Last weekend in Vermont

Cockleshells

Since I don't actually HAVE a camera, I used the next best thing --- my phone --- you know I said I LOVE it!!! --- to record this cool window at the market across the street from my house.

our house is a very very very fine house

COME ON OVER TO OUR HOUSE !
New group for altered art enthusiasts - - - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/inthishouse

Wrong number, how might I help you?

I LOVE my cell phone passionately, and yes, I WOULD like to marry it (if it ever asks me, I'll say yes with no hesitation). In fact, I love almost all things technological, except bombs. I don't care a whit that naysayers think our cells and microwaves and computer screens are gonna kill us, or try to (like HAL ---), or at the very least be somewhat instrumental in our doom, or "suck all our time away" from us. Whatever; to my mind, it's brill and gives us the gift of the entire world, good and bad.
That said, no, I'm sorry, you've reached neither American Upholstery nor Bell South. My advice is, just keep trying. Eventually, they're both gonna pick up.

7 Deadly Sins

NOT REALLY! I mean 7 (relatively) random things - requested by Deb S.


1) Both my totem animal and my Chinese Zodiac Year are: Horse.
2) When I'm the only one home, I blast Billie Holiday, Blind Faith, the Blues.
3) 43/53rds of my life have been spenting "raising" one child or another.
4) My Irish coffee is made with Scotch whiskey.
5) Many critics panned one of my all-time fave movies, The Postman, based on the novel of the same name.
6) I believe art can spring from joy + fun as well as sorrow + misery.
7) I saw the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey with a handsome young Welsh dwarf who looked just like Warwick Davis, the actor who played "Willow".

Woo-hoo, UHU

The next time I go to the Market, I will be stocking up on refills for this fabulous product.
I have used numerous "glue rollers" in the past, but none were as cool as this one from UHU, and with such satisfying results joining paper to paper.
The glue (in miniscule dot form) is thin enough to be used under thin papers and not show, yet strong enough to bond securely. Where other rollers get gunky underneath and around the roller itself (which is the mechanism by which the glue dots are delivered from within the casing), this one doesn't gunk up in the least, which may be due to the nearly microscopic size of the"dots". I also feel like with this roller, a little DOES go a long way, since none is wasted. With other rollers I've tried, difficulty in rolling out the product lead to losing a fair amount.
The top finger gripper bar makes application quite comfortable and I have been able to use it when working both right and left handed.
Whether we're picking our adhesives from the point of view of career paper artists or are making art just for fun, we're all looking for adhesives which not only adhere, but are also economical and easy to apply. Clean-up? With a UHU glue roller, it's not even a factor, how swell is that?

May Flowers

As I've been working on the pretty new fence, I have tried to be oh-so-careful of the lilies of the valley who made their home along the old fence line. Successful on my neighbor Lynn's side, I was not so very on our own --- not because I didn't try; there was just too much digging of holes to save them all.


Here's my hope: they will make an unprecedentedly miraculous comeback next spring.

Reflections on a Gift of Watermelon Pickle Received from a Friend Called Felicity

Do any of you remember that title? It named a book of poetry published by Scholastic when I was in elementary school, or junior high. Many of the poems were memorable, but none as compelling as that luscious title!

This morning Colin surprised me with the intriguing fact that Parcel of Rogues, which I knew as sung by Steeleye Span, was in fact originally penned as a political manifesto by my great, great, great, great, great (great?) (and also revered and beloved) uncle, Robert Burns.
Anyway, today was a Mother's Day (and birthday for me) which held (a fair amount of) pleasure, mixed up with a small (but certain) dash of ragged edge.

The fence (finally) nears completion --- I will try to post a photo this week. There are flowers (peach, pink, red. violet and white) filling three hanging baskets next to our front stoop and the baby chestnut tree is in full pink bloom explosion (a fabulous two weeks event).
There were a few gifts, a few greetings and a few unexpected guests (Monica, we have been reveling in the scent of Fortune Cookie candle (how fortuitous!) without even burning it, all day --- and Jen, thanks for the dulcet tones of your call) at our door. (Only 2) Children begged (as usual) for ALL our attention, basketball and card games. (All 4) Adults tried (as always) to snatch a moment in the middle of pandemonium and The List (lengthened when the 50+ years old doorknob and plate ended up off our front door completely, for the meantime, until "close enough" replacement parts can be found).
Lisa, I'm so sorry I didn't get it together for a party. It's true, I broke a long standing tradition. And it would have been lovely, but. We'll have one (or several!) soon.

I hope each and everyone of you had the sweetest Mother's Day you could ever wish for, 'cuz even if you aren't one, bet you have (or had) one --- or two. . . or. . .