Friday, January 30, 2015

late walk

 guess what was happening after school
on my walk?










 tonight it will be very cold
all weekend in fact.

take care.

Wednesday, January 28, 2015

just right

i love this print
how the elements come together with some skill, 
some expectation, 
some chance 
and some hope.
like my days, lately.
 printing again,
anticipating the weather softening, lightening
and yet,
only the chickadees 
to my uneducated ears
have changed their endless conversations.
i see big birds: eagles, hawks, owls.
my neighbor's lovely window...
all that work
beginning to fade.
another faraway neighbor
bryan's lovely gift of madder 
on linen
and washi
  a meandering of morning glories
 and this 
precursor of sping
fiddleheads
fiddleheads
fiddleheads
the cold is solid now, below zero at night
above during the day.
but the daylight keeps multiplying
joys
cedar and sumac
and a use for that 40 year old saffron
pale thoughts of my sister's old cupboard.
a beach-like field of coldnesses
layers of cold
blues cold.
and if i am not as sharp as i ought to be
a creature or three maybe
watching me.
i saw these prints: raccoon, coyote, deer, mice...
someone is keeping watch
in the lee of a rock 
soaking sun
before the feast, a rather desperate one,
of night hunting
begins.
bryan's thoughts of spring 
my hopes of spring
anything
to distract from
the rough road of unhappy students
these days.

Sunday, January 25, 2015

finally back

moving stuff into storage,
i wasn't the only one.
 i found a stash when cleaning
 inside this tube of canada thistle paper
 a tiny bit of gold
 just visiting.
foundation stonework
 a 10 degree and windy walk
 brilliant sun
 lined up
 turkey trot
waltz?
 they were hanging out
and then one flew
 red outside, red inside
winter prints
a good day.

Friday, January 23, 2015

snow fleas and stomach bugs

these dots are moving!
but i did expect it.
the season of snow fleas has come.
they appear on warmish days 
on the snow.
insects. insects!
 i can remember the first time i saw them
how weird i thought.
 but today
home with an insect of my own,
stomach bug we say,
i went to fetch the mail
between shivery spells
and spotted them spotted all around my stoop.
so i brought out something precious
snow fleas and a gift
the wind puffed
the gift folded
bifolio and fleas?
~~~
the fleas, well the fleas
who knows what those creatures are about?
and this little stenciled piece
from bryan
i will write more later
when my very own specific bug
settles down.

Monday, January 19, 2015

ice doings

there is a culture of ice fishing here.
 amish began buying old farms around here several decades ago.
it was inevitable the two would mix 
in yet another cultural exchange.
this photo has caused a bit of excitement on facebook!
which cracks me up.
you will note the horse is blanketed and in the sun
but it was cold and clear and 
i hope good fishing!
(see the hut?)
 at my place here i often see young deer
hanging out.
i speak to them.
 they browse.
all fluffy in the cold
like birds.
 some snow,
 some warmth,
stove wood at the new place
 warms twice (at least)
 big cold
moving in.
 the drainage from trout lake 
runs through the land
and away, 
under the road and away.

Wednesday, January 14, 2015

encountering reality

in my garage i hung a window frame
and it frames... just wood
  i went for a ski after resting
and at the trailhead were two huge trucks, a trailer,
 and a beast of a load moving machine with tracks.
the trail was trashed 
but there was obviously some reason.
 i tried to stay inbetween
because the horizontal track was very slow.
before i saw the hobbit house
i met a fellow peeing on the track, 
embarrassed him actually.
he quickly moved and apologized, kept trying to talk about it.
and i skied way over to the far left, 
intent on making no conversation.
 the thermometer read 4 degrees.
there was no wind,
pileated woodpeckers called
and there was more tractor-like noise.
 i was dazzled, 
but still the damn noises persisted.
i tried to pay attention to the woods.
 when a pileated woodpecker begins excavating a tree
it leaves distinctive holes
which elongate into furrows
that in this amazing tree
i can peer through.
can you see?
 then
i encountered this one trundling up the path. 
it had tracks that were diagonal
and therefore good to ski over.
convenient amidst inconvenience.
 i have skied and walked and even mountain biked this trail 
for 30 years
and have never seen maintenance guys on it
or equipment other than a stray snow machine
setting cross country trails.
before a more challenging site was developed.
 the guys (three at least)
cut out a dangerous nuisance tree that had come down on the trail 
and chipped it.
 on the way out they were hauling in two small bridges.
this work used to be done
on site, 
with minimal equipment.
 this stream is being bridged
and i mourn for the days
of intervention by human hauled equipment
not equipment hauling humans.
and humans taking a few little risks and
navigating tiny stream banks.
my heart get sad.
 i stopped at the latest flea market in town
saw one of my old students.
met his girlfriend.
and then i found something very amusing
 curiouser and curiouser
are human beings.

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