Look.

I am feeling very connected to all living things today...not in the Facebook, smart phone, internet way...but the real warm-blooded looking into another's eyes sort of way...from my sweet Max, always ready for play, to the flock of geese who were resting in the grass by my car at work, to the squirrel I narrowly missed on my street (while driving a smidge over the speed limit and then cringing), to the tiny, barely walking little, little girl with diaper-padded purple leggings, holding her dad's hand and trying to match his pace at the supermarket today. What a world I live in when I take the time to look.

Merry Christmas!

I will leave you with a picture of Max, waiting for Santa (or, more likely, a squirrel).

A fall weekend...

These were taken on a recent visit to my sister's house Massachusetts. Max and I got out for a leisurely stroll at a nearby state park.

Works in progress...

Started some 5 x 5 mini canvasses this weekend. Not sure if they'll be hearts or something else. With V'day coming, hearts are the logical choice. But art is not logical. We'll see where the muse takes me.

Also a picture of my favorite guy - Max. Playing coy - really just looking away from the flash. He'll be six years old at the end of February. Time flies.

Albany Rural Cemetery...

In 1841, in response to a growing problem with flooding at the State Street Burial Ground (in downtown Albany), and continued deterioration of church cemeteries, a public movement was undertaken to purchase and develop a “Rural Cemetery,” beautifully landscaped and safely outside the city. This led to the incorporation of Albany Rural Cemetery on April 2, 1841.

I had heard for years that it's a beautiful place to visit, and unlike many cemeteries, dogs are allowed (on leash). So Max and I took advantage of a warm, late fall day for a long walk this past weekend. The cemetery is only a few miles from my house, and it will now be a regular walking spot for me and Max, when we need a change of scenery. It is a place of uncommon peace and amazing beauty. Not just the landscape, with 400 acres of narrow winding roads, gnarly ancient trees, and trickling streams, but the monuments as well. Majestic stones carved into angels and crosses twenty feet high, and delicate detailed borders ideal for graphite rubbings. I can hardly wait to return (above ground, that is.)

A glimpse of Avery at home...

I went to visit Cutes (aka Avery) on her return home last weekend. My sister Jennifer was already there, and they were busy baking heart-shaped cupcakes when I arrived. It was absolutely fabulous to see Avery walking, eating, and asking for new "projects" to keep her busy. We did our best to keep up with her, sewing hand puppets drawing, beading and pushing her on her swing set. I also gave her charge of Max's food & treats. She is a tough taskmaster and by the end of the weekend, Max was obeying commands better for my five-year-old niece than he ever did for me. At one point she asked me why Max never smiles. I resisted telling her that she was the reason -- I explained that he smiles by wagging his tail, though I am not sure she was convinced.

As you can see from the photo (baking with Aunt Jes), she still has a tube for night feeds, (to bolster her vitamins & minerals) but during the day it is not connected and she is making up for all of the hospital limitations. Her appetite was extremely hearty while I was there, which was also a joy to see. Other than limiting her salt intake, she can eat pretty much anything she wants... and she does!

For the next several months, Cutes will be confined mostly to home, to protect her fragile immune system as she continues to recover, but home is a great place to be!!!

Thelma n Louise (with a better ending- we hope!)

After about five minutes of careful consideration and another five minutes of intense planning (and several hours to deliberate our wardrobe choices), my friend Ali and I are off on a road trip - just a night - or most of it - or possibly part of another day - or not... we really don't know except we'll have about 12 hours of driving time, round trip, with my dog Max, to expound at great length and painful detail on our strangely parallel lives, eat, laugh, hear some good music and generally find just a bit of mischief.

These photos are from our last haphazardly planned get together, which included flavored martinis-I've already forgotten what flavor; fishnets, 80s prom dresses, a hula hoop, redneck barbie and bunny ears.

Maybe more Lucy & Ethel? Or can you think of another dynamic female duo???

Leap dog...

It's Max's birthday today, and although he's four years old, it's his first REAL birthday, because he was born on Feb. 29, 2004. In spite of the 2,500 (or so) walks I've taken him on -- twice a day every day for four years -- in every kind of weather that the Northeast can dish out, it seems like just yesterday he was a puppy, and I was alternately in love and suffering from extreme sleep deprivation. Although he was an adorable puppy, he's an even more wonderful dog, and we have settled into a comfortable routine that suits us both. Most days, we head down to the local bike path at about 6 am and walk for 45 minutes or an hour, meeting up with his other dog friends and their owners, among them Tank, Jet, Bullet, Paige, Zoe, Kip, Scruffy, Buddy & LouLou, to named just a few. Then we return home for breakfast, a few rounds of fetch with his favorite toys, and he settles into his recliner until I return from work, when the routine begins again. He can sit, and he can retrieve most of his toys by name, but otherwise, he's not especially talented, and that's just fine with us. No human can greet you with as much enthusiasm as Max, and when he cocks his head just the right way, he'll make you believe that he understands just what you're saying, and it's fascinating. He is the reason that every day of the year, I go outside, breathe fresh air, and appreciate the miracles of nature.
This was Max as a puppy. Curiously, after his first grooming, all those dark markings disappeared, and he became the silvery charmer above.

Hot , hot, hot...

Did I mention that it's hot up here these days? I swear after every seemingly endless winter that I will not complain about summer weather, but the humidity wrecks me. I just can't function well in it... and Max agrees. Here he is, enjoying the very early morning sun, at about 6:30 am, before the oppressive heat of the day descends upon us and sends us moping into our air conditioned home. Of course, the good thing about spending time indoors on such a sunny day is that I will get lots of artwork and housework done, without feeling guilty about being inside. I am planning a class called charm school, making mixed media charms, which I'll be teaching in July at Art Connection -- if you're a local who hasn't visited my friend Melanie's store and mixed media studio, I hope you find time to do so this summer. It's a wonderful place to hang out and escape the heat while taking a class or just renting studio time to work on your own projects...everything -- mixed media, to beading, quilting, stamping and scrapbooking!!!

A page from my dog's diary

I found this under the sofa as I was vacuuming the other day. What a discovery. I didn't know that Max could type...