Nov 11
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

Another patchy background.

I’m not entirely sure what kind of nut this is. Although after looking about on Google I think it is a black walnut. Beechnuts are small and triangular, maple keys are helicopters, hickory nuts are not visible and all the acorns are gone (but I have some caps that Aerin can whistle with – they shriek in a most amazing fashion). Plus there is a black walnut tree dying in the neighbors’ yard. The world’s fattest and sassiest squirrels bring the nuts onto my back porch and make loud noises of ownership while they peel off the heavy green outer covering, and crack these extremely knarly interiors to get at the meat. Then they throw the shells around. When they aren’t scheming on how to get in the house so they can eat whoopie pies and smartfood.

Yesterday nothing went as planned, so I gave up. Alice and a neighbor and I went to the Smith College Art Museum for their family fun day. The neighbor really is a cheerfulness pill. Even though I was aggravated and on the verge of tears when we started, I had cheered up by the fabric store where I stopped in and allowed as how I was going to completely miss the journaling class. From there we went for bagels for lunch and then hit the museum.

The theme for the the day was book art. We got to make our own books (star books, and accordion fold books) and then paint a book-shaped box with fabulous colors and stick things on it, then try to make a projected picture that looked bizarre until you looked at it in a cylinder. I realized on the way home that I had been taken out for an art date by a pair of 10 year olds. I made two great little books that I want to actually put things in instead of saving for some special project. I have a little booky-box that I want to make a dolly to go in. And then maybe write a story about her. So I thnked them very much and went to make my postcard.

Today I just went and sat in the coffee shop and pretended I was 25 again. I covered a postcard with triangles, invented two different ways of filling triangles with triangles, and wondered if there was a triangular coordinate system. Then I went home and resumed family life.

Nov 10
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

This one is an idea I had for making bigger things that I wanted to test on smaller things. So think of it as a test. Or a proof of concept.

I really like making and using these patchy backgrounds.

Nov 9
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

A very appropriate set of swatches for today because I went to Equine Affaire and saw more different breeds of horses, demonstrations, supplies, tack, clothing for both people and horses, and assorted carp with horses printed or engraved on it… It was at the Big E fairgrounds in 4 different buildings. I fell in love with a new saddle. It is for forward seat/jumping but has long billets like a dressage saddle and only a single flap instead of layers. But I didn’t buy anything. That took strength of mind. It helped that I have no horse, and thus didn’t need about 55% of the stuff available. It also helped that I probably wouldn’t become a cowgirl (although I do crave red cowboy boots and a red cowboy hat) so there is a different 55% that I don’t need, or Saddle Seat, for another 35%… Of course the saddle I fell in love with has a $2700 price tag on it, so that would cover a lot of other much cheaper carp. Except for the horses themselves. Or the trailers. Holy moly I could live a happy life in some of those trailers – there were ones with tack rooms and changing rooms and kitchens and beds….

But this has nothing to do with postcards, does it? This postcard is circles of different horse colors taken at my two different barns.

Nov 8
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

The end of one of the logs at the new barn. It made me think of the ends of two by fours. I was looking at horse colors (a future postcard) and found other things that are brown as well. If I run out of things I like that are brown, I get to shift to more abstract stuff. Just saying.

Nov 7
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I took the camera on a ride on the old horse last week – it is how I got the lovely shot of the woods between his ears – and there were beech trees shading from yellow to brown all through the woods. This is a closeup on one of the smaller trees, with branches at eye level.

Nov 5
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I was mystified by the label on these figs; Organic Brown Turkey Figs. The organic part I mostly understand, philosophy if not actual practice. I had trouble parsing Brown Turkey – are they (or their ancestors) from Turkey? do they resemble turkies (yes rather) I just stood there staring at them until I realized they would taste good. So I brought them home and subjected them to an intense bout of photography before eating them.

Nov 4
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

The Sunday postcard, posted late because when you send children away for a sleepover, frequently there is not much sleeping done and they can take days to recoop. Alice was having a meltdown last night. She’s better today. Aerin will have hers tomorrow, but she has no school on account of Election Day which happens in many of the schools and they don’t want the kids there while strangers go in and out and do civic things like vote. It is a curious reversal of the general rule that private school has fewer school days than public.

Anyhow – this is a sweet brown Bosc pear.

Nov 3
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

A different horse, with a black rimmed nose. Black on the edges, tan at the end, shading into deep dark, rich brown on his head and body.

Nov 2
Originally uploaded by Dancing Crow.

I had a much bigger eye from this horse, but I had to cut it strangely and then it looked really creepy instead of interesting. I am seldom glad to have a smaller version of any picture, but I was this time.

Alice is off at a sleep over, Aerin will be tomorrow night, Al and I are going to visit, and then stay up late and watch a movie. Maybe.