Afer and Before

   No, this is not a "pretty" picture. In fact, if you are not a fan of bugs, it's pretty icky. This represents a big part of daily life right now for a lot of us in the eastern United States. Brood X cicadas are swarming in their seventeen-year festival, trying to find a mate and reproduce. First, we noticed holes in the ground under certain trees. Then one warm morning, dozens appeared in our front garden. Now there are millions just in our neighborhood. This guy emerged from the exoskeleton to his right. He was testing his legs, waiting for his body and wings to harden. The old shell had eyes and legs. It's a remarkable transformation. But mostly right now, it's just very, very noisy around here!

The Table of Possibilities

 Marie Kondo would not approve. This table looks like a disorganized mess. Those who have ever experienced the throes of creative inspiration know that THIS is how we work, at least some of the time. There is no time to waste tidying up. We are busy selecting, rejecting, debuting, searching the small piles on the table, deciding whether those bits that look like useless scraps are the colors and shapes that we need to complete our vision for that particular collage. I photographed this table at the Quilt & Surface Design Symposium in a previous year. This year, we will be joining the classes online, from our homes. Families, do not freak out. This is what it sometimes takes to make art.

Saint Francis In the Weeds

For years, St Francis has been standing in a front yard, at the base of a pole holding a bird house. The house was being remodeled but there has been no activity for two years. The pretty little garden is now a St. Francis-sized jungle, full of vines and tall grass. St. Francis does not seem to mind. Sheltered by the daisy fleabane, he is serene. He keeps his thoughts to himself

 

Tools Of The Trade

 No one enjoys a root canal. I tried to keep perfectly still and thought about the tools that my endodontist was using. The colorful array of drills and whatnot were organized in a specially made block of foam. What a good example of efficient industrial design, coded by both color and number, easy to select. I visualized the forest of shiny metal rods, and the rows of circles, then moved them around in my mind, laying out collages and a quilt. The colors and shapes distracted me from the sounds of drilling. She was puzzled when I asked to take a photo, but seemed pleased that I had noticed her special tools.

Ready For The Cicadas

 Right now, young trees are dressed in netting, wrapped like presents. Yards have a bit of a festive air, especially when the sun shines through the coverings. Look--that dogwood has both white and pink blossoms!  The Brood X cicadas are about to emerge. I've seen the dime-sized holes in our back yard, where the nymphs burrowed seventeen years ago. Soon the neighborhood will be very noisy. The most fragile trees are protected. Now we wait.