art star this weekend

i'll be a vendor a the art star craft bazaar this weekend, may 30th and 31st at penn's landing in philadelphia. its a big craft show/music fest - this is my first year, and i am looking forward to it. come see me if you're in the area!

commute

i have started bike commuting to my studio in earnest. i've found a route that's half rails-to-trails bike path through formerly industrial easthampton, and half back roads through farmland and a wildlife sanctuary. on a beautiful day like today, its pretty amazing, and i'm delighted that my commute involves zero traffic and lots of natural beauty.

its growing

i have long been a fan of houseplants, and have tended to favor succulents and other hardy plants that tolerate lots of neglect - even thrive on it. since we moved to mass sean and i have slowly been acquiring new plants, some of which actually require some attention. about a month ago we bought a bonsai, a lovely, high maintenance beauty. with the purchase we received a "survival guide" for the first time bonsai owner, a thirty page booklet which pretty much says: "you are probably going to kill this plant, so don't get too discouraged, and in case you don't here are some care techniques."

well after two repottings (the first one didn't have enough drainage in the soil) and a good bit of anxiety on proper care and watering, the bonsai is GROWING. this, of course, is a different kind of problem because its supposed to stay all tiny and perfect. now we have to figure out how to prune it without killing it.

i had a great visit to wyoming. my sister's new baby karsten is a real charmer!! we had some lovely walks together out in the nature.