Tag: 2013

The first

Daffodils are kind of … daffy. They come up too early every year, oblivious to the dangers that are looming just over the snow-laden cloud-filled horizon, sticking their cheerful faces to the sun at the first sign of warmth. Yet there’s something about seeing the first one. It gives you a blindly loyal kind of hope, … read more The first

At the speed of a cranefly

My day was saved by this leaf. Perfect day for a hike: sunshine and near 70 degrees. But I couldn’t bear the thought of hiking. Even after sleeping nearly 12 hours, I got worn out from just heating and eating lunch, taking a shower and distributing leftover cornbread to the birds. No energy left for … read more At the speed of a cranefly

Reading the code

This afternoon’s fun was reading the Code of Federal Regulations. Not all 200 volumes of it, thankfully. The CFR embodies all the administrative rules which were enacted by federal agencies and which have the force of law. Since my company is managing a federal grant, I needed to re-read the relevant parts in the much-loved Title 48, which deals … read more Reading the code

The secret life of trees

She was such a beauty, her many arms curved gracefully to the sky like a dancer. The loveliest tree in the yard at our cabin. Unlike some of the older, taller trees, our scarlet oak seemed very healthy: straight of trunk, and with no fungus or weak spots. I looked forward to many more years of … read more The secret life of trees

Day 99: Playing with Kandinsky

Can you build a whole painting around a single square of color? You can learn to, if you play around. That’s what I’m doing by playing with colored rectangles derived from those used by Wassily Kandinsky in Thirteen Rectangles. Although the arrangement of Thirteen Rectangles seems random, each shape and its color is part of the dynamic … read more Day 99: Playing with Kandinsky

Day 85: Overwhelming the subtle

Here’s a tip: Don’t substitute feta for brie. Especially not in a lobster-brie dip recipe. Think this post is about food? It isn’t. The sharp taste of feta is great, but it overwhelms the subtler tastes. Just because you like feta crumbles on your salad doesn’t mean it should be rumbling in vats across your … read more Day 85: Overwhelming the subtle

Day 82: Is the Pope Catholic?

I’m a recovering Catholic. I don’t think I’ve been to church more than a dozen times since I turned 20, and most of those were for weddings and funerals. But this pope, Francis. He is Catholic??? You might wonder, if you grew up in the era where Catholicism was all about damnation and guilt, and exclusion and … read more Day 82: Is the Pope Catholic?

Day 81: On the grid

Grids: Some drawing teachers refuse to use them. Perhaps they believe that drawing something wrong, over and over, is better because it’s unaided. Grids can be used to scale an image: Take a 5 by 7 print of a photo, and draw lines dividing it into 35 one-inch boxes. Then draw 35 three-inch boxes on an 18 by 24 sheet … read more Day 81: On the grid