winter?

this week was weird.

weather in the 60's

snow ALL GONE

sunny skies

rain

lightning and one very wild storm.

not your normal february.

preparing to be away from home

for almost a month is a long process

 i have lists and lists

and fortunately i've done it before

so i have some memory of the strange bits:

trip mouse traps, for example

(one reality of an old farmhouse is mouse traps)

walks were lovely this week

in between storms 

hopeful sunshine

and prep.

australia beckons and i am very excited.

at the grampians texture

i'll be teaching a 6 day master class:

papermaking, mostly.

what could be better than making paper,

kami-ito and books in the mountains?

our site often has blue fairy wrens

amongst other critters.

this year my students are old and new friends.

i've already given out assignments

mostly equipment to bring.

after australia

i have a few days to un-jet-lag

and prep for the book arts bazaar in portland maine on april 9

 i will have printed papers, handmade papers 

book arts stuff for sale

(including a book press, if i can carry the thing)

 then more events,

but as we deepen into spring here

we're planning garden

and hoop house

and papermill at the new place.

there is nothing as delicious

as your own fresh greens.

paper weekend

 this old fabric was a dress.

my dress, actually a jumper. 

i wore it my first year back to work full time in 1994.

that year i worked at st lawrence university bookstore,

 staying until i realized i needed

a somewhat larger income.

so i went to grad school to become a teacher.

this dress was a favorite, simple, cotton, comfortable.

i once slid down a very steep stairwell at the bookstore.

it had a wooden slatted slide rigged for the days that boxes needed 

to be stored in the basement,

pushed down the slide to storage and

where the framing room was (my job).

jenny challenged me to slide, and i did. in this dress. she still tells the story.

this weekend it became a nice edition of paper.

 it was an expensive garment for me

 the tag says c p shades

it's quite blue after beating, 

but this sheet doesn't show up the color well.

the blue is like the blue below

and the pale yellow paper is milkweed fluff-seed fiber

another gift from gin petty.

a few precious sheets.

there looks to be severe cockling, but it's not that bad

the bright sun brings out the ripples.

the gold is more like this,

rich, buttery, with a wonderful rattle.

the blue edition is still drying,

a nice, soft cotton rag paper.

 thursday morning it was snowing hard

snowed all day, too.

 quite beautiful, cold,

but today it's in the 40's and the snow is melting away

 i didn't realize that porcupine has been eating red pine

 this winter, 

leaving a small urine spot

 and a happy trail

behind the paper mill and into the woods.

 at zone 4 the print studio next door has this posted

 i like it alot.

and i'm still messing with this image

and i ran a piece of linen paper through the printer with it.

it's not a success at all, but i really like it,

even in the bright sunlight early this morning.
~~~ 
sunday morning paper results:
three stages of paper
1. very thready with a soft hand
2. pulp beaten longer (15 minutes more) with a bit of the old pulp mixed in
3. full beaten, soft hand, but more paperish