the acoustic cushioning of the snow) and we have to deal with so many new shoes and coats and routines. It's all a little much- though I notice as she gets older how much easier it all is- how many coping mechanisms she has now, where she used to just scream. I used to think all kids were like that, because N is our first we just assumed they would all take 5 minutes to fix their socks so that the seam was just right flipping out about it until she was inconsolable, but then her tantrums went even crazier (in spring, I used to joke that we needed a poster that counted how many days since the last tantrum- except ours would be counted in minutes) and I read  this book- it's a game changer.

She still gets frustrated- but I can mostly talk her out of it, and she usually doesn't tantrum at all, this spring she's had probably two a week, but that's nothing comparatively. She also plays by herself, and is pretty much self contained doing crafts or playing games, or writing little books (her last one featured Rose, a girl who goes into the woods and gets chased by wolves, who she then teaches and in return the wolves teach her to howl at the moon.) She also staged a wedding for our two male cats- When I pointed out that they were both boys, she was like "but they love each other and they're best friends, and I remember you said that boys can marry each other if they love each other", So we showered them with flower petals and threw them a party, and made them say their vows, and I was so proud of my little open minded girl. She also knows that Nelson and Ferdinand (the cats) can't have kids naturally, but she's holding out hope that they'll choose to adopt a kitten.

I also got a new camera and it's really fantastic- I ended up with the nikon d3200, which came with a zoom lens- but I bought a 35 mm prime lens to go with it too- and I'm so glad I did- the photo quality is just awesome.  I haven't even gotten into the program that comes with it to adjust them after- all these photos are not edited at all (except for size), the light and colour quality straight out of the camera is amazing.

In the garden the rhubarb is growing already and the asparagus is up and Little A is eating all the rhubarb she get her hands on, all winter she was pining for the days that she could "walk out to the garden and eat rhubarb" and now those days are here. She was helping us plant potatoes and throwing them in the ground a little too hard so I said to her, put them in the ground gently like they're babies, she promptly cradled the wrinkled seed potato in her arms and said "awww he's so cute, I will take care of you and be there for you in the morning when you wake up" to every. potato. she put in the ground. Adorable, and time consuming. But mostly how great to be at an age when you think treating something like a baby means to whisper sweet things to it and cuddle it close to you, Precious.

March

Oh hi guys- if anyone is still out there- here is a monthly report of how things are out my way...

My camera is broken- which really gets in the way of blogging, and also takes up huge amounts of time in research- WTF is wrong with it? (still no idea really- but I think it's got something wrong with it's shutter speed/iso connection- it's basically turned into one of those really crappy cameras they used to give out with happy meals at Mcdonalds- it has to be in super bright sunlight or it won't work.  But it's still working sometimes- usually just on my test shots and not when the kid is smiling, sun is setting, cat is being cute, of course)- Can it be fixed? (no- I don't think so)- What kind of camera do I want now? (I think Nikon- and I'm stepping up to a dslr- looking at the d3200 which is not super high end- but probably enough for my needs, unless I can find a d5200, or d5100 for a good deal- I'm not spending 700 bucks on a camera since the lifespan of such an item seems to be about 4 years around here). Oh and also what am I using my camera for anyhow?

N is losing her first tooth! It's been wiggly for a while but now the adult tooth is coming in behind so I'm sure it will force it out at some point, I can't quite believe that she's old enough for this to be happening, also she gets report cards from school, and it's sort of hilarious the things she needs to improve on ( not that there's much) but skipping is an 'area of focus'- not jumping rope- but actual 'tra-la-la' skipping, I never knew it was so important. Also counting backwards from 10. Big things to work on here- meanwhile she's ahead in other areas- like reading and writing, and she has a "kind and quiet demeanor" which I thought was such a lovely way to describe her. The cuteness of her writing is epic, and her journal is a treasure.

I'm looking at website builders, Squarespace, and Wix are sort of leading the pack at the moment- I looked at wordpress and I just don't love the rigidity of it- but maybe I'm wrong- what do you think?  I want something that allows me a space for a gallery of works, and works for sale, and a blog, and artists cv, bio and statement. Maybe I should just forgo selling stuff on my own site and open an etsy store and link to it from my website. Any thoughts?

And of course in order to start up a website I need to have some work to sell or show, I'm working on it! So far I've got a huge portrait of N as summer on the go- it's almost ready to give you a sneak peek, and some clay stuff that is waiting very patiently to get fired- April is going to be a clay heavy month because I'm teaching a couple of classes, and so I must get things in order and also summer is coming!  I would love to have more work finished to sell locally at markets. Things are busy around here despite my blog silence, and Spring is on the way and seedlings are sprouting, and grass is showing, and kids are mucky, and the fresh smell of spring is upon us, enjoy it my friends!

In the New Year

Hi Folks! Happy new year- oh what's that you say- it's almost February? Hardly new year territory anymore? Well- yes that's true-strictly speaking- but I think it takes at least a month to get into the new year's groove. And I've been busy with the kids and the surgery healing and all that stuff. Plus it's been amazing weather wise here, above zero some days and that must be celebrated with snowmen. And there were a lot of snacks to be consumed...so... I was busy.

Anyhow- on to the blog, new year, new changes, we're renovating at our place right now, so things are sort of mayhem-like. This renovation has been in the works longer than I care to say- and we've been attacking it the same way some people make knitted projects- (you know small bursts of intense making, followed by longer periods where it sits in a bag and gets forgotten about- only to be dug out decades later almost complete- but woefully out of style, or is that just me?). Anyhow it's exciting to be getting this reno on the road, and we're such die hard do it your selfers it's bound to be entertaining for you too. It's a kitchen project mostly- but as with most old houses the projects do tend to balloon
into other rooms, so far we've only had to re-wire the entire house, as a side project- it's almost done- but not quite.

In other news I'm also hoping to switch this over to, or connect this up to a more serious professional website, I'm not sure what shape it will take- but I want my online art presence to be a little more, well, um, present to start with. An etsy shop or some other shop will likely be involved, and so that means I need to make more work. I think a main theme in my art making is that I need to make more work, always. But in other art news I think I'm going to start making some new paintings- I haven't painted since I left school- but it's my natural medium, so I'm going to do a series of portraits, I've got to get some canvases made and then I'll be off- the above photo might make a return as a painting- a 'Madonna of the cats' sort of image- we'll see- it's early stages yet.

I'll probably post a bit of my inspiration posts too- but I'm aiming for a more organic blog this year I think- one that doesn't feel like a chore, and also allows me to spend my creativity off the screen, instead of squandering it here (that sounds negative- what I mean is- I want this space to to feed my real life creative endeavors, not take the place of them. I think that's possible- I will try anyhow.

Hope your new year is ticking along well, and you're enjoying the winter so far- what's better than scarves and boots and hot chocolate anyhow?

A Photo A Day : December 15th

First Day

Oh Man- I can't believe it -N is at school. The weather played along beautifully giving us that first crisp morning- new backpack squeaking, and nerves fluttering away in your stomach. She of course did remarkably well, no tears, only a small anxiety, mostly excitement.   I'm hit by melancholy that is unexpected, huddling a cup of milky decaf with a few drops of rescue remedy lingering under my tongue, not a mess, but not quite hunky dory either.

I was not expecting myself to feel anything but relieved at having more free time, and I can use it, and there will be less of it than I think, the 2 yr old making sure of that- but I feel a sense of loss too, or not quite loss- but nerves, and nostalgia. These years do slip by, and my baby girl is not a baby anymore at all, I can't even hold on to a little bit of her baby ways- she even pronounces the R in her name now- though I know Kindergarten is a slow year, it's the beginning of quicker years, of school buses and field trips, and of her making connections I know nothing of, and of her growing up- which I heartily look forward to, but I think I must also mark it's passing.

And N, my sensitive spirited child- who is so attached to me that she's made special rituals up that she "can remember me by" when I leave, who kisses me goodnight in a special pattern, that MUST happen, is totally fine and at ease in her classroom. The only request she made was that I tell her before I leave the classroom- but really she was trying to say goodbye to Me and Baby A as soon as she got up this morning. When I did say goodbye- she gave me a big hug and quickly checked that the hair elastic was on her wrist (to remember me by- the equivalent of a string tied around a finger, I sometimes wonder if she stops when I'm not there, and fingers it- wondering- "who am I supposed to remember? Oh right, MOM!- like I'm some errand she could forget if she got distracted), then ran off to sit and listen to the story on the carpet, I'm sure she will excel in Kindergarten.

I'm sure too she's in the right place- people know her, she was greeted by her name in the classroom - stopped by another teacher in the hall and asked her name, and congratulated on her hello kitty backpack (it's all about the backpack). It's a small school, just the right size for her- and she will love it there, and be safe, and learn all sorts of lessons.

Lately

This week

::A rare sunny evening perfect to catch the light off the riverbank- as the falcon shrieks overhead.
:: Canada Geese- one of my favorite birds- nesting on the islands of cliffs- a very safe place for chicks
:: A Mallard nest in the lone patch of standing summer savory in the garden- not a very safe place I'm afraid- only two eggs left at last count- I'm almost afraid to look today- the girls will be very upset not to have ducklings in the garden
:: An awesomely typical N face
:: Wicked pinstriping on an old safe- good inspiration
:: Snowcap beans to pretty to plant without a picture
:: The first Johnny Jump up (aka Heartsease), quickly plucked and smelled.
:: Good Mother Stallard Beans ( I think)
:: Tree Planting- each year we've been getting a few trees and they've mostly died which is so so disappointing- this year we went all out and spent money to get good quality trees- a whole orchard worth- 6 apples, 2 hazelnuts, a pear, grapes, arctic kiwi, a couple of roses- hopefully we fare better with these ones- the quality seems much improved.
:: N has been starting to use my camera- I thought these ones of her legs were charming because they so capture those moments of figuring it out- lots of 'pant shots'- but pretty good for a 4 yr old with macro setting- those sweet little feet!