New beginnings require endings

This whole cleaning the studio business is becoming something much more than just movomg out some old junk. I didn’t realise how hard it work be to actually go in and “kill” the art piece, TELEGENSIA which I’d been working on for over a decade. It slowly grew till it had taken over the whole north end of my studio and, like a jealous lover, stopped me from doing other art projects. I have known for the past year or so that it was over, but I kept putting off dealing with it until now.

Over the years it had evolved a layered defense so that just getting to the point where I could start to take it apart took a couple of days, but then FINALLY, I was able to get to it. My son Tom brought his truck and a friend, John, and they lugged all the TVs out and off to recycling. Now the studio is like just after having a tooth pulled – there’s a big hole where something used to be, but now it can start its new beginning.

A different music video

Perhaps in the future at this point you might find fine mandolin music and videos, but not now. I would instead provide the following example of all that is pure and uplifting in the world today.

As they get older

Children get more expensive as they get older – get used to it.

Summer Solstice

Summer here is starting with a thunder storm, which seems to make sense for this place. I just got home from a BBQ full of very young grad students and artsy types, and was all set to march down to the park to watch the latest storm roll in. But the rain got here first so instead I’m in the studio listening to the thunder and the rain on the (new!) roof.

Today was a good day, and I got to spend a couple of hours cleaning up my compost heap. Normally I would’ve done this in the fall after I finished my fall pruning, but when I hurt my back last October, the compost heap like so much else just had to wait. It was a mess with all sorts of branches and I wasn’t sure how well I’d do even today – I still have to be careful about bending over and digging and stuff like that.

Anyway, I started poking away at it and quickly was seduced by the whole process, and how relaxing and non-urgent it was. I ended up on a little sitting stool, and turned the whole thing over with mostly just my bare hands. I pulled out a couple of arm-loads of sticks that won’t break down as quickly as I want, but still ended up with several bushels of organic matter that’s well on it’s way to becoming the perfect ting to mix with the local heavy clay soil in the garden. The best part was how simple and un-complicated the process became. My hands knew what had to be done, and I just sat there without lots of heavy thinking.

I am pleased 3 times, because I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to deal with this, because I’ve got all this new organic compost, and because it turned into such a wonderful afternoon with no agenda, no schedule, no deadlines and no worries.

I can’t complain.

Advice for Beginners

Welcome to my advice section where I will sometimes share the wisdom of the aged. Today’s opening thought is always wear clean underwear

Image Gallery

Saskatchewan calls itself “the Land of the Living Sky”, and I can understand why. I’m lucky in that I live by a park with a very nice view of the southern sky. I often go down to watch storms roll in and make photos. Heres a couple

I don’t think this was the same storm, but that’s okay, we get lots of them.

Let summer begin

Tomorrow is the first day of summer, which is a good thing. The weather here is finally warming up, and most of the garden is growing. Several perennials didn’t come back so there are some holes, but I think that’s because of the lousy spring we had that thought it was still winter.

I should start by thanking my friend Erica for helping (pushing) me get started with this site. Now is a time of big changes in my life, and in the world around us. After 20 years of working as a “television executive”, I have retired to see if I can find what’s left of the rest of my life. Over the next little while, I’ll try to share some of what I discover, and learn. But now is a time for new beginnings and new adventures.