Good Thing I Didn't Put My Boots Away...

because it's snowing.  Yep, right now the snow is falling and piling up out there.  Piling up on every tree branch and twig.  Covering Beverly's cheerful red paint.  Even sticking to my Menopausal Goddess sculpture that I rehung yesterday after getting her a new swivel to hang from (she breaks them at least once a year, this last time at least she didn't bend herself when she fell--whew), I'm happy to see her back out there even if she is covered with snow.


I've been looking all over Hell and half of Georgia to find burp cloths that are gender-neutral to have on hand when LC visits.  Target didn't have them, Walmart either, Kmart didn't, neither did Shopko.  I'll admit that I've been avoiding going to Toys R Us because I knew I'd find something so cute I'd have to buy it even if it wasn't close to what I want.  So I marched up and down the baby aisles in Walmart yesterday determined to find something.  All of the packaged burp cloths were either pink with flowers and hearts or blue with baseballs and dogs.  Now LC will like dogs, I'm sure of it, but still they were just too sporty and boy-ish for me.  They had packs of printed or colored prefolded cloth diapers that I almost bought but they were the gauze kind that never looks soft to me AND they were either boy or girl--no green and yellow, but they did have a raft of flannel receiving blankets, some gender neutral.  It took me a few times going forth and back to realize that in addition to the terry cloth burp cloths they had flannel ones.  *forehead, slap*  I have sewing machines and cutting tools, I could buy the ones I liked (because there was one package I did like), cut them to the size I wanted, and serge the edges together.  So that's what I did, see?

Yesterday I also went down into my lair, uh, studio and put together my interpretation of this month's Art Challenge from MH & DG--When Art Attacks.  I'd found a creepy crocheted clown doll (for $1) in the Sister Bay thrift store last month that was the center of all my ideas.  I dragged out some very cheap watercolor brushes, picked one, and cut its handle in half on the bandsaw.  I shoved the cut end onto the blade a few times so it'd be jagged, then I dipped the cut ends into red paint so it'd look bloody.  Then I wet a piece of watercolor paper, painted multi-colored stripes, dipped other brushes in other colors to artfully fling on the table, wiped some red paint on a paper towel for background.  I cut a triangle of wood to use for a prop, then shoved the cut end of the brush under the clown's arm so that he looks impaled on it.  So When Art Attacks--Clowns Get Hurt.  I like it; not as much as I like the Icarus in the Stars mobile I made last month and it isn't something permanent like the mobile but these challenges are doing just that, challenging my creativity and I really like it.  Really.

And I did make waffles yesterday, I even made the last of the batter at lunchtime, grated some pepper jack cheese onto it and shoved it under the broiler for a couple minutes.  It was a waffle day.  Yum.

April 14--Paul Klee, Oriental Pleasure Garden.  

Light so bright
colors like fireworks
burst on the eyes
a confusion of lines
boxes of people
breathing color in
breathing chaos out
black doors to infinity
follow the path
to the central dome
where voices chant
in fear of the dawn
~~~~~

Like I said, I'm glad I didn't put my boots away.  Time to get a move on.  Oh... hey, the sun's trying to come out, we might be saved.
--Barbara