A new day dawning...

For the past 2 months I have been thinking in my ART brain and exercise, while I know I have to do it, was the last thing on my mind. Everything has been about the STUDIO TIME and the wood fire, and the getting my act together for my travels. I felt like I was going to have NO summer and no time to train to do Tt with Jon each week or even swim with Amy in Desolation. I had done it once again, scheduled my down time away.

For the past few days, this pit has been growing in my stomach. I have been a bit uneasy about my travel plans, mostly because the amount of details that I expect are not being disclosed. I am all for flying by the seat of my pants, which is how I spend most of my life, BUT in this case I can't seem to throw caution to the wind. I am thinking its because the cultures are so different, and the language barrier is far greater than Europe. I'm seem to be sitting on this really SPIKEY fence here knowing that I have to buy my flights soon or not be able to afford them.

My gut is telling me to listen to Steve and Tyler and the two of them have been invaluable with advice and a fair amount of investigative work beyond what I could do myself. So for now, and I say this as choked up as I could possibly be, my trip to Asia is on hold until I know more. What gets me about this is that I spent 8 months training to ride across country. I switched my focus and now I am feeling like I can't do either. I am a bit annoyed with myself to say the least. Ah, life is too short to worry about these minor details (brushing off the dirt, basking in the MUD facial). There is always all the time I will be spending in MAINE this summer (most of July)!

What does this mean? I woke up this morning with my legs itching to get on my bike. My art brain is being turned down a notch. I basically call it the "F&*K it all I am going for a ride" syndrome. Right after I finish carving those dinner plates!

I want to believe in people....

I am about to embark on making a big purchase but I have this pit in my stomach as I feel like I am doing it blindly. Three grand is a lot of money to spend on something? Its funny that I even ask that as a question, I feel like it should be a statement. Three grand is an awful lot to spend on myself when I have four kids in tow and a few of them racking up college expenses.

So when I am asked to blow 3K on travel I am wondering if I should expect certain things, like, should I expect a basic itinerary or at least contact with the organizer? Is this a rhetorical question or an actual expectation? I want to trust in people, but in this case my gut is grumbling and I am unsure of what to do.

American culture would expect these basic things but what about other cultures? Is one's word enough? Should I invest the 3K on word alone? Should I wait for answers? Airfares are going up by as much as 40% on Tuesday... what would you do?

Pollepel Island -AKA Bannerman Island Arsenal

I saw this article on Yahoo that reminded me of gallery hoping with Pete a few weeks ago when he told me about his excursion out to Bannerman Castle. I decided that Kenny and I had nothing better to do and seeing that he would NOT be comfortable with the 6 hour kayak trip, regardless of HOW great the lunch was, I decided to sign us up for the 3 hour land-lovers tour. This morning, armed with a camera, hydro pack, and all of the suggested essentials we headed towards the dock in Beacon. The weather looked iffy, but it held, even got hot.

When I heard the whole story of Bannerman Castle I immediately had the thought "A salesman is a salesman, its in his blood". It seems like this weapons dealer, Bannerman, was linked to many historical events ancestrally. I was stuck at how much this reminded me of another mansion built at the same time, Clingstone, in the middle of Newport Harbor. What was funny is that they say Bannerman Island is HAUNTED and I never got that sense. Clingstone on the other hand, when Chris and Anthony rented it for the weekend and we all went out there to hang out, I was spooked beyond belief, though equally intrigued.

All in all though it was very interesting and a wonderful day! NOW for that glass of wine!

More adventures tomorrow.

What did we do afterwards? Well, we were in Beacon so of course it we had to indulge in POPPY's for burgers and fries.

Link of interest : NY Times Opinion

On a side note: Chris is applying to do a independent study of the Revolutionary War battles routes in our local. He plans on using his bike to document the historical markers and buildings. He will have to include this island. MAYBE then we can arrive under our own power...hint, hint, hint...I want to paddle it!

FAVE FIVE

I just returned home from school and its been a grueling week. The Insomniac has nothing on me, except for the ability to hold liquor and get away with being obnoxiously rude. I have basically spent my week awake, not sure why, but its been unbelievably tough. Did I really do this in college?

Kenny and I are headed out on several excursions this weekend. I will also try to catch up on many things, exercise, sleep, the garden, housework, studio stuff, and with Trish and maybe even Pete?

Here are this weeks FIVE: (Which right now is like pulling teeth to entice the toothfairy)

1. I made it through the week without having a coronary or a stroke - I was really extremely high strung which I am attributing to lack of sleep

2. I finally have succeeded in getting my kids to do their own dishes by leaving them a note from the LGM (I guess the little green man has more appeal than I do)

3. I managed to pull of the field trip to Waveny Park to work from observation despite not having a visiting artist and my students thought it was the BEST field trip ever! It also changed their perspective on working for 3 hours straight.

4. I talked to a few amazingly good friends this week and heard some great news from ONE! (Alison, see I can make a list- though it makes me feel like I am 105 instead of 45)

5. I went out after school with Trish to Madona for their $5. bar menu

Why do I do this...? Intrigue I guess

I usually find myself responding to blog posts made by other people and today is no different. Here goes:

It's Random Dozen time.

1. Would you rather host a party or simply attend a party? I am totally the HOST type. I like parties that are comfortable and where I can be assured the guests are comfortable. I like to think that a party at our place includes great food, good libations and a wonderful mix of interesting people.

2. Tell us about the most memorable party you've been to. A birthday party my husband threw for my 39th birthday (because at 40 I would be too old). A really good friend drove 2.5 hours to see me, despite being on his deathbed literally. He totally surprised me, stayed for 10 minutes, and despite almost calling on St. Peter a few weeks later, lived to tell about it! (I still get choked up about it- Love you Chris)

3. What is one thing you hope for in the after-life? I really would like to know if I am the reincarnation of an artist that plagues me with a love/hate relationship (Pablo himself) Before you comment on this, and LAUGH uncontrollably... think about it for a minute. I am a poor, virtually unknown, woman artist who is married with four children and a monogamous relationship. I also spend my life teaching so much that studio time is a premium, not a given and that search to retain child like work hits me like reading 100's of essays hits an English teacher. "All children are artists. The problem is how to remain an artist once he grows up" (Picasso)

4. What do you enjoy most about sunshine? Dancing LIGHT shows everywhere!

5. When you attend a bridal/baby shower, do you prefer to bring your own gift or chip in with others to buy a larger gift? It depends on who is chipping in and who the shower is for. If its a high stakes game, I'd rather chip in. If its about the company, then definitely go it alone.

6. Would you rather have a FREE week of having your house cleaned or all of your meals cooked for you and your family? Can't I have both????PLEASE. PLEASE. PLEASE!!!

7. What song describes your mood today? Borderline (OK know its hokey, but I heard it while grocery shopping and wallowing in my hormonal thoughts)

8. What is something you received for your own bridal shower/wedding that you still own or use? (If you are not married, feel free to sub a gift you received a long time ago.) I tend to cherish things, so YES I have a few things from my shower (23 years ago) and my favorite wedding gift ( A Randy Paige Lewis clock- I am pretty sure that my friend/roommate Linda gave it to me but could not attend our wedding because she was working on a high pressure hamburger commercial for BBD&O with 276 takes on applying ketchup)

9. Your favorite flavor of ice cream is? I love coffee and chocolate (specifically, Black Chocolate Velvet from Breyers- 110 calories, 13g of sugar per 1/2 cup serving)

10. When was the last time you felt "tested?" 30 seconds ago...and then 30 seconds before that.

11. "[Fill in the blank] is a food that once I start eating I find really hard to stop." cheese and crackers, hummus, salad...

12. "-----" is the best motivation. Rejection.

Now, I want to tell you that the last time I answered something like this it turned into a whole year's worth of studio time when the post was passed along. I have too much going on in my studio right now to even contemplate anything remotely like that at this time but you never know.

On another note: An interesting article I read today can be found here

setting goals for myself - Sunday seems perfect for that!

This morning I commented on my friend Matt's blog and I got to thinking about the advice I had given him regarding being his own worst enemy. I often find myself in his place. I told him that he needed to think about finding an event to train for, it would give him a tangible goal that was not related to his psyche. Actually, it would make working out have a purpose other than health and less likely to create an internal battle. SO why am I talking about this? I am trying to take my own advice.

I joined in a few challenges with weight-watchers, yes, I have been trying to follow the plan, and have finally made the decision to be a lot more diligent. I got out and rode today on Anna's mountain bike. I weeded the garden. I cut down branches that were blocking trees. Identified a plant that seems to invaded the rock wall (Virginia Creeper). I connected with a friend in Virginia. I threw a few plates, finished carving a covered casserole and made two bracelets out of old inner tubes. I even did the dreaded inbox clean-out of my email account. Yet, even after feeling really productive, I somehow feel like I sat on the couch a great deal. Weird.

This week my goals are:

1. keeping track of my daily intake

2. exercising 50-60 minutes a day

3. working 1-2 hours a day in the studio

4. being positive and relaxed

5. enjoying the week with my students (no stress - it is what it is!)

Friday FAVe FIVE

Well, its Saturday and I am at work gallery sitting for the regional ceramics exhibition that my school hosted (actually I was the one that produced it). I am catching up on reading my blogs this morning, as I once again have students working in that format, but this has become such a great reading habit that I actually miss it when I don't look at the new posts on my blog roll.

As I started to read one of my favorite blogs I saw an opportunity jump out at me that seemed to fit in with my new mantra of staying positive, The Friday FAVE Five, which led me to another interesting blog. I have added myself to the linky.

So here are my week's FAVE Five!

1. I witnessed 19 Seniors pull together one of the most incredibly strong art exhibitions in the history of my school. The exhibition I put together actually got some props, despite the low participation I reported last week. I guess sometimes less is more. One of my students received and honorable mention when the juror came.

2. My son's have made me smile all week, for no particular reason. They just made me feel special. My daughter called to ask me how to take care of cleaning a paintbrush she borrowed from the farmer she is working for, as it was one of his favorite brushes and she wanted to make sure it was well taken care of. I love my kids!

3. I went for an impromptu hike (if you could call it that) with a colleague after viewing an exhibition of photos by our students at the New Canaan Nature Center. The gallery was closed but they let us in anyway and I got to witness them laying a mosaic on the floor. I was so impressed and so inspired by all of it. I then went home, made a pot of Jasmine ICED TEA (I seem to have become an ice tea junkie these days) and spent a glorious hour weeding my own garden.

4. I got a bunch of studio work DONE! YAY! I am once again inspired to work on my assignment of a king's place setting (long story, but I occasionally do this to myself)

5. I went out to dinner with my husband last night, which was a nice ending to a grueling paced week. We are going to visit Hanna today together, now that I am well enough to be around her.

My only regret? Yes I am writing about my week, so I need to put this in. My plans for the weekend originally involved going up to Boston to see some friends and work on some projects I have going. I had planned on staying with Denise, one of my oldest friends. I had one of those task packed weeks where every 15 minutes seemed to be accounted for. When the weight of the work load in MA was lifted on Thursday, I forgot all about my original plans and I forgot to call Denise. I felt like a total idiot this morning when she called to ask me when I was coming up today, especially when I forgot all about the fact that I had originally planned to go up there to begin with. So Denise, the best part about gallery- sitting this morning is that I actually caught up with my calendar. I will see you the 24th of June and sometime again in July.

I want to crawl into a hole, under a rock, etc...THATS WHAT I THOUGHT LAST WEEK

Tuesday of last week I had started to write this post:

So today was one of those days, I got caught speeding on my way to work, not once but twice, I had an issue with some broken student work, I couldn't get the kiln loaded by noon (we are under a time crunch right now), I had a call for entries day for MUD.2010 today that had at least 20 RSVP's and was supposed to be huge but only 3 schools showed up... instead of 100 pieces, we have 23.

By the end of the day on Tuesday I was near tears. I had worked so hard on this exhibition, and keeping my license clean, and making sure that the students work dried slowly, etc... It seemed that my whole day was one that would stick with me for a very long time, and not in a good way.

I got home, went for a long walk, had more than a glass of wine and decided the next day would be better. So I got up, decided to drum up some more business, make some more cups, etc. You know the routine, making lemonade out of lemons. It worked somewhat, I did get more schools involved.

My next task was installation, and despite the event being on the calendar, the room it was going to be hosted in was all of a sudden at a premium and not available for set up. This was getting exhausting, not to mention, I had Senior exhibits to help set up as well in the school gallery and progress reports were due. I was stressed, exhausted, ready to throw in the towel. I was also starting to feel under the weather. I couldn't afford to get sick. It happened and I pushed through the next 3 days hacking up a lung, sneezing every five minutes and feeling so congested that I was very nauseous. The show must go on, so they say.

So today Is Monday, and as I look back on the past week, I could sit here and focus on all that terrible stuff, but then I think of the great things that happened and I am smiling:

1. I had dinner with Jude

2. I was invited out on a lobster boat to haul traps and warned that I would have to endure fish guts (which sounds so cool) AND I get to spend a few days with Pete just hanging out.

3. I received the ultimate accolade from Roy " tell her she really is a freak"

4. My students have been helping out quite a bit with the exhibitions, and we went out to lunch on Saturday, which was so cool.

5. Despite feeling like I had inhaled an ocean I went to see Jessica in her studio yesterday. She made me tea. I copied down a bunch of glaze recipes. She donated a cup for the cup raffle. I love studio visits.

6. I worked in my studio.

7. I went to dinner with Mikey and we didn't rush.

Today we finished hanging the shows. I came home planted the window box, went for a walk with Ellen and then made dinner using herbs and rocket from the garden. Somehow it made dinner feel as if I was eating out.

Crawl under a rock? Don't think so. Its been a great week.

Walk, no RUNNING with Kermit

For the past few weeks I have been glued to the HBO series Treme. I think it was my love for that city and the heartache over Katrina that peaked my interest in the series. What my one hour of TV a week has done for me was rekindle my interest in Jazz (New Orleans brass bands). Today I realized that this could actually have a huge benefit to my health. I set out for a walk and ended up running most of my route, just because Kermit Ruffins has me excited

I walked/ran 4 miles before I was done and I had only planned on being out for a 30 minute walk. I was out 40 at a much more intense pace instead.

What I really wanted to write about though was my Mother's Day weekend. It started off with a late lunch with Anna and Lovey at Barcelona in Fairfield. The company was fantastic. The food was great. The waiter was too much of a salesperson. Lovey was too much, showing up with the most beautiful bouquet of flowers to kick off the Mothers Day celebration.

After lunch, Anna and I hit the farm stand across the street. More herbs and vegetables for the garden. I am starting to feel like we have planted a farm.

Saturday morning I headed up to Saratoga to spend the day with my mom and to attend her concert. I had planned on riding when I got there, prior to her performance, but the weather did not want to cooperate. I went out for a walk instead, in the 30 minutes between storms. My mom sings with the Burnt Hills Oratorio! Society. They performed Bach's Mass in B Minor at the Corpus Christi Church in Clifton Park. Of course I spent my night sketching. I was a bit embarrassed as I realized I sat too close (2nd Row). everyone realized that I was sketching, even the choir and the orchestra. My mom had knew, she saw my pen flying across the page. I had taken the precaution of copying part of the score so that I could look as if I was making score notes. HAH, that thought was funny! The guy sitting next to me was craning his neck to see me, and the french horn player noticed as did a violinist, and the Alto soloist. I slowed my progress so that I didn't distract the artists. PROBLEM IS that once I stop drawing, I start fidgeting and yawning. The concert was wonderful, but ran very late. I had planned on hooking up with Alison and Rich for a beer after, but I was beat from concentrating so hard on the music. We went home instead.

I was out the door by 8:15 AM yesterday. I had to catch the 11:24 train with Chris. We were meeting Harriet in city. Chris wanted to take us to the Metropolitan Museum of Art for Mother's Day. The Picasso exhibit was top on my list as was the Bamboo on the Roof. As we got off the subway we were treated to Accapella Soul

which stopped us in our tracks long enough to listen. Of course my phone crapped out so the video I took never materialized as a file.

In any case the museum was mobbed, you would have thought they were giving the art away or something. We went right to the Picasso exhibit, then the instrument gallery, then the visible storage, then the Temple of Dendur, the BIG BAMBOO, and finally the American Woman exhibit. We were so exhausted that we took a cab back to Riverdale instead of the bus. We met Kenny, Anna and Justin for dinner at Nono Tony's. Mother's Day was as relaxing and exciting as it was hectic. I enjoyed it immensely and would willingly put into one of my top ten.

It was hard to get back to work this week. It will be a hectic week, lots of stuff going on. The MUD exhibit gets installed as does the senior exhibits. With that said, I am off to bed (with Kermit playing in my head).

Voice mail...

I had one of those days today where it bordered on wonderful and insanely stupid, just work stuff that involved dreaded phone calls and worse than the phone calls is the fact that you now have to dial all 10 digits in Fairfield county. Then there is the voice mail menu... need I say more. After all that, I call a friend on my way home and I get a voice mail menu that made me want to throw my phone out the window.

I bolted out of school anticipating a ride, but my friend bailed. Anna called me at about the same time asking me to go hiking. While I wrestled the demons and guilt of not getting on that bike I decided that an afternoon out with my daughter was far better than a ride alone. I was so right. We went to the Rockefeller Preserve and walked for a good 90 minutes. It was beautiful to say the least. I wish I had the pictures for wordless Wednesday.

We returned home to just enough light to work in the garden. All the while I was asking Anna's advice. She is the farmer in the family, this summer anyway. She is leaving next week for a summer of working on a small organic farm near Lexington, VA, where she has already spent time this spring helping with the planting. My herb garden is shaping up, 2 types of Lavender, rosemary, thyme, oregano, basil, sage, savory, chives, stevia, marjoram, cilantro, parsley and something that resembles celery that has been growing for the past 3 years but I cannot for the life of me remember what it is, so I won't use it. As for vegetables, there are tomatoes, beans, peas, lettuce, collards, peas, beans, squash, broccoli, and jalepeno. There will also be cucumbers and maybe zucchini. I have already done much more than I anticipated doing. I hadn't planned on a garden as I thought I would be away all summer. When I got invited to Korea for the month of August I realized that I really needed to conserve finances, so I will be home a great deal more than planned. Gardening has always been a challenge to me. We'll see how it goes.

Though I think my legs are still wishing they had spent time pedaling I wouldn't change the time with Anna for anything.

two posts?

OK not typical, but I needed to let myself know that I managed to fight the I don't want to successfully and got my butt out on that bike and rode for an hour. Here are the pics...

Ode to...

I had a great day at school today. That is all I need to say other than the last 2 hours, after school was out with a small group of kids making mugs for the Cup of MUD raffle was about as good as it comes.

I read from the book I mentioned yesterday, How to Be an Explorer of the World (Smith, 2008) as we worked and one of them shared a book of poetry, which I admit I am often not fond of, mostly because of the level of focus required. Hmm thats funny, I absolutely loved this book. It reminded me of my friend Rod, and dragonfly's, and sharing stories, and dreams, and metaphors. I need to reach out to him and Lise really soon. I miss them. I think about the altered book I created, from a simple e-mail asking me to divulge stuff about me and that one message that I read and took to heart prior to answering sparked a conversation that lasted months.

Now for a excerpt from GROOKS (Hein, 1966)

Living Is: Living is

a thing you do

now or never-

which you do?

and

A Moment's Thought

As Eternity

Is reckoned

there's a lifetime

in a second.

As I sat there discussing the heart behind being a maker with students who are just learning what that means, my life as an artist reached new meaning. I came home knowing that I needed to once again focus on balance. Breathing more energy into my thoughts on ownership of self and balancing indulgence with discipline. Yes Jon, I am headed out to RIDE MY BIKE HARD as you asked, and tomorrow, I am riding home after a very long day (because that is the only choice I will have to get home). My LIST TODAY:

SLEEP

PLAY

THINK...

OH yeah and LAUGH, LOVE and FIND the WORLD INTERESTING!

Random Acts of...

So I thought about this work I am doing on myself. I did pretty well today, though the day is not yet over so cross my fingers (Oh where is that damn book). Anyway, I was discussing these theories of ownership that I have with just about anyone who would listen.

I went on a coffee and oatmeal run after school. I love these. The coffee helps me relax and the oatmeal keeps me from bingeing after school. I spent some of this time perusing the book How to be an Explorer of the World (Smith, 2008) trying to figure out what my next design assignment will be for my students as I waited for KD. When he arrived he tells me about a fight with a neighbor over a newly installed fence, my suggestion, a good will offering of a flat of flowers for the new privacy screen they received free of charge. (Did I really say that?). In anycase, I really enjoyed that time today. I sat an people watched for a bit, particularly this Minister (female). I am always curious. I think its my Catholic upbringing mixed with my mom's clergy status. She was reading, pretty intensely, and surprisingly similar material that I would find in my mom's possession at any given time. Yet there was stuff about her that my mom would never pull off. The jeans with the collar, not professional enough. The collar in public outside the workday, no way. It was curious to me.

Today's list:

Take a walk

Notice the stories going on around me.

Interact with my environment on a different level.

Observe

Document

Love

Be flexible

LAUGH A LOT!

I went for a walk with my friend Roseanne today as well. We have been trying to do this regularly. She is recovering from ovarian cancer and so our outings are more at a look at and listen to the world pace than anything else. I snapped two pictures, one of purple loosetrife and one of white loosestrife. They were right next to each other in the swampy area next to the road, they almost looked planted by someone but they were in this patch of skunk cabbage. It got me thinking about invasive organisms and how sometimes things are not as they seem. Which reminds me, I had planned on riding the Pan Mass Challenge this summer in Roseanne's honor but my exhibition in Korea will have me out of the country. I have decided however to do this ride virtually this time as a member of Team Kermit. Next year, I hope both of us are on the bike.

I sit here thinking about Anna. I was describing her desire to be a farmer to my students, who seemed to think that this was hysterical and yet intriguing. Anna is a true lover of life, and the world. She is a sweet soul who has so much joy in her heart and love to offer the planet. A vegetarian that is into sustainable living. I chuckle when I think that to her the important news tonight to her father was that she had gotten an A on a paper that she thought she would fail, and to me it was I saved 32 boxes of pencils from sudden death (trash) even though I don't need them, could I use them at school? Of course I will oblige Anna and send them on to a colleague's daughter who is a teacher in a poor district who would otherwise have to buy her students pencils out of her pocket despite not making enough to support her own life.

I ate a serving size (1/2 cup) of the most decadent chocolate ice cream for desert and enjoyed every bite and almost felt guilty about it. Yet, when I look at the nutritional facts, wonder if I am needing my glasses.

So in a nutshell, forgive yourself, love life and be in the moment! Life is certainly interesting and engaging!

whirling dervishes and such...

Once again, I find myself answering the thread of a friend's posting, though quite by accident.

I spent the morning anticipating the article that was written about Chris and wondering if I would spend my day going to galleries or hiking or just doing a whole lot of nothing. I have decided that despite being alone today I am going to do something!

I have made a list:

1. put a handle on the casserole that is on the studio table

2. water the garden

3. FIND PETE!

4. go and DO (walk, hike, look at art, bike, make art)

5. document the day (draw, journal, reflect)

All of these things on the list are of the utmost importance. I started a new journey with my self image yesterday. I have never really thought about how much of an impact the first words you read for the day have on your energy. Today I had the pleasure of being greeted by my friend Matt's blog entry from yesterday. Today is the day. Funny, yesterday I had that exact thought...today is the day, I have had it with my self image, my tendency towards self soothing with food, and my propensity towards negative thoughts. I need a change and it needs to be POSITIVE.

First steps:

An acquaintance sent me a negative political statement that was "SO IMPORTANT" for me to listen to. What was it? It was a disrespectful cheap shot at OBAMA, what else. It seems that so much is directed that way. Without bringing my own political thoughts to the roundtable, I made a suggestion to her; CHECK YOUR FACTS before you send me information I MUST KNOW about how the American people are being robbed by the current administration.

Journaling what I eat, planning my strategies, thinking about exercise, studio work, even keeping track of negative thoughts, etc was the approach I was going to take. I decided that lists are not such a bad thing. They may actually help me to succeed at my goals. A season plan of sorts. Eventually, discussion of this plan, by the way, brought a bit of jovial laughter from Pete, who I finally caught up with. As "put that in your book" took shape as a catch-phrase for the day. "That book is going to be friggen HUGE".

We had a wonderful day though. We perused the farmers market in Beacon, tried to get into DIA (there was an event that closed the place), went gallery hopping on Main Street, saw the Tony Moore show, and the VAU show at BAU, and had iced chai, and split a brownie, and resisted the urge to go to POPPY's (only the best burgers and fries on the planet), and sat by the river, and just hung out like we were teenagers again. We watched ships going by, talked about Brannerman Island, discussed the fact that I know a local tattoo artist, how to rid a tool shed of a snake and how to create fabulous tie dyes. I even saw a red punchbuggie with Lisa's Bug on the plate. OK, I am spinning circles...

There was this poem on the wall at the School of Jellyfish that reminded me of how important is was to remember stories especially by sharing them, to take notice of the stories happening around you, to be flexible, to listen, to contemplate, to engage, and to be like a jellyfish, floating along with the flow of life. Most importantly to LOVE and to realize that to do all of what is listed above was in fact love. I wished I had written it down as it was one of the most profound encounters I have had with my feelings in a long time.

I planted a bunch more in my herb garden, bought some marigolds for my tomatoes, some more basil and rosemary too. I took care of the necessary stuff too, like watering. I wish I had enough sun for chilis!

So now what? Well, my studio is still calling, and after dinner I will certainly be headed there to finish up some trimming and handles, make a bracelet, and sketch the thoughts I had come to my head this afternoon before those glazing plans leave and I forget what I wanted to remember.

Its been a great day, and it was just made perfect by the PROPS from my 15 year old son!