beaver working close to the road about a week ago, and since then we’ve had warmer weather, and then cooler, then snow, then wind, then rain. it’s spring, when the world is puddlewonderful as e e cummings said. in the north country it might be called puddlefloodluscious. yes, there have been flood warnings, I think sometimes the weather, which is noticeably changing, gallops ahead.

I continue with the wild silk project, sometimes i just don’t know why.

another small Shifu Book is happening, with inclusions of indigo milkweed and blue cottolin, making exchanges with other makers, sarah and kerstin, memory geometry.

early last week I walked on my side of the river. it was finally easy to get down there, the snow was almost gone here and I could really get a sense of the land. also, it was easy to see my footing, on land that’s been let go back to wild only a little while there are lots of snags underfoot, in the deep leafy litter, between the rocks both earth brought and human introduced. this is the site of an old bridge repaired a few years back, making the crossing quite high off the river surface. it was also, perhaps (i’ve seen one mention of it so far) the site of an old mill, who knows what kind.

I clamored about the rough walking looking for signs and clues, mostly what i found was evidence i can’t yet make sense of. one day i’ll go to town and look up the records about this place. for now, the river called little, well it sings like a hallelujah chorus, not like song birds. it’s really roaring and it means business. while you could probably walk across in waders if you knew the holes to avoid, you would really fight the current and maybe take a tumble because it’s just wild now. I wouldn’t do it, maybe not even when i was young. but I’;ve heard there are trout in this place, but that may be, as they say, a fish story.

there have been some experiments now, i’ve done a little dyeing here, shown my students how to make an eco print, and messed around with wooden board books once again. it’s been good to just make mistakes and take risks, feeling like an artist again after this long while of not making. i notice that the pandemic, despite me being fully vaccinated, and never having a positive test in the months i’ve been getting tests, still is a huge concern, i’ve adjusted some to living with the presence. i have a couple of things coming up, one show i’ll send work for, a couple writing projects done or almost done, co-teaching papermaking in september, but i am still feeling old (i know am older every day) old like i’ve lived through hard things. health issues, the health of family and friends, the sadness of the world, and thank god for the absence of a bat-shit crazy leader. now it feels lie we’re trying to re-group and re-learn and re-make things. can we do a better job?

my son works as one of those carpenters, you know, those guys you call and hope they’re available to build your porch or shed or sauna. a recently completed project was a close collaboration with a 10 year old. there were consults and drawings and continual discussions of how this place would be. ian and his workmate completed it for the boy and his younger brother (also in on the consults). as a mom i’m allowed to be proud and pleased, right? ian’s drawings and his buildings are becoming one in an organic and beautiful process.

there was also this, a give away that I took to my partner and the upshot is that it works beautifully, despite being a bit loud. using old tools is so good.

as i excavate both here and at school i find fiber…there were a couple of the dandelion stems that i picked last year that still had bits of their flower heads. these two were soaked then twined to make a small string, so much stronger than dandelion stems are when fresh. this transformation through drying, aging and rehydrating is amazing. i better pay close attention to this lesson.

i keep taking down the no trespassing signs the former crazy owner put up everywhere (hers were yellow, this one is from down the road) and i think of how it is to belong to a place, somehow in all of this moving lately I feel less known by a place. however, moving to this house has brought more visitors welcoming me with bread and preserves and masked smiles and that feels very very good. happy march.

ps go over and see Rebecca goodale’s latest video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FEWK0u9drrI