After school I limped home, dragged myself up the front stairs, and collapsed in a pathetic heap at the art table. Need journal. Must cut things. Must glue things. Must slosh paint around. Must cut new birdy on new branchy to spray onto page. Must, must, must. Starting to feel better. There now. All better.
Neither page is complete. Will finish tonight after I have gotten my fill of staring into space. Teaching baby alligators to tell time is hard. Very hard. Harder, for instance, than making a new pair of party pants. More painful than a Brazilian wax.
Man your clocks! Fingers on the blue minute hand! Ready set GO!
Not the red hand, the BLUE hand.
BLUE
The other one.
The long one.
Driving to work was peaceful. High pink clouds in the dark sky this morning.
Everything soft and out of focus.
The bridge has something different to offer every morning.
This last shot was taken walking out across the school yard to my classroom.
The question of the week comes from The Postman. Remember him? In the middle of composing his sentences for his story he stopped to ask a profound and beautiful question. (You may find it less so.)
“Miss Moss…I got to know. Do monkey’s cry?”
And while I’m on the subject of the profound and beautiful you may wish to visit this enchanting blog that my sister found. Bedlam Farm Journal makes me very very happy. All of the Border Collies remind me of the dearly departed Papa Moss who used to train herding dogs. He wouldn’t have a clue what a blog is, but I bet he’d like reading this one.
Elvis & I had a birthday a few days ago. I have now been alive 45 years on planet earth. It’s a good place to be, I think I’ll stick around awhile. I figured you’d want to see my party hat….or not.
Happy Birthday—I love reading your blog & looking at your wonderful & inspired artwork! It’s a special treat for me, since I have to wait until I’m at my part-time job, so I can use their computer to check out your latest happenings. My computer at the studio is SO SLOW that I can never see all the photos.Keep up the good work!
Christine
Happy Belated Birthday! I am finally getting over to see your blog (have seen mention of it plenty of places, young lady!), and what a treat! Right away I can see you are REAL and I like that a lot! I totally “get” the need to come home and make something after a long day at work… it’s like a physical withdrawal and an exquisite need to create, right?!? And I don’t know what it is about cutting and gluing and painting, but I feel like a little kid when I do those things and it makes me really happy… sounds like you enjoy it too! All my best! K.
I’m a January baby, too. (the 4th) Happy Belated Birthday and I LOVE your work.
I LOVE those birdie stencils! especially the bird on the branch!! Happy Birthday Kiddo! I still have one more years worth of wrinkles than you do!!! karen b….
I’ve missed it…but I am sending ALL my very best and biggest Birthday wishes to you!!!!
love love love!
steph
Love the “BIRDS” and too, too cute in your party hat!
Sandra Evertson
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY!
So what was the monkey answer?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!! LOVE YOUR PARTY HAT.
More painful than a Brazilian Wax??!!?? I’ve never had one, but it sounds AWFUL. So sorry. Oh, and ditto on the happy birthday part!
Oh happy birthday to you! You have such a young, fresh, eyes wide open approach to life. Here’s to at the very least another awesome 45! Love your student stories! My mom was a teacher and I miss hearing the funny things kids ask and say……Do Monkeys cry??? I’ll have to google that.
The “timestamps” are good old Photoshop brushes with the time typed in with the text tool by moi.
Happy Birthday
happy happy birthday
happy birthday
to you to you to you
we think you’re really neat
and that you can’t be beat
really neat
can’t be beat
oooooooohh.
happy birthday
happy happy birthday
happy birthday
to you to you to you!
(that’s the amity school birthday song i learned years and years ago)
great big blessings for another fabulous year full of wonder and magic.
Coming out of lurking to say a happy belated birthday, you puppy! I want to know, too…DO monkeys cry?
You’re the 8th?! I’m the 9th! Happy Birthday!!!
Happy Birthday! What great photos! I love what kids can come up with- that usually makes my day! ..and here’s to you for being there for them to answer the questions!!!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MISS MAHVELOUS!! Oh, you look so sweet in your birthday hat – that’s too wonderful. And I don’t think I can post photos anymore without time stamps, no siree. Awesome, baby, awesome.
(I owe you a Birthday martini!) xoxo
happy happy birthday from a previous lurker to your amazing work!
How did you create the time stamps on your photos?- I looooove them!
Namaste,
MB in Jtree
Happy belated Birthday, dear Mary Ann. I wish I could give you a gift for your birthday that would be even a fraction as wonderful as the gifts you offer in your blog – your artwork, insightful comments, and snippets from the schoolroom. Love the hat – Party On, Girlfriend! Here are my best wishes for the most wonderful year yet that is full of special hopes and dreams and wishes come true.
HUGS!
Happy Birthday, Mary Ann! I hope it was a great one!!! I hope it was one where you had time to slather, rip, tear, stencil, write, and just go all out and MAKE stuff. 🙂
I just want to hug the Postman. That is one extremely profound and thoughtful question!
Oh, and love the party hat!! It suits you 😉
Happy Birthday MaryAnn! Thank you for sharing your creative inspiration. I hope your year is filled with good health and creative bliss. I love your party hat. How could I forget The Postman, he brought tears to my eyes. I love his life ponderings and I believe monkeys do cry.
Happy Birthday! Alligators are hard to get to do anything. That wasn’t the best sentence so I hopefully I don’t have detention. Hope it was a good day. Love the hat!
Birthday Girl! Happy Merry! I balked at 45, but now I’m soooOoooo over it (at 46). Please do tell the Postman that indeed monkeys do cry, at least one young monkey I met at the Phoenix Zoo. The youngster was receiving his innoculations, believe it or not. When it was all over (those were some BIG needles, man!), the little guy sat down and put his face in hands. Made ME start to cry. … meanwhile you’re killing me again with your great stencils, and I can’t begin working on any yet, have a project to finish this weekend! STOP IT!!! STOP IT!!! (no not really). Love the hat, too!
lovin the new banner!! “bird leg Joe” was most likely the life of the family. He looks like quite the prankster.
dear, dear, DEAR Mary Mary Mary Ann Ann Ann…
HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!
from Wishbone Lane
do you, do you, do you…
have any idea
about
how much we love you?
well – we will try and show you…
xox – eb and the Wishbone Lane gang…
(swooning – of course – what can you do when visiting Swoonbone Lane – you swoon baby!)
You had me going on a visual journal tonight Ms.Moss~
The biries made me smile~
The pink clouds made me want to fly~
The bridge made me want to go exploring~
and~
The Postman made me want to cry~
Happy Happy Birthday to one special lady in LA!
xoxoxox
ps~love the hat =)
I can think of no other job where you get to laugh every single day, where you get to love and be hugged every single day and you get to hear things like “Are you afraid of ghosts?’ “Nah, I’m just allergic to ’em”. I love love your alligator stories. Luckily for me, teenie weenies’ relationship to clocks sounds like “But Ms Warder, I don’t see any HANDS!”. Love the birdie on the branch. I just cut a frigate bird (great name)in flight on my new order of E-Z Cut. You’re right! With a new blade it doesn’t take sacrifice of neck and shoulder well being. Thank you for the tip and that morning sky -yeeesh!
double dog ditto on the birthday wishes!
I thought that I saw something about your birthday in a cleverly concealed piece of writing in your journal, may I be the first in bloglandia to wish you a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!
I, as one of many, am glad you are in the world, and sharing your perspective and the young alligators questions with us. I think that is indeed a profound question!
xoxo,
Gwen