I've dragged it out long enough. It's officially official. Visual Journal #9 is having a wrap party. I always save the cover page for last and this morning that was finished. This means my mind must turn itself in the direction of Visual Journal #10.
In the meantime I continue to sit out back and fill up the pages of my writing journal. When I'm not busy taking a small bite of poetry I found in the novel I'm reading, that is…
Oh tenderly the haughty day
Fills his blue urn with fire
or studying kalanchoe thyrsiflora above and crassula arborescens below. Which I do every morning and evening.
It goes without saying that the days spent in the classroom leave me tired. But not too tired for a tivoed stack of House Hunters or Everyday Food or So You Think You Can Dance or Cash Cab, which lately I tune into more than the computer. I think television is FABULOUS with a capital F. Yesiree I do.
A new shade I sewed up with my stack of new Jennifer Paganelli fabric. It's fairly easy to make a blind like this without a pattern. Pillowcases to follow. Is it wrong to want the inside of Moss Cottage to resemble a candy store? That's a rhetorical question.
A Sunday museum class has me zipping all over LA lately. I begin 2 more professional development classes next week. And the senior member of the cat posse, Buck is being switched to a raw cat food diet. A grinder will be purchased and cat food production will begin in earnest if I can't find a cheaper source. If any of you have done this I'd love to hear about it.
So glad I found your blog AGAIN! For weeks I’ve been trying to remember the name of it, finally found it in my email by accident. I love your photos! And the flickr mosaics you create are wonderful! I see you also post ‘heat’ threads. We are experiencing quite the wave in Oklahoma this week. And yes, I’ve got a few posts related to it! Come ‘visit’ me! You’ll come away visually inspired! Congratulations on your completion of journal number nine! Oh, I love your classroom shot and post of the earthquake jitters. I remember those ‘drills’ and a couple real ones when I was that age!
Cash Cab ROCKS!
lewis
Hi Mary Ann–Just wanted to share that I used to cook for my dogs–but started experimenting with the raw diet about 6 years ago. Joey, who is now 4, has been on raw since day 1. Read up on it a bit & just give it a try. Once you get started, it is not that difficult. Google “bones and raw food for cats” and you will find a lot of sites with info.
Probably all the cats will want to participate. Good luck!
Christine
Hey, what a great blog. I love your words and art. Those kids are lucky to have you – you must be an inspirational teacher. Will pop back again.
Beautiful images, beautiful work! The lighting on the succulent plant is especially stunning. I’m glad to see the promotional pics/links for 1000 Artist Journal Pages. Can’t wait to get my copy because I have a page in it!
Regina Portscheller
Albuquerque, NM
You are so wonderfully prolific. I’d love to get my hands on your journals and see them in person. Seeing the real thing….there is just no substitute.
Your beautiful new shade reminds me so much of one of the painted patterns I saw on a church wall in Rome. I have a photo of it on my blog…….no this isn’t a trick to invite you over.
Hope all is wonderful M.A
Just yesterday my dh had the Science channel on~mind you I don’t get to catch much tv~so~i was eating okay. so i could watch & eat at the same time~i know a no~no.
They were talking about Thomas Edison and the development of the light bulb, and how he revolutionized the use of electricty by developing all these other things to use electricity! He developed it all~down to the light poles, the bulbs themselves, and it went on & on! m.a….i was mezmorized. i just can’t do that again. i almost had to stop making jewelry to watch! lol
I found your blog while going through the list of “must reads” on L K Ludwig’s site. I’ve only had time to read a bit but have jumped over and added the 1000 Artist’s Journal Pages to my cart. Your visual review was totally convincing! As a beginning artist and blogger, you site is very inspiring. Hmmm…that is, I’m sure it’s inspiring to everyone and I happen to be a beginner. 🙂 Will definitely be checking back in often.
Congrats on the finishing on VA Journal #9 and I look forward to your pages of VA Journal #10. I know it will be wonderful. I too love television. I know they say it’s terrible ont he brain but hey, I read a lot so reading has to reverse those terrible effects, right? I like reality tv during the summer, it makes my problems seem so small. lol
I love the plant photos you take, they’re terrific. And the fabric blinds are awesome. I wish I could sew, that is truly a gift you have there. Good luck with your new classes and your current classes.
How Awesome that you achieved so much, and are on to the next one. I just love that you bring in poetry and art and photography and philosophy into your chronicle. And I’m just now watching the deeved episodes of SYTYCD from the past two weeks! Oh, poor Gev… We knew he didn’t quite have it, but still…. And Househunters.. I have to watch it over because I’ve run out of first-runs!
Thanks for the gorgeous photos and the journey of your journal.
It is so refreshing to hear someone actually say they enjoy television. This summer, I have been having fun watching a lot of DVDs of BBC shows (MI-5, Waking The Dead) and a few HBO series (Rome) (I don’t have cable)and a variety of movies. One I just saw last night was The History Boys, written by Alan Bennett [The Madness of King George] – there is a quote which I copied down, thinking of you. An old teacher talking to one of his very bright students: “The best moments in reading are when you come across something – a thought, a feeling, a way of looking at things – that you’d thought special, particular to you. And here it is, set down by someone else, a person you’ve never met, maybe even someone long dead. And it’s as if a hand has come out, and taken yours. ”
Congrats on Journal #9 – beautiful and now finished. And yes, we feed Hermo raw meat but not mixed up all nutriously balanced like the person at your link. Instead we freeze the bits all chopped up and serve it thawed. It’s his favorite thing and he gets it once a day. In the evening gets the lousy canned stuff.