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I like to think these ducks were coming to greet me as I stood on the bridge at the Riverwalk. No geese in sight two days ago.

And then this morning’s moon here in the yard before seeing the sky at the dam.

Beautiful mornings here.

Two days ago I finally cleaned out Lee’s side of the closet. Four bags for recycle, two for friends and family and one for trash. I spread my things all the way across for the first time ever…we always shared a closet and both of us tried very hard to not cross the center line.

Yesterday I met friends for lunch. We ate outside on the porch with no masks and I thoroughly enjoyed not just our own conversation but listening to others who seemed so happy to be out. I hadn’t been to that restaurant in over two years and it was nice to be back.

Scraps of cloth have been stitched together and added to my journal. The trees pages finished and another one as well.

Detail.

I like drawing in the stitch lines. The one below has a piece of the freshly contact printed cloth we did this week.

And this morning I found just enough iron on bonding scraps to face the center backs of three of the male wood blocks. Then I went back to working out the designs for the blocks to fit in their empty spaces.

I wanted three stages of a tree but this morning decided to add the black bird. He makes it even more of a narrative and I have used the idea of the bird bringing messages in my work over the years. It seemed appropriate to return to him here. But I can always change my mind once I get going.

I have decided to add stitch to the prints so needed the backing material. Once the new blocks are carved and centered on the bodies, then dried I will make more decisions. Could fine scraps of cloth and threads be fused into the prints with a thin wax solution? It would be nice to have some of Lee’s bee’s wax become part of each piece. Lots of time to think about it. Even time to make serious mistakes and start over.

Anyway I am back to the studio to start transferring images and carving away the light.

Til later….

Two days ago at the dam it was like this….a fog waiting to sandwich me in. Then yesterday being Sunday I did not go for a walk, only to miss today due to lots of rain at the time I like to be out. So a fidgety Tuesday waiting for Barbara to come and undo our bundles.

Here are mine that I will keep.

The first two were between tiles in an iron bath. The short piece and faded one from steaming. We are going to put some back in between tiles (no bundles) and cook them again. We both hoped for a bit more reddish color with the Eucalyptus leaves from the florist, but no, we are not in Australia where everything seems right.

Speaking of which yesterday a card came with the most thoughtful poem of how it is like with Lee leaving. Thank you Lynne.

This is the place

where we must sever….

you go thousands of miles

my friend once forever….

Like floating clouds

we drift apart….

The sunset lingers like

the feelings in my heart.

Farewell to a Friend

Li Pai

Yesterday’s drawing shows the poem written over and over on top of itself so I will remember it.

I am grateful to have this new way of seeing clouds and remembering how we used to be. He is doing fine at the nursing home and they think he is so sweet with his cat walking the halls and talking to it with such pleasure. He eats everything on his plate and is content for the first time in quite awhile. Our long term care reimbursements and payment from unused time at the memory care facility lag behind and I am grateful Lee and I made precautions in our finances to cover these times to protect what we have worked so hard for the last fifty-four years.

Yesterday I framed the Night Critters and my wood block chine colle print of our Japanese lantern stone in the front yard.

This morning I made buttermilk biscuits and used Lee’s wood turned plate and his honey with my handwoven dish towel to stage a picture of the biscuits. I think the biscuits needed to be crowded together more to help each other rise to their fullest potential….like most of us, closeness helps.

And today’s drawing of a forest that will be finished tomorrow.

Til later….

 

 

My return view on the Riverwalk this morning. The early morning sun on the river is so peaceful and clarifying of what all can be done with the day ahead. Along the way more sun and an abundance of geese.

Yesterday my Tuesday lunch friend came early so we could wrap bundles of papers and cloth with Eucalyptus and other plant material. Now we just wait until next Tuesday for the reveal.

Some were steamed, some immersed in an iron bath, some pressed between tiles. Always a surprise.

I have kept up with my stitching and drawing sketchbook.

I have ordered the rest of the frames for the night critters. Now I just need to locate some off white mat board to mount them on and order glass cut. I will add spacers between the glass and the textiles to let them breathe.

The young man I am giving my board shear to came to look it over and agreed to take my very large metal flat file as well. I will give him some papers that I no longer need to use in his classes.

After bringing all the furniture back home from the memory care facility and then taking some to Lee’s new room, I am left with a twin bed to get rid of. This week I will make a call to a charity organization to come take it away.

The cats are hiding from the cleaning lady upstairs and keeping me company down here in the studio. I think today I will ink up the wood block of the male figure. Then continue designing the center woodblocks for his interior space. Three figures should complete the set and when they have thoroughly dried I will back them with something to make them more accepting of needle, thread and scraps of cloth.

Til later….