the Legal Anniversary

I cleaned and restocked my project basket and am settling in to put the stars in the sky, one at a time.

This is the second day that Jimmy and I celebrate our anniversary. This is the date that's on the books. We had the wedding June 4, 1977 at our house in Mohegan Lake, NY and the judge arrived late.

 Just before the ceremony he took us aside and told us that, once he found the address, he realized he was out of his jurisdiction but would conduct the wedding "for show" but that we had to report to the town hall in Yorktown the next morning at eight for the real deal. He was a handsome  devil but none of the female guests could convince him to stay for the party.

After throwing out the last guests well past midnight, we got a few hours rest, redressed in our tired and rumpled wedding finery and met the judge at the courthouse. He was wearing a baseball uniform, cleats and all, gave us the thirty second version of the wedding ceremony, with a pause advised Jimmy that he could still change his mind and then pronounced us legally wed.

Happy Anniversary my darlin'

At our wedding, 36 years ago today, we handed out disposable cameras and cans of 35mm film to our guests. I imagine I still have not seen all the images from the day. Many of mine are on deteriorating Polaroids.

Given the camera angle, I think this one may have been taken by Jims little brother Chris or my nephew Jimmy, both of them about six at the time.


It's a bittersweet day -  I was brought up short by the memory that it's been a year today that Mom passed away. She liked my husband right from the start.

star testing

After the storms passed last night I settled in for the season opener of  AMC's
"The Killing" followed by the latest episode of "Madmen". Over three hours I split my attention but conjured up these ideas for the stars I will be placing in/on the Firmament. 

I worked these on a table mopper stained from the last dye session but I know that they will do just as well against the blue/green/lavender.







It's a good thing that I enjoy freeforming with snips and hand building complex thread.

Based on the planned size of the finished piece, the final "host" of the firmament  could number fifty or sixty which will be worked directly on it.

"The Killing" did not disappoint but there may just be a KILLING over the commercials!

 Yesterday I put off reading an article in the NY Times about the resurrection of the show -I didn't want to run into any spoilers and I won't print any here.  The article had tasty bits about the actual writing of the story. Much to think about for my own writing.

I've self-identified as what's called a "spontaneous" writer. A scene here, a character sketch there adding up to a whole pile of (very) loosely related fragments. Picture a cow shitting it's way across a broad pasture, wandering, circling and stepping in it's old crap. It's become frustrating, pointless and messy.

I won't call it a plot but I need to make a map for myself with the things I like about a good story, well told.  A Start, a Middle and a Resolution - with plenty of wandering, woolgathering and time shifts and character exploration worked in along the way - just respecting those time honored markers in the long run.

play it again..

A Sunday tradition here at the House of Lacativa - Settling in with the  NY times and a Braves game on TV only to be awakened by the kind of thunder I call "high, wide and handsome"..in a moment the overcast became deep gloom and the skies split open.

I just had time to snatch the crop off the line on the upper deck. Everything just as I hoped it would be...now to put on a pot of hot water for the spaghetti.

Colin went to Turner field last night to see the post game concert- Run DMC. The concert is held down on the field and he had the presence of mind to stop and pick up a handful of dirt from around third base.

 I brought the paper bowl of coarse grains upstairs to the studio and before I could put them in safekeeping, Sweetie stepped into the bowl as if it was her personal toilet. I caught her just in time...

back from gone?

 I was dumping files off one of the digital cameras and chanced on this and was disturbed that I had dismantled it and since dismembered most of the elements. There was too much wrong with it but parts that I wish I had saved.

I know I won't be able to recreate it but the vibrance and the energy of these B&W shapes appeals to me right now. Even in the middle  of a color blizzard I needed more of them. Spent the morning cooking up a batch of what I hope will be a neutral black..there are hides all over the deck drying in the sun.

And since I was already out there and making a mess, I refilled the jars with what I hope will be a gentler round of colors (despite appearances here)