natural disasters and thank you

the beeswax book was in this shape,
more or less,
yesterday morning.
 the mail came
and with it paperwork pertaining to retirement
so i had forms to fill out and
financial people to speak to on the phone.
the iphone works best,
when it does work, that is,
on my screen porch.
where trace willan's xanthorrhoea resin in solution lives.
in a jar with a not very tight lid.
it must have eased over
by preoccupied me
all 12 ounces of it.
and i didn't notice until i saw evidence
 after i used up all the spillage
to decorate the book
there was a huge clean-up,
using the only solvent i had that worked
nail polish remover. 

 they went out into the sun to air.
 and as the book cover dried
it morphed into something else altogether
 inside pages got a bit of mark making
thanks to 
the bolyard xanthorrhoea spirits spill

 aromatic is too nice a word.
 this morning
 i will try to sew the signatures to tapes
and lace in the tapes.
 it has a wonderful surface now
and it's 
 no longer sticky!
(sorry about the darkness, 
i was too excited to go noodle around in iphoto)
i don't recommend bookmaking 
by chance
but i do recommend
making hay while the sun shines.
thank you trace!

frustration

ok, i know i've been spoiled rotten by summertime in australia.
but geesh!
snow and snow and cold and cold.
you should see the end of my driveway!
and the kitchen cold water is frozen.
and i still don't have a camera replacement.
i got one--too big--
returned.
i got a second--
too fancy--
returned
and today i ordered one almost just like my old
plain old
powershot.
the kicker?
it's cheaper! and RED!!!
 so here, trace, is my photo
taken by YOU!
which proves that i do not always break cameras and 
that my good friends put up with me
 as i look at the melbourne now exhibit.
i can say 
in all honesty
that australians are among
the finest, friendliest people i've met.
and the north country, dear place,
it's time to warm up
just a tiny bit.
please.