The cool moist night air of my country road, with only the sound of the crickets chirping, is a perfect ending to a crazy day in the city. In the hot daylight hours, I'm delighted by my rural lane's colorful succession of weeds and wildflowers. Although they may be invasive, I love the heavy perfume of the wild thorny roses. Today's drive down my tar and gravel road in the 80 degree weather inspired this Japanese style haiku ...
Wheels roll over tar.
Pop, pop, pop like bubble wrap
The road is melting.
Robert Frost, when speaking of roads said, "I took the one less traveled by and that has made all the difference." Although some say this poem is about regret, others interpret it as an ode to individualism and non- conformity. These are traits which most artists hold near and dear. After all, great art is not only about technique..I find that boring. Great art must also express that which is unique to you. Wow, there must be a catchphrase in there involving technique and unique..as I'm laying in bed tonight with the windows wide open I'll mull that one over.

It's Raining, It's Pouring

Ok, it's not actually raining. We had THE SNOW DAY today! Yeah!! For some reason, I kept thinking of one of my cute little students singing "it's raining, it's pouring, the old man is boring." (Apologies to my "old man") The 5 and 6 year olds in my classroom come up with the funniest stuff..Who's Santa's other reindeer (besides Rudolph) asked the teacher last December. The only girl in the class answers "Ashley?".I had to take the job assisting a special ed student cause my husband and I were both self-employed and the health insurance payments were more than our mortgage. So you can understand why I eagerly anticipate snow days and faithfully wear my pajamas backwards the night before a storm.(It really works) After school, I come home to my other job hand- painting first day covers for stamp collectors. You would think we live an extravagant lifestyle, but no, we live quite simply and are just trying to survive the recession! So finding time to produce all these paintings and craft projects I have in my head will take precious time. I've sure learned not to procrastinate like I used to. Anyway, I had to have a little fun today, so my husband and I went cross country skiing in the woods near our house. My daughter, who is a downhill skier, can't understand the attraction of it, but for us it's cheap, peaceful, uncrowded and right outside our door. Here's a little picture to illustrate SNOW DAY!!!!!