This flower from this tree

The man in the purple shirt is holding this flower from this tree.  I need to find out about this tree which I am unfamiliar with.

tender

Yellow Springs, Ohio

Antioch University is closed and this place is kind of sad because of it, it seems.  Its a cute hippie university village w/o any students- feels empty and lost; a shell of what it once was.

I miss Oahu

Nope, its not Bon Festival there yet but it is very close to Memorial Day and this is such a beautiful way to remember the dead off Sand Island in Honolulu.  Not only is the environment so lovely in Hawaii, the customs are incredibly lovely as well- I prefer this act of lighting candles that float out to sea than to watch a bunch of military guys in uniforms shooting guns into the air and standing around in graveyards any day.

the ants and the peonies

I love to watch this in the mornings when its still very cool.  So slowly, the ants begin.  They move very slow in the coolness.  They move faster as it gets warmer. They march slowly in a row on the stems as if it were a causeway.  What if the I-70 was a peony stem?  I'd really love that.  

Then they get to the bud and get to work.  I would really like to be an ant with this job.

squid

I used to think I was a giant squid until I found out about colossal squids.  I am not sure how I know this but I am pretty sure.  Doesn't that profile kind of look like me?

hands and feet

I love my hands and feet and believe that they are among my very best assets.  My foot hurts today- it was a minor sprain that I ignored and it got worse so today I am staying off my feet and its much much better.

What is pain for?  I know that physical pain is a warning.  But what about emotional pain?  Is that a warning, too?  Neither one will kill you, in and of itself, I don't think.  I used to think that powerful feelings (like pain, sadness, anger, joy) might kill me but it never did.  It was like being afraid of the needle.  Sure it hurt but it never killed me.  Signals, is that what they are?  Are they signs, warnings?  Why does something really really good sometimes hurt so much?  There is so much I do not really understand.

soup

I love soup.

I eat soup.

I make soup.

desk

cluttered, messy, too much going on on one surface.  I think I need to find a better spot for my desk which is actually just a table and an ironing board (midwestern surfboard).

Maya & Catherine (her mom)

Youth Video Showcase at the Wex

Today we screened 20 videos created by youth from all over Ohio.  It was a very cool show and many many people showed up which was wonderful.  I think we must have had around 150+ people show up, lots of proud parents, teachers, friends.  It was really great!  Ashley Nicol Knotts won a new HD video camera, a gift from an anonymous donor which was an audience choice award determined through a paper ballot.

It felt great to be a part of this.  I really love the work of kids and teens because they are much more capable of unfiltered honesty and have lots more courage than most adults.  The work of this bunch was nothing short of terrific, every single one.  I feel very proud and satisfied today- it was such a long one.

Another class: wexLab in PS

Another weekend studio class (2 days) over Mother's Day weekend: its called Project Fashion Show and we rounded up some sewing machines and powershopped at the thrift store and cut and transformed one thing to something else entirely- the "show" is tomorrow and we shall see what this intergenerational group came up with: moms, grandma's, daughters, aunties and friends of all ages making.