O Nature! I do not aspire
To be the highest in thy choir, –
To be a meteor in thy sky,
Or comet that may range on high;
Only a zephyr that may blow
Among the reeds by the river low;
Give me thy most privy place
Where to run my airy race.
In some withdrawn, unpublic mead
Let me sigh upon a reed,
Or in the woods, with leafy din,
Whisper the still evening in:
Some still work give me to do, –
Only – be it near to you!
For I’d rather be thy child
And pupil, in the forest wild,
Than be the king of men elsewhere,
And most sovereign slave of care;
To have one moment of thy dawn,
Than share the city’s year forlorn.
I came across this little feller while I was out running on the levee trail this morning. This seasonal shift is certainly welcome, and I feel like I’m making a welcome internal shift as well. The flowering pear tree in my front yard is in full bloom (my street is lined with them and their foul odor but at least they’re lovely to look at when you plug your nose), daffodils and crocuses (crocii?) are rearing their heads.. even some stray sunflower seeds that I’ve thrown out for the squirrels have managed to plant themselves and have started sprouting out of the soil.
Today I shipped out five originals to a buyer in Texas and ran my printers into the ground getting cards and prints ready for Thursday. Thursday evening I’ll be at the Sion Spring Fling, a fundraiser for Notre Dame de Sion in Kansas City. Things are really starting to pick up and the art festival season will be in full swing before I know it (perhaps even before I’m ready for it..).
‘Twas a packed weekend of sun and friends and running, etc. I headed to my hometown and enjoyed some sunshine while I dug around the yard searching for treasures with a metal detector (major nerd alert). Once upon a time I wanted to be an archeologist.
I headed back to Lawrence Saturday eve for some celebratory race preparations with food, friends, and a backyard fire.
Sunday morning started at 5am with a short road trip to Kansas City’s Boulevard Brewing Company – the starting point of the 44 mile Brew to Brew relay race. I was on a team of 10 with a couple extra folks tagging along to drive and be part of the fun.
I ran the 7th leg (about 5 miles on highway and gravel roads) and got to cross Stranger Creek in a boat. Sweeeet! I spotted this halo around the sun while waiting for one of our teammates to finish her run. So beautiful.
We finished the race at Free State Brewery in Lawrence (hence the race name, Brew to Brew). It was a load of fun. Now, back to work.
About 10 seconds after I crossed the street in this exact spot this morning this happened.. I had just turned the immediate corner and then heard the noise, but continued walking because I thought it was something industrial from a next door business that’s always moving around heavy loads.. Upon my return a few minutes later, I realized it wasn’t. Nobody was hurt thankfully. My ears also witnessed a car accident yesterday (both of these happened just up the street from my house. What gives??). Lots of horn honking and then.. CRASH! I ran outside to see if people were ok (they were) but one driver was none too happy as she yelled at the other driver for ruining her car.. Hey, the first thought on my mind when I woke up yesterday morning was that I was thankful to be alive another day. And I suppose a car is something that lady probably worked or works hard for, but I hope she was also glad to be alive more than angry about her car.. To each his or her own I guess.
In other news, I restocked Phoenix Gallery this morning in Lawrence – lots of prints and cards and a couple original paper cuttings. Go visit. Then I headed across the street to Love Garden Sounds and in the mood for something to go along with this lovely weather, picked up the record “Hawaii Calls: Exotic Instrumentals”. It’s finally spring. It felt good to have the sun on my back as I ran this morning. And it felt good to sit on my deck and sip coffee and watch two hawks thermal higher and higher until they were almost out of sight. For a few seconds out there, I had childlike presence and didn’t think about all the things that need doing… which I must do now. Til next time.
I’ve temporarily taken over my dining room table with my cutting mat and supplies. There’s a large picture window next to it that faces my deck and it lets in a lot of great light. I lined my deck railing with bird seed and sunflower seeds, so I’ve been getting lots of visitors as I work — so far my usual squirrels, a finch, a tufted titmouse, a female cardinal, a flicker, a downy woodpecker, and a nuthatch. Plus, a neighborhood cat who knows I have cat treats hidden away for when he visits. I’ve got my camera at hand for many photo opps, so of course, photos to come. Plus, lots of new paper cuttings to come.
APRIL this year, not otherwise
Than April of a year ago
Is full of whispers, full of sighs,
Dazzling mud and dingy snow;
Hepaticas that pleased you so
Are here again, and butterflies.
There rings a hammering all day,
And shingles lie about the doors;
From orchards near and far away
The gray wood-pecker taps and bores,
And men are merry at their chores,
And children earnest at their play.
The larger streams run still and deep;
Noisy and swift the small brooks run.
Among the mullein stalks the sheep
Go up the hillside in the sun
Pensively; only you are gone,
You that alone I cared to keep.
I’ve received word that I’ve been accepted into the 50th Annual Uptown Art Fair in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This is another huge show with an average of 375,000 people attending. It runs Aug. 2-4.. which means I’ll have my three biggest shows (that I’ve received word from so far) almost back to back: Denver -> Madison -> Minneapolis. It looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me for every waking second until then. (!!)
