Rsolution

Tired Tree

Sometimes, by the last day of the year, I feel a bit like my Christmas tree... a little bedraggled, limbs weighted down and drooping, and the baubles that hung brightly and cheerfully at the beginning of the season now seem like they are trying too hard.  It is also true that we have given the season our best - we reached this state of bedraggle-ment by giving it our all.  And so, as the tree will be rejuvenated by being stuck in the snowbank outside tomorrow,  I will also experience a sense of rejuvenation through the time honored tradition of reflection and resolution.

A few days ago, I was hard at work in my studio drawing a full scale blueprint for a new fiber art piece for a client.  I was in that spot in the process that every artist knows...  how will this piece resolve?  Continuing on, that word was in the forefront of my mind.  By the end of the session, I could see where and how resolution would occur.  With this knowledge came a sigh of relief and flood of happiness.  I now knew where I was going with this work. There is a kind of peace that comes with this knowledge.

Journal Page

Writing in my journal this morning (a nearly daily ritual), I noticed I had - poetically - reached the last page of my current journal on the last day of the year.  Another type of resolution wherein a type of conclusion is reached.  This inspired me to look the word resolution up in my battered and beloved old Random House Dictionary.  I found that there are 18 definitions for this strong and useful word.  You can see that I jotted down abbreviated versions of each one in my journal.  It seemed a very fitting way to close out the year and my journal.

On this last day of the year, what will we decide was the resolving moment in the year past?  What will we determine to be our resolution for the coming year?  Will we feel a sense of peace when we attempt to resolve the past with the present and future for ourselves?  Or will we feel dissolution within our hearts?  Each of us defines this for ourselves.

I leave you this cold, clear and brilliant winter day with a segment of a poem sent to me by a dear friend:

I broider my life into the frame,

I broider my love, thread upon thread;

The world goes by with its glory and shame,

Crowns are bartered and blood is shed;

I sit and broider my dreams instead.

- Arthur Symons

Payette River, McCall, Idaho

Christmas Season Snapshots

Christmas Card Project

I think that for many of us, December goes by at Warp Factor 7...  it seems like yesterday I was making my Christmas cards in a leisurely fashion, feeling I had all the time in the world...  and suddenly I was realizing that I needed to cut those cards post haste and get them in the mail!  And the packages!  And open an Etsy store!  And..   and..  and..  and so it goes.

Front Porch Decorations

Daughter Shoots the Ice

Today, I am reflecting back on all the fun visits I (we) had, the gatherings, and the expeditions across rare sheets of fast-forming lake ice that provided so much artistic fodder for me and my daughter both.  AND, we took many of those photographs together, which makes it even better.

Ethyl and I focus on our work

The ice formations were so remarkable this year, I devoted several afternoons to taking photographs.  I'll let the photos speak for themselves as I include a few here...

Hoar Frost and Bubbles

Photo taken by Daughter

I could post many many more of these types of photographs taken on Little Lake east of town here...  I will be using these in future art quilts and can't wait to get started - right after I finish a commission or two!  Many thanks to photographer Joy Hamilton for the fun photo of me and Ethyl "on ice".  Please click on the link to view the many fine photographs that Joy and her husband Howard take all over the West.  Their website is worth a visit.

I cannot resist adding another ice shot or two - these are from Big Payette Lake.  My Little Family and I were walking along the shores of Ponderosa State Park yesterday afternoon and we could see that the ice had just frozen within the last day or two.

Trapped Lake Trout

This lovely 12" lake trout found itself trapped between the sandy lake bottom and an icy ceiling.  After I took a few photographs, I stomped on the ice behind the fish and coaxed it along until it swam out into deeper waters.

Frozen Wave

Last, but certainly not least, I spent part of December creating a new hand and face cream called "Backyard Rose" made with rose water I distill myself from Idaho wild roses, rose essential oil, sweet almond oil, grapeseed oil, coconut oil and thickened with beeswax.  It's fragrant, but lightly so, as I do not add any fragrance - all you smell is the rose water and rose essential oil!  I've already heard back from several customers and one comment was:  This is the nicest thing I've ever used on my face - my skin finally feels hydrated!  My other Thea's Bee Beautiful project was to reformulate my popular Gardener's Healing Hand and Body Cream.  The result yields the same great cream for hard working hands, but in a much lighter cream that sinks readily into your hands so you can get back to work faster!  I'm working on my ETSY store to make these and all my other products readily available.  It just takes so long to create all those pages, as anyone who has an ETSY store front knows...  and like most artists, I am happier making things than writing about it.  So...  it will be soon!

Backyard Rose 2 oz. and 1/2 oz.

Gardener's Healing Hand & Body Cream in 6, 2, and 1/2 oz.

Rose Cream in Jars

Wishing Everyone a very Happy New Year!!

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Thanksgiving is my favorite time of year - that whole sweet buffer of time in, around, and after actual Thanksgiving Day.  For me, it's a time of reflection and mental "sorting out".  This photograph, labeled in my dear mother's beautiful handwriting (she's standing in the back in the white shirt, next to her sister), is representative of where my heart goes and my mind follows this time of year...  my childhood home on Sanford Street in Muskegon, Michigan where, for a few years that I thought would last forever, our family would gather on Thanksgiving Day.

My sisters, mom and I were up early tearing bread for stuffing, checking to make sure the bird was thawed (one year it wasn't), and putting the finishing touches on pies and jello salads (this was the Midwest, after all!).  We'd wait excitedly for the arrival of our grandparents, aunt and uncle, and our rowdy boy cousins who provided balance, fun, and sometimes torment in our mostly female family. All of us, I know, loved each other in that easy, familial way that allows us to take each other for granted without repercussion. And though we rarely see each other these days, we are all fully present in each others minds and hearts. 

They never stayed long - just the day - but it fostered in me the importance of gathering.  "We gather together" is a phrase of great significance. At holiday times, and any time, it is a source of strength and encouragement to gather with family, and "family of choice" whenever we can.  It keeps our hearts open and warm.  Helps us practice our Tolerance and Acceptance skills.  Helps us remain Human in easy and uneasy circumstances.

So - Happy Thanksgiving, everyone...  say hello to your neighbor.  Give a nod to that person sitting next to you on the bus or subway.  Gather someone in to your home this Thursday.

A windfall gift of apples from a friend becomes another gift - spicy apple butter

Thoughts about Time

Harvey and Wilma

Harvey and Wilma were born in 1890. They married when Harvey was released from serving in WWI as a supply train supervisor (mule division), and started having children at the start of The Great Depression when they were around 40 years old.  They are pictured here in 1952 at the age of 62 in the backyard of their home in South Bend, Indiana.  The home that my mind still travels to so frequently...  the repository of so many memories...  the embodiment of love.  Flashes of an orange painted basement floor upon which sat the old Maytag washer replete with wringer; a brick of yellow cheddar on the kitchen counter with a sleeve of saltines beside it always ready to stave off hunger; the wide front porch we kids played endless games on during the day and slept on when nights were hot and muggy - when we weren't catching fireflies. 

Harvey and Wilma were my grandparents and my heroes.  They still are.  Dignified and classy, they also knew how to make a child feel loved and appreciated.  They accepted me, my sisters, and cousins  "as is" and of all the homes I lived in growing up, it was their home that I thought of as Home.

I always thought of my grandparents as Old.  Throughout my life with them, they had gray hair, unglamorous figures, and inelegant clothing (with the exception of Grandpa's fedora and overcoat).  I found myself wondering just how old they really were.  Sorting through some old photos (I've been doing that a lot lately), I found this one with a clear date on the back written in a strong hand.  I was surprised when I did the math and realized they were only 62 in this picture.  Perhaps it's because I live in an affluent resort town where people ski, run, hike, and swim until they are in their 80's or just can't do it anymore.  But I do not know any 62 year old  (and many of my friends are approaching this age or have surpassed it) that looks like my grandparents do in this photo.

I offer no conclusion, but do offer a few observations:  My grandparents did not work out nor were they athletic in any way.  Their clothing was of the time and, never wealthy, they wore the same clothes for years.  They did not dye their hair, hide, disguise, or alter their aging bodies in any way.  Grandpa worked for Studebaker until he could retire with a gold watch and a pension.  His company did not fire him right before retirement or try to get out of paying him for his long years of service.  Of simple means, they had a garden in the summer, read books (Rex Stout and Zane Grey for Grandpa, crossword puzzles for Grandma), and listened to ball games.  There was a lot of conversation and many family meals together.  They lived until they were in their mid-eighties and their looks never changed.   

Quail Tracks

In this complicated time of burgeoning uncertainty, I look to my grandparents once again for direction and guidance.

Mountain Quail

In my yard today:

Crabapple Tree Today

In my town today:

Ponderosa Pine Log

Don't squander your energies on anything you are lukewarm about.  Passion adds power and strength - Jean Ray Laury

Sacred Spaces

Keeping Vigil

Do you have places that are sacred to you?  Places that cause you to exhale when you are there and feel at peace?  Being fairly reclusive, my "sacred places" are mostly in my home or - like this one - in my yard.  As I sit typing this at my desk, I am looking out the window directly at this small island of peace that has, in recent years, also become a memorial.  The stones encircling the glass insulators mark the grave of a beloved old dog.  The insulators are part of a treasured collection put together by my late husband.  St. Francis was given to me by my mother who crossed over several years ago.  So while this space has always been special to me, it is now also sacred.  These spaces (my studio being one of them) help me center my thoughts and feelings; remind me to breathe and think fully... mindfully.  A moment spent quietly centering myself prepares me to draw on my inner "sacred spaces" where my art work comes from.

Lovely Crabapple

My frequently photographed crabapple tree (this photo is from 2 days ago) is another cherished place valued for its dreamy sky and mountain views framed by branches that change with the seasons from snowy blossoms, to bright red and gold, to ice encrusted black lace.  This tree also provides me with sacred ritual - each fall, I pick a neon red apple and place it on my white kitchen windowsill.  There, it reminds me of growing things throughout the long winter and slowly shrivels until I replace it the following fall. 

Tundra Fire

I like my work to reflect thoughts, feelings, and places that are sacred to me.  I have not been able to get into my studio yet, but have been furiously making collages on poster board using a box of photographs and magazines I keep for this purpose.  Limiting myself to these materials has freed me to work quickly and spontaneously and just have a lot of fun.  Tundra and all things ice are especially close to my heart which is interesting given my enormous struggle each alpine winter (45 degrees latitude, 5,300 feet altitude) to keep my good humor.  I am reflecting on this dichotomy and pondering how I might incorporate my collage technique in my art work


Wishing you peace and enjoyment of your own sacred spaces.

Recovery Ramblings

October Crabapple

Yes, I'm afraid so.  Can you believe this is the same cheerful crabapple I photographed in my last post?  This is the early morning scene off my back porch.  Checking my journals from previous years, this is a mite early for a sticking snow even for us.  Hunters and skiers are jumping for joy.  Me... well, I'm sure this is a passing anomaly and I'm so close to real studio time...

I am one week post-op today and, though frequently tired, am doing extremely well.  My "swelly belly" is slowly diminishing and as of yesterday, I can walk upright without too much mincing.  I was feeling and looking like Yoda there for awhile, but I rapidly improve and am enjoying catching up on a few things that are couch friendly...  like FINALLY putting those 1998 pictures of my trip to visit my sister who happened to live in France at the time in a photo album.  With narration.  Of course.  Words, words, words, I love and live for words.  I think about them all the time.  Running narratives populate my mind constantly.  I was writing this blog in my shower this morning while gazing out the bathroom window which has returned to it's winter state of reflecting dappled gray and silver light.  See what I mean?

Oh Happy Day

My good recovery is aided greatly by my wonderful friends and family who have sent care packages, brought meals, and dropped by to visit.  Thank you thank you.  One such friend drove my car (and me) out to the woods on Monday where she sat me in this chair and took my picture then went off to harvest Valerian.  I was in heaven even without my book..

Cousin Jon:  If you are reading this from your fancy phone and you are still in Michigan, would you please pick up a Petosky stone for me?  I lost my brown paper sack of them when I moved from there to here years ago and it has always grieved me.  Thanks!

Post Art and Pre Surgery

I always have a period of time after completing one of my larger pieces of bumping around, feeling distracted and being at odds with myself.  Indecision and self doubt abound as I critique the piece just finished and ponder my next move.

About the same time I finished "Nutmeg", I got the news that I need a hysterectomy and other minor repairs.  Now, I thought this kind of thing only happened to stock animals, not young and lovely creatures like myself.  Recovery is long and as my studio is upstairs so I will not be going up there for a least a couple of weeks.  That set me into High Distraction and Discombobulation Mode.  What on earth to do NOW?!!!

Aside from the usual taking care of business stuff like making sure you are pre-authorized by your insurance company and all your bills are paid, there is the mental peace and spiritual angst to seek and address.  For me, this is best done in my studio.  So I got to work on some small pieces that (theoretically) can be done in a day.  A lot of what I have done in the last couple of weeks is now in the trash, but I did get some good and fun experimentation in  and made the above spritely paper collage card for a dear friend. 

Talking to another good friend gave me the idea of  turning my living room into my recovery hotel suite.  The weekend was spent completing "getting ready for winter" chores with my husband (which is always on your mind when you live at elevation 5,200) and filling baskets with the basic necessities of life, which includes a basket of glue sticks, pencils, erasers, mark-makers of all kinds...  you get the idea.  AND a big box of magazines and pictures I love that can be collaged to my hearts content as soon as I can focus and feel like having a bit of fun.

Thanks to good friends and family, I know I will be fine and well taken care of.  Looking forward to blogging again soon and feeling so very good!

This is what my yard looks like right now - a glorious fall indeed!

Our Crabapple Tree

Secret Life Revealed

The Secret Life of Nutmeg (Full View 36" x 37")

The Secret Life of Nutmeg is now complete and available for sale through Acorn Gallery in Idyllwild, California.  I love this charming gallery nestled in a quaint little town similar to my own home of McCall, Idaho.  Take a look at their website and see what's going on there!

Nutmeg is a really special piece for me.  I have spent years collecting the little shaved disks from my grinder and studying the squiggly lines and dots.  I imagined a different life going on within those little spheres - rather like in "Horton hears a Who".  I visualized a bright day with a midnight garden of wheeling galaxies and bright flowers magically happening just below the surface reality of daylight.  While I've had a thumbnail sketch of this piece for quite some time, I could not quite visualize how I was going to make it happen.  My skill level was not up to the sketch.  Through self study, conversations with art buddies, and cruising the internet, I learned a few things that made this piece finally happen.

Nutmeg Detail

Surface of Nutmeg

Each nutmeg head was hand painted with gold, bronze,and copper fabric paint. I tried some really fun pens in those colors, but could not control the line well enough to achieve the look I wanted.  I then fused a layer of white silk organza over the surface to create luminosity.  The final dimension is composed of  hand-stitched copper disks in assorted sizes topped with iridescent bronze beads.  Also visible in this detail shot are the star fields created by heat-setting iridescent metallic foil on to navy Bali batik fabric.  I created depth by fusing circles of sparkly black netting over the star fields and stitching them down with metallic thread in a satin stitch.   Too much information?  It's always hard for me to decide.  I guess you decide by either reading this post or not - or part of it!

From what I've read, one should post at least weekly to keep things fresh and updated.  Perhaps if I did that, I could keep my posts shorter while maintaining detail.  During our brief alpine summers, it is difficult for me to maintain the discipline of more computer time.  For any artist it is a difficult balance of spending the needed time to promote your work online, or actually BE in your studio creating your work! Both are necessary and whole volumes have been written on this topic.

I leave you with two photographs I took last weekend in the back country east of here.  Scott, Ethyl and I traveled roughly 160 miles over dirt roads to visit the old mining town of Stibnite and it's sister village of Yellow Pine.  Stibnite was a thriving gold and silver town at one time and is being brought back to life right now by the mining company of Midas Gold Corporation.  Visit their site for interesting photos and information.  The streams are currently running clear and sparkling near there - but still have toxic levels of "bad stuff" in them, which I found out after I'd been wading in them.  Same for soil and dust contaminants.  What changes will happen when the mines are operational again?

Stibnite Site and Dredge Pond

Mine Shaft on Sugar Creek with Stream

Stepping off to the side to take the "Mine Shaft" photo, my foot sank in a red, gooey ooze.  Moving back, my other foot sank to the ankle in loose dirt.  Made me realize there could be shafts in places I couldn't see....

Nearing Nutmeg Completion

Sewing it Down

I'm getting close!  In this picture, I am sewing the identification label onto the backing of what will be...  a completed art piece.  Yes, it has taken me much longer than I projected.  But I do have a (good?) excuse.  It's summer in Valley County.  Precious, fir-scented, and fleeting the full time residents here run at full tilt for several months trying to incur most of their annual income AND prepare for winter all at the same time.  Preparing for winter includes repairing last winter's damage and cutting firewood.  We continue cutting and hauling home the enormous red fir that is providing us with our first "one tree winter". 

Summer here is also filled with wonderful moments like visiting with friends who are here but once a year.  Recently, I spent a companionable afternoon in my studio with a fiber art friend and a pitcher of iced tea swapping stories and talking about our passions - fiber art being high on the list.  Check out Utah Surface Design...  these artists have it going on!

Green Cards at the Roseberry Concert Barn

There is more to do in our little mountain resort town all the time.  A few nights ago, we drove out to the historically preserved town of Roseberry to watch The Green Cards .  Excellent fiddle, mandolin, sweet singing and great stage presence.  Even I got up and danced - I think the band was having a good time too because they came out for three encores! 

In this busy summer week, we also worked in a beautiful hike through Clouchman Saddle and up Bear Pete Trail.  The trail winds it's way through acres and acres of forest burned over in 1994 and for that reason, my husband was not a fan of this trail. In my opinion, the burn area provided us with stellar views that went all the way over to the Seven Devils - a jagged mountain range to the west - and 24 miles to the south where we could see Payette Lake, the south shore of which our little town nestles against.  So I give this hike a big thumbs up - giant horseflies with painful bites aside.

Bear Pete Trail Looking West

I've written all this in an attempt to make excuses for my lack of productivity in the studio.  It is a constant struggle for artists in every medium.  How to balance the need for solitude in the studio in order to create with other needs of the soul; companionship, recreation, and reading.

Speaking of reading, I have a good summer read recommendation that I heard reviewed recently on NPR:  South of Superior by Ellen Airgood.  As a former Michigander, I could not wait to read this book and liked it so much that I am saving it for a second read sometime this winter.  Probably around my birthday as a special winter treat.  Check out Ellen's blog - it's a lot of fun!

Secret Beginnings

This is the beginning stage of "Secret Life of Nutmeg" as it looks laid flat on my work table.  The pieced fan shape is laid on top of the background fabric I've been preparing for a few days now.  The background base fabric is a navy blue Bali batik with star fields I created by sprinkling the surface with Bo-Nash adhesive powder following up with a heat application of a foiling product.  Voile'!!  The star field of my dreams.  I've been wondering how I was going to create the effect I could see in my head when I spotted something about this wondrous product in Jane Dunnewold's recent book, "Art Cloth" - a book I highly recommend to any fiber artist for its inspirational effects/techniques and clear instructions on how to achieve them. 

Progress is taking longer than I'd like - it's finally summer here which means it is time to repair the damage from the previous winter and get a grip on the yard and gardens which grow at a rapid rate of speed with any encouragement and long daylight hours.  Because of all the wet spring weather, I had a bumper crop of rhubarb this year.  It was so lush that I actually cut, sliced, and froze 7 zip-locks full that I know we'll appreciate during "the long dark", which is the phrase an Alaskan friend of mine uses for "winter".

Lovely Rhubarb

Warm Red Fir

To the right, is another reason for "slow art".  Around here, we say we are either living winter, or getting ready for winter.  That includes cutting firewood, which my wonderful and strong husband is shown doing here.  You can see at the top of this photo where the tree snapped off in a wind storm and thereby made itself available to us for harvest.  So far, we have hauled home around 3 cords from this one tree and there is quite a bit more.  This may be my first One Tree Winter - amazing and we are grateful.

Tyndall Creek/Vulcan Hot Springs

You say you want to hear more excuses for slow art?  Well, in addition to working around the homestead, it is important to take advantage of living in such a beautiful area.  I've made it a priority this year to hike with a group of girlfriends weekly.  I have lived here many years but there are many, many hikes I have not taken because of family commitments and employment.  With the kids grown and having been unemployed for a couple of years, I finally have the time to go hiking and I have to admit it has been a grand treat.  I feel guilty about my hikes sometimes, but then remind myself that summers here are short AND, I am taking an on-line Pharmacy Technician course to re-instate my license and hopefully find gainful employment upon completion.  It's likely I will not find a job here in McCall, but will need to look in Boise and come home on weekends.  It is not uncommon in my area for one spouse to work "away".  We'll just have to see how all that works out.

It was a beautiful 4th of July here.  My first year here was 1979 and it snowed at the BBQ I was invited to.  My Midwestern roots were properly shocked and I knew the folks back home would not believe it.  This year, we were fortunate enough to have a ring-side seat on a deck overlooking all the downtown fun.  I leave you with a couple of images from that beautiful summer night.

Fireworks!

Waiting for the Show to Begin

Nutmeg Secrets

Working Drawing

Ahhhhh.....  the Secret Life of Nutmeg.  Bouncy, whimsical, warm and mysterious - all this and more goes on in the inner workings of a simple nutmeg.  Ever notice the interior of a nutmeg?  I have been saving the scraps from my nutmeg grinder for years so I can study the insides of the intriguing, warm climate nutmeg.  Scraped to a hard oval disk by the grinder, the surface is cafe Au latte colored with toasty brown elegant squiggles.  I have these disks hanging around in my kitchen and in my studio to remind me of the lighter side of life.  This drawing was inspired by my nutmeg ruminations.  I started the process of fabric selection yesterday and will soon have a partial construct on my design wall to post.  It is my intention to follow the creation of this piece through to completion so I can share the process; sometimes light and simple, sometimes agonizing, always a lesson in trust and faith and my soul interest in life. 

Happy  Feet

Pursuing the lighter side of life inspired me to purchase these beautiful, incredibly uncomfortable, silver leather mules with rhinestone circlets from our local McPaws Thrift.  Sales proceeds go to supporting McPaws Animal Shelter for Valley County critters that need a home.  Doggie Ethyl heartily approves both my new shoes and my ongoing support of the shelter.  I intend to wear these shoes as much as I can this brief and beautiful summer!         
                                                                              There is no duty we so much underrate as the duty  of    being happy. - Robert Lewis Stevenson and quoted on the fly-leaf of Gretchen Rubin's book, "The Happiness Project".  I started reading this book and am taking to heart many of the author's thoughts and suggestions.  As someone for whom sudden and deep spells of "the blues" are regular and routine, I was struck by Stevenson's charge and understand what he is saying.  It's another way of saying, "lead by example".  Life is difficult for everyone, regardless of status.  My crabapple blossoms are 6 weeks behind in showing up?  Well, at least they did and I'm sharing them with you today. 

Comments on life and art are always welcome!

Crabapple Blossoms

Coming and Going Thoughts

It has been a busy month since my last post with many entrances, exits, and another art piece completed.  In my last post, I was just about to quilt the piece pictured and entitled, "Desert Mosaic" (29" long x 35" wide).  There are so many pieces in this work and so much going on, that I chose to do the quilting with a clear monofiliment thread on most of the top using long, continuous lines of stitch to keep the eye traveling smoothly over the surface.  The whitecaps on the river called for cream colored thread, and the sky has blue thread.

In this close-up shot, you can see more detail and the color shading in this photograph is more true to the actual art work.  It is quite vibrant and I am pleased with the way these complex colors and forms come together.  The very first piece I put up on the design wall was the striated silk in the upper right hand corner with the three shaded, pointed layers of organza reaching for the top of the composition.  This was a bold fabric choice to make because of the strong lines and decisive colors and I had a few anxious moments building around and out from my original choice not yet sure that it was going to "work".  It took awhile for the vision I held to match up on the design wall.  I am very happy with the end result.  Each completed piece encourages me to move on in my artistic boldness which, in turn, encourages me to make bold moves in my life outside the studio as well.


It's been a busy month, a week of which was spent looking for jobs and resettlement in Williston, North Dakota, a modern day Boom Town based on the oil and gas industry.  My husband and I thought we had done our homework well before embarking, but found we were not quite prepared for the reality.  To begin with, we went prepared to tent camp and drove in to cyclonic weather (which is why I have no picture to post!); wind driven rain and a rising Missouri River made us decide to find a hotel room.  The closest we could get to Williston was Glendive, MT a full 100 miles away as most rooms closer in are booked out as far as two years in advance.  Our hotel in Glendive was filled with oilfield workers making that commute to Williston daily.  Undaunted, Scott had the one interview we had lined up beforehand for 4:00 p.m.  It was clear in a short amount of time that he would not be getting that particular job.  Disappointed, we headed back to our hotel room all the while making our plans for a fresh try the next day.  By the time we arrived in Glendive, we had decided to head back for home instead and make more careful plans for a future attempt, if at all.  You need to go to Williston knowing that you will not be hired unless you have a North Dakota address in the area.  You also need to know that there is no housing available.  The solution?  Take your own camper and park it in one of the myriad RV and mobile home parks springing up like mushrooms all around Williston.  If you do that, you will get a job.  Also go knowing that getting a job is not an overnight thing - we talked to several young men who had already been there two weeks with no success.    As we swung onto the ON ramp to interstate 94 outside Glendive heading West, we saw a young man standing next to the OFF ramp with a cardboard sign in his hand that read, "WILLISTON".  The whole scene reminded me of Steinbeck's, "The Grapes of Wrath", which I have read several times.  People are coming in from across the nation in an effort to find work and camping wherever they can - we saw plenty of people pitching tents in nooks and crannies around town.  Williston is a nice town made up of tidy two-story brick buildings with a lovely public library and hospital (two places I always check out).  I wish everyone the best; both in their efforts to find employment and enjoy a good life, and in Williston's efforts to maintain a nice little town in Boom time conditions.

Might Ethyl Frog Eater

Today:  dig spotted knapweed out of our field accompanied by doggie Ethyl who is recovering from her frog eating adventure.  She nearly died from ingesting not one, but many little frogs from a nearby pond.  Who knew?  When we tire of digging noxious weeds, we shall repair to the studio to start my new piece:   The Secret Life of Nutmeg.  Fun and whimsical, this art piece represents what I wish for everyone - a bit of fun and whimsy in each day!