Life As A Chew Toy

Now we look to the spring. Winter is upon us and we kind of figured that it would be “show-less”…and it is and will be. Nothing will be face-to-face in the wintertime this season. So we wait for the spring to unfold.

And in the true Covid form…Maryland Sheep and Wool has cancelled for 2021. So the first of the “big ones” on an East Coast calendar will not be that shot in the arm that I’m sure some had been hoping for. Of course, in the West, The Dallas Fort Worth Fiber Festival shoulda/coulda been that big shot in the arm…but it’s been cancelled also. But you already heard that STITCHES West was cancelled right?The only "shot in the arm" that we might hope to see this winter/spring is a virus vaccination.

The 2021 spring shows are either dead or treading water way out in the middle of the lake. It looks pretty bleak.

The good news? Well, my Mom would have said, “This too shall pass.”

What Mom forgot to mention was just how long it might take for “this” to pass. It might take the better part of next year for this virus to really get reasonably controlled. Of course that is if the vast majority of the population “plays fair.” So far that has not been the case…it seems that “fair” means “me” to a lot of folks. The best case scenario tells me that even if the vaccine becomes wildly (or widely) available in the mid-year, experts are now saying that wearing a mask, distance management and hand washing may be a good until the virus has reached “herd” and that the herd is following protocol…and that could be in the fall 2021. We continue to do our part…limited to essential travel, and doing masks and hand sanitizers. I protect you and you protect me.

In puppy news…10 ½ weeks old and her personality is beginning to reveal itself. I’m tired most of the time. The 2-3 hours between trips to the out of doors all day and all night is killing me…she eats as much as Montana (our Brittany)…runs around like a crazy girl...knows how to signal that she wants to go in the door…we’re working on the signaling for going out the door (if you get my drift). She and Montana (15 yo) are doing surprisingly well, although yesterday Montana showed her that she still has teeth…Madison took the hint well. If it’s quiet in the house, better find her. She is sneaky. and everything is a chew toy...including me.

The fall colors have been extended this year. We still have had just a smidge of rain and no real winds to talk about…so the leaves have by and large stayed on the bushes and trees and are falling off as they choose. We have had some stunning colors and the starkness of December flora has not settled in yet.

My early pottery work (after the first two years of embarrassing pots), was inspired by this time of year through early spring…when the combination of stark gets mashed up with the remnants or beginning of color. I’m finding myself working with that same muse again but in a minimalist and gestural way. It’s going to be interesting to see where all this takes me.