This story begins seven years ago, with an act of faith. February 20, 2009 “I’m going to plant that red buckeye seed today,” I told Tom. Caught in my voice was that thin blade of iron resolution usually reserved for the worst tasks, like sweeping mounds of wet leaves off the decks. I had put … read more The red buckeyes: An act of faith
Month: April 2016
Secret garden
All along the road and trail, the ground was covered with black char. No green anywhere. So many of our drives and hikes in the Chattahoochee National Forest had been blighted by the sight of that fire. The U.S. Forest Service does annual prescribed burns in the Chattahoochee, and for many weeks afterwards hundreds of acres look barren … read more Secret garden
Don’t be stupid
I came very close to spending $50 today on a product that is ridiculous on its face. Or ridiculous on anyone’s face. I don’t have a lot of spare cash right now. And yet I got suckered into watching an infomercial for face lift cream. The hook? An ad that said, “Tighten and lift a … read more Don’t be stupid
Haunted
I checked in on LinkedIn today and found it was haunted. Among the “People You May Know” LinkedIn suggests that I connect with: My father, who died six years ago My cousin, who died in January A neighbor, who four years ago killed his wife and then himself Two colleagues who have been dead for at least three … read more Haunted
In the real world
Mostly in fused glass I’m doing abstracts, but the shape of a random piece of clear glass suggested to me this caterpillar climbing over an obstacle. Does it even look like a caterpillar? Does it suggest an obstacle? Does it matter? Sometimes from the pile of glass pieces, a figure jumps out at me. Like this one: … read more In the real world
Appalachian spring
I have a CD which is only played in my car during March and April each year. Listening to it animates everything I see. Flowers seem to leap out of the ground, trees burst into leaves before my eyes, squirrels dance and birds pirouette. The allegro section perfectly captures that feeling of the earth giving birth … read more Appalachian spring
In black and white
The other day, an old friend who’s a photojournalist complimented me on my Facebook profile photo. “Black and white is very cool,” he said. He and I both learned photography with black and white film cameras. But it’s not just nostalgia that makes us love B/W. It is a different art form altogether, when color … read more In black and white
The daily grind
At 8 a.m. today I was grinding. Not coffee. Not my teeth. Not at the proposal budget due tomorrow. I stood for half an hour in front of the grinder, feeling my way with bits of glass. It made the whole day go better. The glass grinder is a fairly simple machine. Physically it’s a big … read more The daily grind
Restless
There’s something about those square numbers on a digital clock … that ugly electric red … and when the numbers are 4:53 – arggggghhhh – just knowing how little sleep I’ve had makes me even more restless. And once the mind starts going, it’s all over. It’s like an ear worm from a song, except your … read more Restless
Quadruple shift
Does it feel to you like the days are way too full? How many jobs do you think you have? How many shifts do you cover? I reckon I have four. And I think I’m not unusual, either. Today I was making phone calls at 8 a.m. Had to line up HVAC companies to give me an estimate on … read more Quadruple shift