The nights stayed cool as did the soil temperature and we watched as only the grass grew and grew and grew. Even "the tundra" had thick globs of clover that looked like a drift of snow from far away. "The tundra" is what we call the large rectangle over the leach field for the septic, and it has been a sandy blotchy fragile ecosystem since its beginning. Word of a massive tomato blight spread and I spent hours trimming leaves with fungus and picking slugs off everything in sight. I have never seen so many slugs! We got tomatoes after the longest time. Our only heat wave in August came too late to do much but create damaging thunderstorms and oddly placed tornadoes. Nearly everyone I know had a summer cold or worse. We even had outdoor friends spend time doing winter jigsaw puzzles!
But the time FLIES and this morning as the dog and I waded through the dew I wondered how long it would be before we would be trying to do the same in the dark...both morning and night. For the next three days I get to talk with 4th grade students in Vernon about streams and wildlife habitat at Belding Wildlife Management Area. It is great to be able to do my Master Wildlife Conservationist volunteering again and that will give me a rare additional hiking spot for a weekday and good company.
The pressure is on but the progress is steady for Broad Brook Art. A WEBSITE COMPLETE WITH SHOPPING CART is coming along rapidly, much thanks to new efforts by Nathan Skinner. There will be Open Studio Hartford in November to see us in person, and plenty of new inventory for that and holiday shopping in general.
A bit of side cash insured I can attend the East Coast Artist Retreat in October and I expect to pick up great techniques and good camaraderie there~ other people's art is always inspirational. It is what I miss most about not teaching art in a more traditional way.
In choosing who to follow around at the retreat I did a lot of web research. Though it is in the 3rd year, the "Art Is...You" conference has just a couple of familiar faces. It gave me pause about blogging in general. There is so much to see and do and read away from the computer! I get impatient with slow uploads and poor design. Finding a balance between self-centered or self-serving blather and sharing genuine moments of grace or despair seems difficult for far more folks than just me. I have people I know who blog and follow them, mostly for the humor and the joy they seem to live in.
So I will go quiet for now, knowing there are a hundred other things on the lists of things we all need to do, and I would just as soon show you a new art piece than report the weather. You can get that anywhere! Can you get this?
Transcendence
Janice Warren copyright 2009
